Bobbins
I’ve been spinning a lot lately. Sometimes there are so many deadlines for writing that the spinning kind of gets pushed to the back but other times I need samples and things for articles as well as classes and I also get sad that my personal projects are being neglected and so i spin and spin and spin for hours every day.
This amount of spinning has gotten me thinking about bobbins. 
I started a project on my Norm Hall Wheel. I have 6 bobbins for that wheel but 4 of them are full with the yarn for the personal project. I have been spinning samples on my Matchless. I have about 18 bobbins for that wheel I think but usually only about 4 of them don’t have yarn. There’s another personal project in process on the Schacht Reeves. I only have 4 bobbins for that wheel and 3 are currently full.
As you can see, no matter how many bobbins you have for a particular wheel, it never seems to be enough for me.
Bobbins can be pricey. so what’s a spinner to do? Storage bobbins!
For storage of singles that I have spun for a project but I’m not ready to ply yet I like to use a couple of different types of bobbins for storage. There are 6 inch weaving bobbins that are great for finer yarns. They look small but you will be surprised at how much yardage can fit on one bobbin. Also, I like the cardboard bobbins that weavers use for warping. They are very cheap – less than $2.00 each – and can be reused.
Now using these bobbins for storage may bring up an issue about how best to wind the yarn from the spinning wheel bobbin onto the storage bobbin. If you are a weaver, you probably already have a winding tool for weaving bobbins and this will work just great whether it is electric or hand cranked. Another option is an electric drill with a dowel put in where the bit goes. Then you put the storage bobbin onto the end. If the bobbin opening is too big, just use some wool and jam the bobbin on tightly.
I choose to use other bobbins as storage rather than winding the yarn from the bobbin by hand into a ball because it’s faster and also because I can put my storage bobbin right onto my kate for plying.
If you do choose to wind into a ball, make sure you wind from the side of the bobbin and not over the end as this can change the amount of twist in the yarn and mess up any calculations or work you have put into planning.
What do you do about bobbin storage?
I use the BobbinsUP from Artuwear. http://www.artuwear.net/bobbinsup.html The bobbinsup system is easy to use, extremely efficient, and best of all because of the price I can have TONS of them!! I learned about them last year for my Spinzilla team and have been using them nonstop since then. Hope that helps!!
Love BobbinsUp!
They are my go to choice after trying weaving bobbins and cardboard bobbins
Bobbins Up is my solution too and the good news is each plastic bobbin comes with it’s own plastic dowel that attaches to a hand drill if needed and each bobbin has the grooves to catch the tensioning thread from my lazy kate so you could ply directly from these bobbins.
I use the Quill attachment for my Hansen mini spinner to wind bobbins. Works like a charm and I get nice even bobbins.
hmmmm. interesting, I have a louet s15 that is compatible with the s10 which i plan on getting in a year or two, so i am lucking the bobbins are the same. i am gonna try to buy a jumbo or reg bobbin a month so store. What i would really like to get tho, is that grey ball maker i see in peoples work room.
I love my giant ball winder! I have the Strauch one.