DIY hand bobbin winder

2011-10-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to the bobbin winder discussion on the most recent Knitmore Girls episode. I just bought my very first spinning wheel, an Ashford Traditional (1975 model with a new 3 speed flyer) last week. I've been drop spindling for about a year. I really enjoy spinning, but I'm new at it, and I don't have the budget for a lot of fancy equipment right now.

I have heard from multiple sources that it's best to spin all your fiber for a particular project, wind the singles onto storage bobbins, and then ply from there. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on a bobbin winder, so I macgyvered one out of cheap stuff and J, the fiance, refined it a bit.

You need:

1. Cardboard storage bobbins (mine were $1.85 from Weaving Works in Seattle)
2. Wire hanger
3. Knitting needle (this is a cheap aluminum one)
4. Pliers

First, use your pliers to bend the hanger back and forth until you break off about an 8 or 9 inch piece of wire. Use your piece of wire to hand-drill a little hole on the outside edge of your bobbin (Don't put your thumb right under where you're trying to poke the wire through. No one likes puncture wounds). I put the hole about as close the outside as I felt wouldn't tear through with use.

A little more than the distance between the hole you made and the center of the bobbin, use the pliers to twist the wire into a loop around your knitting needle. Bend the very end of the wire so it just latches into the hole, but doesn't really come out the other side (or it will snag your yarn). If you don't feel like making a hole, you could just make the loop and then tape the wire to the side of your bobbin. Then, bend the other side of your piece of wire into a handle.

The finished wire looks like this:

Now, slide the knitting needle through the loop, slide your cardboard bobbin onto the needle and, if you made a hole, insert the little bent bit of wire through the hole (Or tape the wire to the bobbin). Use one hand to gently hold the bobbin against the end of the needle, and the other hand to wind.

Care and feeding of your introvert and other news . . .

2008-06-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I'd post these two links, as they are not quite spot on in regards to me, but they aren't far off.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch

http://thecanalsblog.com/2007/10/caring-for-your-introvert.html
(In a comment on here, someone mentions making an escape plan as soon as she sees someone she knows out and about. I really thought that was one of my most weird habits, but maybe its less weird than I had thought).

Running Type

DIY hand bobbin winder

Care and feeding of your introvert and other news . . .