I have started to write a blog post many times over the past couple of month but keep coming up with a ‘blank’. The last post title that I didn’t write and you didn’t read was ‘Seeking Perfection’. I read somewhere lately that practice doesn’t make perfect like the adage says, but practice does make progress of some sort. The practice of weaving is no different and I’ve started to weave exactly the same thing every day…over and over, and over again. This is a good trick into making my mind open up to a deeper way of how I want to progress. Or maybe not ‘progress’ at all.

Every day winding bobbins over and over makes me think about how great the bobbins are. The Saori ones are hard plastic and although somewhat inelegant compared to others they are so adaptable. They can allow you to take steps that I certainly hadn’t thought of before.

For example, try a total texture hit for your weaving and save resources at the same time. I have many a half full bobbin from workshops, especially through this languid covid period, and rather than weave off a randomy mass of colourways it is nicer to create a texture overload in my work. Just slip the bobbin yarn from the bobbin and stretch out the cocoon of yarn. So simple.

Then place the yarn in any way you favour in your work while you weave.

The plastic bobbins also serve as a spindle for spinning directly on the loom. But more commonly we use the winder to create new doubled and tripled yarn for our work.

To get going place the yarn packages (cones) on the floor to allow easy unwinding. No snagging and carry on. Put the bobbin on the winder in the usual way and start winding two or more threads. As a tip, keep a little tension on the yarns with your fingers holding them and make sure you keep the yarns together as much as possible. Keep your fingers quite close to the bobbin to prevent the yarns separating and splaying out. Two yarns always want to go their separate way so be confident in keeping them together.

Doubled threads will add a nice richness to your weaves and you can change one of the threads in following bobbins whilst keeping the other main yarn to maintain a consistency in woven colours too.

So this is a little about the bobbin love but there is always more. The bobbins can be placed in the microwave to set a wool yarn that you spin on the winder because they are plastic. So the bobbin’s hard plastic extends their welcome in very practical ways for weaving.