Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Tapestry Bobbins, Yarns and Favorite Tools



What a feast for the eyes!  Here is my new "Bobbin Bowl" hand made by John Moss filled with his beautiful and functional 5.5 inch bobbins and a few of his Mini Bobs dressed in color wheel colors of Ymmyarns.  The bowl is a result of a conversation I had with John about needing an attractive place to store extra bobbins while working and the result is this lovely customized bowl of Magnolia wood. If you are interested in learning more about John and his wife Joy and the lovely things they make there is a link to their webpage on the right side of my blog. I am so happy with my bowl that I could never sell it but maybe he will make me some more of them. I do have a few of his bobbins available for sale so let me know if you are interested at jmeetze8@aol.com. I also have the Ymmyarns available!


If you would like to see a picture without the bobbins dressed in wool, here it is.

















You may have noticed an unusual looking bobbin in the picture above.  It is another very exciting tool that came about during our conversation about the bowl. My request was an awl for tapestry that I could wear so that I would not be continually losing it in the nests of fiber around my loom.  John came through with the awl and magnetic holder that you see at the right.  This is destined to become my new favorite tool for tapestry weaving!  I like to change color often and so frequently work with small lengths of fiber rather than winding on a bobbin.  The awl is just like the  end of the bobbin with a brass tip so that I can beat my wefts in place and when I'm finished instead of setting it down I just aim toward my magnetic holder and it grabs it until I need it again.










Here is a close up of the magnet in the holder and awl with a snippet of the leather lacing so that it can be worn.  I am hoping to have more of these to sell soon.











Here is a peak at the September diary with my awl/holder ready to start weaving.  Right after I received it I starting weaving the Cedar tree in the backyard.

















3 comments:

  1. Wow. These are beautiful. It makes me wish I used bobbins!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I would have to agree! I must confess that I just love tools .

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  2. When I asked what's the big deal about those bobbins, Catherine had this to say:

    Once you see, touch and use them, the plastic bobbins will never be the same. They are beautifully turned and feel silky in your hand, yet have enough "tooth" to load and hold the yarn well. The tip is fine and strong, giving you the precision to pack those eccentric warps perfectly. How do we love them? Ah, let us count the ways....

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