Winding, winding, winding, a never ending chore. I have a few cases of bobbins which I always use for the first making of my own designs. This way I don't have to worry about running out, or not winding enough pairs to start with. Any bobbins with enough thread to rewind get put at the last row of the case so I can use them to add single bobbins, or wind on just those tiny amounts that can appear in non geometric designs.
I stick to the same bobbins too, having a consistant weight in the hands when thinking about what happens next is good, an odd weighted bobbin flicking off the pillow can distract and interfere with a thought process which is busy planning several trails, many moves ahead.
Start with a secure wind onto the bobbin.
The first bobbin is wound with as much thread as it will carry. The trick is not to load the bobbin with too much thread which makes the thread wider than the head. This can cause the thread to skip over the head and get tangled. The second bobbin I wind only the top half of the neck, usually with a meter or less of thread. This is usually enough for my designs, leaving me with only one bobbin with waste thread on. The full bobbin simply refills the empty one as needed.
Some bobbins are made with wood which doesn't seem to want to be polished glass smooth, worth remembering these, they come in handy for metallic, sparkly, thick or rayon threads which simply don't want to stay wound on the neck. Worth having a couple of pairs of rougher bobbins just for these special threads.
The winder I use is one which appeared from the magic shed at the end of the garden some years ago, a breadboard, a bit of kitchen work surface and a rolling pin had been turned into a wonderful, thoughtful present and has served me well. The handle winds in reverse, so that stops anyone else asking to use it!
The hitch I use developed simply by being the most trustworthy of all the different hitches I tried. If the very first bit wound onto the bobbin is not secure, the whole wrap can rotate and this can make any hitch come undone. Sometimes I find a solitary bobbin keeps unravelling despite the correct hitch, and the only way to correct it is to wind back to the beginning and get that first wind secure.
Do not be concerned when I say I drop the bobbin on the floor, I am not smashing the beads on ceramic tiles, or throwing the thread into muddy footprints! There is a special little quilt just for the job, I wind so many bobbins, that this gives me the fastest way to measure. Here's my rough guide.
Drop from the waist - sitting = 60cm
Drop from the bust - sitting = 90 cm
Drop from the waist - standing = 1 meter
Drop from the bust - standing = 1.25 meter.
The weight of the bobbin hanging down from the table also helps to avoid tangles and twists in the thread.
Different bobbins, thread weights, twists, thread content, and plys can call for different hitches. Always worth checking, when starting a new style of lace, what method is suggested at the front of the book, or how the teacher suggests. They will know more than me about this!
My video on winding my everyday working bobbins is on you tube here
Wind and Hitch Lace Bobbins Video
