Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 11:39:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: FergusFall@aol.com
To: knit@bolis.com
Subject: KNIT: Bobbins

FRKKU87A@Prodigy.com (TAN) asked:

>Are there bobbins made especially for intarsia knitting?  I made an
>intarsia sweater in January and just make loops of the yarn to keep it 
>under control,  but it was just two colors.  I made cardboard bobbins 
>for my argyle sock, and I think a  big part of my problem in tangling yarns 
>was the cardboard bits catching on one  another.

Over a year ago, several listers posted a bobbin idea picked up at a knit
conference in San Diego.  It's made my intarsia much more fun:
 
Straw Bobbins
(It's easier than it sounds.)  

1.  Grab a plastic drinking straw and cut it in half.

2.  Begin by winding the yarn around the middle to establish a secure start
point.

3.  Now with your left hand,  pinch the straw lightly in the middle where
you've wound the yarn - I use my thumb and pointing finger.

4.  With your right hand begin to wind the yarn over base yarn in a figure 8
while slowly twirling the straw with your two left fingers.

5.  You'll end up with an egg-shaped blob of yarn in the middle of the straw
and one free hanging yarn end.

6.  Cut a 1/2 inch or so slit in one end of the straw.

7.  Thread the free hanging yarn thru the uncut end of the straw.

8.  When the yarn emerges from the end with the slit, slip it into the slit
to anchor it.

When using these bobbins for intarsia, pull the working end of the yarn out
of the slit and allow the yarn to feed into the bit of intarsia you're
working on.  When you're ready to change colors anchor the yarn in the slit
again and continue with your next color.

No tangling.  It's easy to flip the bobbin over or under the next strand.
 The bobbin weighs nothing. (Unlike the plastic doughnut bobbins which, I
think,  add weight and stretch the yarn.)  I love it.

Sandy in San Diego
FergusFall@aol.com