April Spools Day

Thanks to friend Meg and her quirky ideas this is April Spools Day (much more fun than the alternative) where weavers get to show the spools and bobbins they use for weaving.  Mine go Way Back, starting with the bobbin winder made from an old sewing machine motor, adapted to take commercial fly-shuttle pirns, , , though I don't use a fly shuttle. For these I have 'custom built' end delivery shuttles of the rather robust variety.

I have two sizes of pirn; Quite Large and Even Bigger!  Here they are, with also a view of the end, hence the creative fitting on the motor.

Even though these pirns, have done sterling service over 30+  years, I now use for preference some plastic bobbins for a couple of very nice Le Clerc side delivery boat shuttles I acquired a couple of decades ago.  They don't quite fit the machine  but if I hold everything right I can manage quite well. This system has served me well and never broken down over the decades and I am counting on it to continue for many years yet.

Some years ago a lovely lady gave me a beautiful damask double shuttle.  I think it is intended to take paper pirns but I discovered a now obsolete sewing thread spool (Drima) fits it well and I keep my eyes open for them at garage sales and op shops.  I haven't used this shuttle nearly enough and this might be resolution time to make more use of it.  These little bobbins have a purpose made adapter to fit the bobbin winder. Half of it is used (somewhat drunkenly) for the bobbins above, but here it is as it was intended to be used. (There is a bit of willow stick protruding from the right hand end to bridge the gap.)

 And here is the lovely shuttle

Thank you Meg for prompting this discussion.