I have been weaving with my yarn tied into butterflies (not onto butterflies, which would be cruel and flappy, but the practice of looping yarn over two fingers and tying in the middle resembles a butterfly). They are easy to tie and require no additional equipment. For the most part the yarn management is easy, until near the end when you either have to retie the butterfly or deal with a long end. After looking through my book and magazine, I decided to make some tapestry weaving bobbins.
I chose mesquite because I had some scrap laying on my bench. I used the band saw to cut square dowels about 6 inches long and about 1/2 inch in diameter. The scrap from this looked useful, so I also made some small yarn shuttles.
Then I moved on to my band sander to shape the bobbins, and smooth the shuttles.
After roughing in the shape, I hand sanded all the pieces down to 400 grit. I have not finished them yet, as I am not sure they are at their final size (and I really wanted to start using them, and not wait for tung oil to dry!)
I am pleased with the shape and feel of my bobbins. They could have been more regular if I turned them on a lathe, but I still haven’t secured my lathe in the rearranged garage, so this will do. Hand shaping has given them an organic feel, which is nice as well.
Interesting to note, I will have to be more careful when working with mesquite in the future. Like wearing a mask when I’m sanding, even if I only think it will take a few minutes (wear your dust mask kids!) After sanding I felt light headed, and the next day I had a headache. This is not my first wood sensitivity; I’m outright allergic to walnut and can’t work the wood at all. I did find a nifty chart with wood allergies and toxicity here (https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/), which lists Mesquite as sensitizing. So there you go.
Critters and Craft 