Tying one On

It's another dark dreary day, so once again I've no decent pics of what I've been spinning. Instead I thought I'd share something I learned last February from my fellow Folk School classmate Joan. It's a nifty way to tie a leader on a bobbin.

First off decide what material you want to use for a leader and cut a long length of it. I prefer pearl cotton and quite a long leader so I use a piece that's several yards long. Using a long leader is helpful when adjusting the tension before attaching your fiber and the pearl cotton doesn't stretch and holds up well.

Fold the piece in half and knot the two ends together.

Then, hold the knotted end on top of the bobbin core and wind the rest of the leader completely around it, passing it to the top of the knot.

Wind the leader around the bobbin core a second time and pass it to the bottom of the knot this time.
Wind the leader around the bobbin once more but this time place the folded end through the two strands of the knotted end.
Snug it up tight to the bobbin core and you have a leader that is secure and won't spin around the bobbin needing a piece of scotch tape to keep it put. Plus, the folded end provides a nice loop to use when starting to spin. Simple and elegant--love it! Thanks for teaching me this Joan and giving me permission to pass it on!

Edit: Joan has told me that she learned this bobbin leader tying idea from http://www.textilelinks.com/author/rb/980712.html