What is it? – Knitting and crochet. If you look at all of the fibers, textures, sizes and colors of yarns available to accomplish either we find that the potential for creative expression is virtually unlimited. But wait, if it’s possible to go beyond unlimited we can certainly do so simply by adding multiple colors to the same project. Adding schmancy to fancy if you will. Think of basic color work techniques like Faire Isle, Scandinavian, intarsia, C2C graphghans or others. Using these methods we can manipulate various colors of yarn to make any pattern desired on a single project. We can either copy existing designs or develop custom designs that compliment a specific personal interest. Regardless, with these techniques we can add bold, eye catching motifs to any project. Easy peasy. Or perhaps not. Instead of one ball or skein of yarn, we now have two or more to manage. A really complicated project might require many. How do we keep them all from tangling with each other and turning our fun project into an onerous task? With any project we will have major colors and minor colors. To reduce the effort required to manage them it’s obvious that we should reduce the minor colors to smaller yarn balls and implement some way to keep them from unwinding while they are manipulated into our project. Easier said than done. A quick search of the internet reveals options such as “butterfly” patterns wound onto stretched fingers and then tied, clothes pins or various homemade cardstock shapes wound with yarn or skein filled plastic grocery bags with yarn pulled from a knot restricted enclosure at the top. All very functional but all sound a little like solutions that have their own inherent problems. However, with the Clover Knitting Bobbin Set you can consider the problem solved.
What is it? – Clover Bobbins, with their familiar “H” shape, were designed specifically to accommodate the reduced amounts of yarn needed consistent with the requirements of any pattern we might choose. The arms are sturdy enough to support the yarn windings and the convenient notches on either end of the bobbin holds loose ends securely. This allows us to quickly wind desired amounts of our yarn onto the bobbins creating convenient little packages that will be easy to manipulate when we’re working on our project. And when we have an interruption of our work, which we often do, we can easily fold everything up and place it in our bag until we can resume work. And when we are ready to resume and we unfold our project we’ll find everything is there, nice and neat and ready to go. Just as we left it. Each package is complete with six durable bobbins in three colors. One added thought. Clover’s Yarn Guide is an excellent way to keep our colors organized at the point of knitting or crochet. This handy little device fits comfortably on your finger and keeps the individual strands separated so they don’t get twisted or tangled as we work.
How do I share it? – Colorwork techniques produce beautiful, often custom, projects. Unfortunately it often looks complicated and, in some cases, truly is. But by using the appropriate tools and easily learned skills, your friends will find that yarn management does not have to be a knitting or crochet super power. Everyone can do it. Static displays, shop demonstrations and classes will give your friends all the confidence they need to embark on this truly remarkable creative quest.
