Useful Stuff

I've been sorting through boxes of stuff I have stored in the bathroom. Perhaps "stored" is a bit of a euphamism, since the system is rather random, to say the least. A few days ago I was rewarded for my efforts with these: Old film canisters, so what? I used to use them to measure out a washing solution for procion dyes for students in my cotton dyeing workshops, but then I changed the format and didn't think I needed tham any more. More recently I've been starting to learn about Kumihimo--Japanese braiding. To braid on the traditional Marudai you need a set of matched weighted bobbins. The real thing is rather complex to make and rather expensive to buy, so I've been looking for alternatives. Several sources have suggested film cannisters filled with metal washers or coins, but of course film cannisters are now nearly obsolete . . . where to find some? Ah Ha! Now you understand how pleased I was to find this bag of film cannisters amongst my stuff.

Right now I don't have time to do any braiding. I need to focus on getting my spinning up to date, but as soon as that's done, I'd like to reward myself with something completely different. So it's great to be able to set aside some of the equipment I'll need to give Kumihimo a go.