I MIGHT TRY THE GOKO AGAIN

Posted by Peg in South Carolina 

Why?   Because this second skein is winding off so easily. 

So easily that it tends to loop around.  I solved that by putting a tension box* between the skein and the cone and then running the yarn through it.  Any whipping and looping that happens will happen before the yarn enters and tension box, not after.

The only thing I have to continue to watch with an eagle eye is the yarn as it winds onto the cone.  The yarn can get caught and start winding either underneath or above the wound part of the cone. With the tension controlled, this rarely happens.  And catching it immediately when it does happens makes it quick and easy to fix.

Here is a close up of the skein itself as it looks on the skeinwinder (viewed from the top). 

It looks exactly like a skein should look.   Smooth.  Spread across the whole width of the skein winder.  Flat.  And the yarn feeds back and forth from across the top of the skein.

Now I finally know exactly what the skein should look like when it is stretched out.  I also know I can try each end to see which end feeds from the top.  Knowing these two things gives me the courage to try the Goko again.  For if that skein unwinds in the same manner as the current skein unwinding, the Goko will work exactly as it ought to, turning free an easy as it lets the yarn unwind. 

With the LeClerc, because it is so heavy, I have to turn the winder as well as the cone winder in order for the yarn to feed off.  With the super-light Goko, the pull from the cone winder is all that is needed to cause the yarn to feed off of it.

*This particular tension box is sold at Purrington Looms.

"I Might Try the Goko Again” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on October 26, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.