Lacis Bobbin Winder

A wooden bobbin winder produced by LACIS, in Berkeley, CA. They have a retail store and lace museum at 2982 Adeline St., and a warehouse at 3163 Adeline St.  Kaethe (d. 2002) and Jules Kliot have run this establishment for many years. The store's original name was “Some Place”, but changed to “Lacis” in 1980. The bobbin winder is a current product, and is described in their online catalog as:

Solid finished hardwood, heirloom quality, suitable for most bobbins, including the Kliot bobbin. Has approximately a 1:10 turn ratio (will vary depending on size of bobbin used) . Requires a clamp for securing to a table. (BI60) $40.00

The piece looks like oak, but I’m not sure. A bobbin is placed in the concave groove, and a rubber band drive goes around the wheel and the middle of the bobbin.  It seems to work best with the Kliot beginner’s bobbin, and might benefit from some slippery padding in the groove. But then, a lot of the Kliot bobbinlace equipment was a bit spare. Their book, “Bobbin Lace, formed by twisting cords” published in 1973, is often derided as ‘Hippie Art', but it was one of the first in the lace craft revival period of the 70’s and 80’s. Further Kliot publications provide a great source of reprints of early lacemaking works

first posted 1/19/2009