Plying balls

I decided to tackle the plying balls of the gradient this week. You may remember the giant mess that one of the bobbins had become. It is still a mess but I am working on it slowly.

I started with the easy one. The other single that was not on the bobbins. I wound off each cop onto a toilet paper roll and then onto the plying ball. Here it is partially complete...

And here it is all complete. It only took one evening to do this.

Then I went back to the mess and started unwinding. The ends of the bobbins are a mess, the center is nice and clean. I am spit splicing the ends of the various bits together so I don't lose too much of the fiber. There is a bit that will become the center of a future plying ball.

This one is of course taking a lot longer. Once I am done with this bobbin, it will go quickly as the other two bobbins are in good shape and now I know what not to do.

Today is a beautiful day in Shanghai. Nice and warm with the sun shining bright. It is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration and today is a big night for fireworks also. Apparently fireworks will bring wealth in the New Year or so we heard.

I took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures outside. It looks so much nicer when the sun is out. A grey sky just makes everything look grey.

That is our building in the foreground with Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center in the background. I took this while walking back from the market. I also took a photo of some of the grounds, which are quite extensive.

This is looking the other way from the first picture. There are lawns, a couple of club houses, outdoor pools, a stream with waterfalls and bridges, tennis courts, a children's daycare/elementary school and lawns in the compound with about 10 buildings. Each building is actually 2 buildings. As you enter the lobby, one building is on the right and the other on the left.

Back to sorting out the bobbin!