Anything but Lazy Kate™ (ABLK) A Kate with expanded capabilities based on an advanced design by NKK Do you own a Country Spinner? The ABLK can now handle your huge bobbins! Click here

The "Anything but Lazy Kate™" has an extensive list of features that spinners will not find anywhere else. This unit started shipping on 8/21/2012. It is the most advanced Lazy Kate on the market. First, it employs the tilt-back design for using gravity to provide a certain amount of tension on the bobbins. What makes our tilt-back design unique is that we have infinite adjustability of the tilt angle. The user can adjust it from approx. 10 to 45 degrees and everywhere in between. We accomplish this by means of a custom designed lid bracket that is controlled by an adjustable knob. We also use our tensioning post design that we developed for our World famous ball winders and skein-winders. Each bobbin has it own adjustable yarn guide with a 1" diameter wireform which is perfect for art yarns. This means that each bobbin can be independently tensioned by means of the adjustable tension guide. We also provide our standard tension cord system (not pictured above) which is used on our Jumbo Lazy Kate. The tensioning cord is controlled by a peg. The cord runs around the bobbins and provides even tension on all three bobbins simultaneously. Three forms of tensioning and yarn control in one Kate! Unheard of, until now! The rods measure 3/16" diameter x 8.25" long and they will hold all known bobbins. They are made of stainless steel. Our dovetailed hardwood box even stores all of the guides, rods, peg, and knobs inside. The knob that adjusts the tilt mechanism also locks the box lid down so that everything remains intact. It even includes a classy handle. The handle enables the user to carry the unit like a small briefcase. The unit can hold three 5"+ diameter bobbins at the same time. In fact, there is 6" between each bobbin rod so we provide extra room for those overloaded bobbins. Our rods are 8" tall so the unit can fit any bobbin and even 7" cones! We even have optional 11.25" long rods available for 10" cones. Where else can you get such flexibility in a single Kate?! Update: Since announcing the ABLK we have also announced 2 other products that use some of the same features as the ABLK. These are our Yarn Pet™ and Yarn Pet Duo™. These are designed to hold your yarn balls (or cones) while you knit but the ABLK can do the same thing that these do. With the addition of the Cone Accessory Kit the ABLK owner can also hold balls/cones of yarn and knit right from the lazy kate. You do not need these other products unless you want more portability.
Optional Cone Accessory Kit - 7" Yarn Cones can mounted onto the rods. 2 wooden discs, an Allen wrench, two steel washers, and 3 steel collars are available as an optional Cone Accessory Kit.  If you need a top notch cone holder (which can be tensioned!), then get one or more of these kits.	Cone Accessory Kit includes 2 size discs for fitting inside the bottom of the cone Plus we just added 2 rubber stoppers which provide enhanced cone centering.
April 2013 update - we now include our special rubber stoppers in our cone accessory kit which fit into the tops of the cones and center the cone on the rod as well as provide positive drive to the cones while the yarn is being pulled off.
Click to view the: User's Guide for the Kate Instructions for Cone Accessory Kit Bob's Commentary: Well what can I say. We had a highly successful lazy kate for the past 10 years. Others tried to copy our design, but our features and quality still reigned supreme after all of these years. Then we developed the Lazy Kate 2 (officially the Anything but Lazy Kate™) at the urging of a local art yarn guru (Esther Rodgers). We dragged our feet for a long time (1 year) but then, we eventually got our act together (and boy, did we!) and finally got the product designed. We made sure that we met both Esther's design goals as well as ours and then we carefully refined the design. Many custom designed parts were needed for the LK2 which always takes time and costs a lot of money. But then comes the day when all of the parts are in and we assemble the first production unit. We run our tests and WOW! We then realize that what we had hoped for in this design was now a reality! The unit is, indeed, a truly unique product which has more capabilities than any other Kate on the market. It employs the "new age" tilt-back design for art yarn users and it also includes the traditional tensioning cord system for regular lazy kate users. But then we go one more step beyond that by adding a fully adjustable yarn guide tensioner for each bobbin! This means that the user can tension their yarn 3 separate ways. Never in the history of lazy kate production has there been anything like this. But we didn't stop there. We gave the user a handle and a high quality hardwood case that holds all of the parts - in style. You can carry it like a miniature brief case. I would never have imagined prior to starting this project that such a great kate was possible, but as always, when your design team focuses on excellence and providing the end user with all the features that we, ourselves, would want, then the team pushes itself to produce the best design possible without too much regard to cost. In the end, it is the right thing to do. Design for function and form will follow. 8-31-12 update - we just added a new option for the ABLK, a cone accessory kit which allows the user to mount cones of yarn on the ABLK. A simple design that works really well. We do not bundle it with the ABLK because the majority of users will not use a cone. But for those of you that do, you will find this to be a most competent cone holder with tensioning. 10-2012 update - we now also offer users the ability to buy 11" rods which are used to hold 10" cones of yarn. May 2013 update - we offer a special kit that allows Ashford Country Spinner users to mount their really large bobbins on our kate. The kit includes 2 specially designed stainless steel tubes that fit over the normal ABLK rods plus a custom designed anti-tip bracket to allow the ABLK to tilt its lid back with the CS bobbins installed. This is more than likely the ONLY Kate that can handle these large bobbins. We hope that our customers will agree that this is the most complete lazy kate system ever produced. We are not finished yet, either, and have some other add-ons/options planned. This is the reason that you should always select your fiber tools from a tool maker like Nancy's Knit Knacks. The Anything but Lazy Kate™ will easily become the "must have" tool for spinners.
Note: the unit measures 13.5" wide by 6.5" deep x 2.75" tall. There are 4 knobs included and all are the same size and are interchangeable. Our three 8-1/4" tall stainless steel rods (3/16" diameter) are packaged in a DP Needle tube. All bobbins will fit onto these rods. In addition to bobbins, these rods can also hold 7" cones (we will have optional cone supports discs that will attach to the rods). The rods can also be used with our drinking straw transfer and storage system for drop spindle users. We also offer optional 11" tall rods for those who want to mount 10" tall cones This Kate does so many things which is why we named it the "Anything but Lazy Kate" because if you use it to its full extent, it will not have any time to be lazy!
Purchase an Anything but Lazy Kate™ by clicking below  - $145.00 This is a great product and you will really enjoy using it. It is truly the Cadillac of lazy kates.   Order an ABLK with std. 8.25" Rods 145.00
Order a Cone Accessory Kit ($9.00)  for use on the Anything but Lazy Kate or the Jumbo Lazy Kate or the Yarn Bobbin & cone holder

Country Spinner Option

We have an option that adapts the HUGE Country Spinner bobbins so they can fit onto the Anything but Lazy Kate. The change consists of stainless steel tubes that fit over the 11" rods which then allow the bobbins to fit snugly onto the tubes.

Here is the ABLK in action with Country Spinner bobbins.

Watch our video which demonstrates our Country Spinner Option

We are adding a special support bracket that will extend rearward to prevent the ABLK from tilting backward when really heavy bobbins are installed and the tilt-top is raised to add tension. The bracket will be user installable and will pack inside the ABLK when not in use. Availability end April 2013.

Target Price for the Kit which will enable 2 CS bobbins to be installed $45 (does not include the ABLK)

Th Call us for more info 800-731-5648