A Turkish Spindle

Thanks in part to an enthusiasm to try out new spinning tools during Tour de Fleece* and a healthy bit of curiosity, I bought a Turkish Drop Spindle. What makes a Turkish Drop Spindle special is that the yarn is wrapped around the “arms” instead of spindle’s shaft. Once the spinning is done, the shaft and arms are removed which leaves a handy center pull ball. A few days ago, I got to try this out. 

Here we have a bit practice wool I started spinning right after Tour de Fleece.

Just the arms now.

Look, Ma! No hands!

Besides from wrapping the single around the arms, spinning on a Turkish Drop Spindle isn’t much different than spinning with a typical drop spindle. Just have to remember the “2 over, 1 under” wrapping rule and you’re good to go. 

As soon as the arms were out and I found the other end, I started chain plying the single without having to make a plying ball or any other prep work. I could really get used to that.

I only had one real difficulty using a Turkish spindle over the usual, whorled spindle. Since the turkish spindle acts as two pieces - the shaft and the crossed arms -   the spindle didn’t always start spinning all at once. As I would set the spindle spinning, I could feel the arms slipping around the shaft and unbalance the spin. Since the wobble got really annoying after the nth time, I would wrap the singles tighter and closer to the center. I’m not sure that did anything other than making the arms harder to remove. Since I’ve only tried this one turkish spindle, I’m not sure how widespread the phenomenon is. Guess I’ll just have to try out a few more spindles to check.

*This is the last time I’m going to start off a post by mentioning Tour de Fleece. For now.

The Incremental Project

Tour de Fleece got me thinking about the small things, about daily effort, and about progress. How one small thing done everyday can lead to big things. For those not in the know, Tour de Fleece is an annual event that runs alongside the Tour de France. Everyday that the Tour rides over the course of three weeks, people spin and make yarn. Since I was a new spinner (does four months still count as new?) and up for a challenge, I decided to join in. By the end of the Tour I had gained/refined skills, played with a lot of great fiber, made 5 skeins, and spun 1,040 yards. 1,040 yards! That number still makes me happy since I never dreamed or dared to set such a grandiose goal for myself.

After I stopped squeeing for happiness, I wondered how I managed this great thing I didn’t think I could do in the beginning. The answer is simple: incremental progress. Every day of the tour, I practiced, I researched, and I just spun yarn. Some days I only managed a couple minutes and other days a few hours but it all added up to something good that I wanted but couldn’t imagine doing. One would think years of knitting one stitch after another and making hundreds of items would have taught me the true meaning of incremental. The light bulb just didn’t turn on until the last few days.

So, here’s the plan for something I’m calling The Incremental Project: 

1. Pick some skill/goal that I’ve been meaning to improve but just haven’t gotten around to yet. 
2. Every day for a month, take the time to practice, practice, practice even if it’s just for five minutes at a time. Small steps add up after all. 
3. To stay accountable, post about your progress once a week. Maybe on Monday?
4. Rinse and repeat next month.

Who's with me? 

This month I’m focusing on getting back my drawing fingers. Drawing is something that I’ve always wanted to do and have done from time to time. Time to get doing again and clean up my rusty skills. My goal is to finish one drawing or sketch a day. I’ll let you know how it’s going in a week. 

After the Tour

For my last Tour de Fleece skein, I decided to give spinning from batts another try. This batt, thankfully doesn’t look like upchucked bodily fluids or any other bodily fluid I know of. The stats: 1.9 ounces of Something Wicked This Way Wanders... by The Madd Batter. It’s a combination of Falkland, Firestar Sparkle, Merino, Mohair and Romney locks, and a bit of silk just because.

I managed to finish this skein with a day to spare but the spinning was a mixed bag of easy-peasy and challenging. There were locks that disrupted my drafting, clumps of wool that wanted to do their own thing, as well as silk and sparkle that were more interested in floating around the room than becoming yarn. After spinning one long single, I plied it back on itself to make 90 yards of 2-ply which is part-art yarn. Some parts of crazy with sparkle and wild locks. Other parts are humble and unassuming. All around, the skein is a strong ending to Tour de Fleece. 

The Stats

5 skeins finished  |  18.9 ounces of fiber spun  |  1,040 total yards

1,040 total yards? I just boggled my own mind and that’s awesome! I never dreamed I’d spin more than 1,000 yards during the Tour with makes the whole thing a success in my book. The added bonus is that I actually met most of my goals. I learned new skills - spinning from a batt and the butterfly wrap - and refined others. I spun new fibers and found a new favorite, Falkland. Didn’t get to around to the silk mawatas though. I expanded my tools with a WPI gauge from Girl on the Rocks, a 22 gram drop spindle, and a turkish spindle. I spun the good, special stuff and didn’t ruin it. I did not manage to SPIN ALL THE THINGS! but I did try. 

Goals and yardage aside, Tour de Fleece taught me to lose the complacency with my own skills and keep learning, keep trying, and keep pushing forward. I’m a better spinner than I was a month ago and there is still so much more to practice. The thought isn’t depressing, it’s inspiring not just for my spinning but also in the rest of my life. There’s so much I can do if I just put my mind and passion to work.

Keep learning and keep pushing forward, my friends.

On Tour

Another day, another skein for Tour de Fleece. This skein counts as number four on the Tour and, while it’s just a simple 2-ply, there’s something special about it. When I start spinning a new project I’m usually at home with a collection of books for reference and the internet to come to my rescue if I need it. This time was different since last Thursday night, I packed up a spindle and some fiber with my usual luggage for a road trip to visit friends. We talked, baked brownies, watched an Italian horror film from the 60’s that was so bad it was good, and generally had a good time. I also started spinning  this yarn. It was just me and the fiber. No books. No open laptop. Just me. You know what happened? I made yarn with my own hands and my head and no frenetic last minute questions. Feels good even though the spindle did keep dropping. I didn’t finish the spinning and start plying until after I got back home but it’s still road trip yarn and a nice milestone. 

Spunky Eclectic Tan Corriedale Top - 4 oz. - Coxstand

Mostly Aran Weight 2-ply

264 yards

The Beast that is Tour de Fleece

Chez Strategos has been taken over by spinning. If I’m watching episodes of Psych via Netflix, I’m spinning. Taking a break between random chores, I’m spinning. Waiting on water boil, you guessed right, I’m spinning. I even packed a spindle and a few ounces of fiber to take with me on a road trip. Still don’t have around town spinning though so knitting still reigns supreme in my purse.  All the same, Tour de Fleece is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that keeps handing me spindles and great fiber. Can’t say that I mind.

CosyMakes Falkland Roving - 4 oz. - Flabbergast

Blue Dog Fibers Bluefaced Leicester Top - 5.3 oz. - Rhonda

It’s really great having him around since I can take these lovely clumps of fiber and create actual yarn. Why, no, the novelty of the whole process hasn’t worn off. 

Flabbergast became the second skein of Tour de Fleece. I’ve had this roving in my stash for so long that it became this great precious thing that I couldn’t bear to mess up. Goal 4 for the Tour - Understand? Good. Play - is all about pulling out the good stuff and making yarn in spite of myself. When I unchained the roving, I noticed it had been dyed in a repeating pattern. I tore it lengthwise down the middle to preserve the repeat and set to spinning one long single to chain ply. The result is 150 yards of self-striping, aran-ish weight yarn. The Bearded One has already laid claim to it. 

Chain plying, aka Navajo plying, is great and definitely not as hard or scary as people seem to think it is. Just takes practice like everything else. I like this written, sans photo article and this video (done on a wheel but the process is still the same for a spindle).

Hello, Rhonda. This recent addition to my fiber stash became 368 yards of sport weight 2-ply yarn and my third Tour de Fleece skein. I really underestimated how long it would take to ply this yarn. The upside is that it gave me the chance to refine my plying process towards maximum efficiency. It involves rolling the spindle with my feet. Not as awkward as it sounds.

So far, Tour de Fleece is going quite well even though I probably won’t meet all of my goals during the Tour’s last week. I’m going to miss that gorilla.

Spinning Batts

Once I pulled this batt out of the envelope and decided it was good, my second thought was that it was larger than my head. Then, how am I supposed to make this into yarn? For all I knew it might as well have been a monster waiting for my to let down my guard so it could eat me. 

Since Tour de Fleece waits for no spinner, I went looking for tutorials on spinning from batts and the internet came to my rescue. 

How to Spin from Batts by Vampy

The post lists five different ways to prep batts for spinning with clear photos and written instructions.

How to Spin a Batt from the Knit Girllls

This video covers four ways to spin from a batt. The yarn is being made on a spinning wheel but the prep still applies for a spindle. 

A Batt? What’s that? by St Seraphina Knits

Another informative video but this covers how to open the packaged batt and focuses on tearing the batt into strips for easy spinning.

Eventually, I decided to tear the batt into strips and pre-drafted the fibers down to a manageable size. After all the uncertainty, this seemed like cheating since the prep work was so easy and nothing to fear. Now I want to get more batts and experiment with different prep methods. 

Now that the monster had been tamed, it was time to spin and it was no harder than working from roving. If only the single didn’t look like upchucked bodily fluids.  Any suggestions for what to do with 3.5 oz of fiber that you don’t want to spin anymore?

The First Skein

It was Friday afternoon and my latest skein of yarn was dry and sitting pretty. All my spindles were empty which was something I could no longer abide. So I sifted through my fiber stash - it’s not big enough for me to dig through, yet - and found some lovely grey top. Once it was split into eighths, I got started. Then Tour de Fleece happened. I set my goals, found Le Tour de France on television, and kept spinning.

Signing up for the tour flipped a switch in my head. I joined because I wanted expand my skills and challenge my complacency. First on the list, how I wind my singles/yarn on the spindle. Lately, I’ve fallen into a cone shape because my attempts at a beehive always fell short. Not this time. This cop was one of the most voluptuous I’ve ever made. The trick is too start wrapping next to the whorl and build out the diameter of the cop faster than the length.  

Besides from being pretty, I was surprised how much of a difference the beehive cop made to my spinning. Not only was I able to store more yarn on the spindle, but the singles didn’t shift up the shaft    and into the working, twisting section above the hook. The larger the cop’s diameter became, the larger the moment of inertia, and the longer the spindle would spin. I could focus more on my drafting and less on keeping things moving.

The result is a single 336 yards long that I plied back on itself to make 168 yards of worsted-ish weight 2-ply yarn. It’s already whispering that it wants to be a pair of socks when it grows up. It’ll need a buddy though for the heels and toes.

The Numbers thus far:

1 Skein

168 yards

As far as goals go, I’ve figured out to wind better cops/learn new skills,started spinning all the things, and made some new yarn. Tour de Fleece is off to a strong start.

Tour de Fleece 2012

Tour de Fleece, the annual spin - along to the Tour de France, has been in the back of my head for a couple of months. I kept hearing about it every few weeks and kept not deciding whether or not to join. Turns out, today, June 30th, is the first day of Tour de France and the Tour de Fleece. I thought I was out of the running this year until I checked the mail.

Waiting for me was a 4 oz. Spinner’s Hill Batt aptly named Garden Vegetable. I’ve never spun or even bought a batt before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly, I was thrown for a complete loop. What am I supposed to do with this thing?

It’s huge and fluffy, and almost the size of my cat. (He’s also very fluffy by the way.) I’ve never tried to spin from anything like this before. Since the Tour de Fleece is all about challenging yourself and spinning yarn, I’m in. 

I might be going a bit overboard on my goals/challenges the first time around but why not? Whether I meet them all or not, I still be better than when I started.

1. Learn new skills. I still pretty new to the whole spinning yarn thing and there is so much to learn and experiment with, and refine. This means that some days I might just watch tutorials and read articles. Then, the next day is all practice, practice, practice.
2. Try new fibers. Till now, I’ve been spinning with nondescript wool, Bluefaced Leicester, and a little bit of Polworth. In my stash, there’s Corriedale, Faulkland, Alpaca Blends, and Silk Mawatas. It’s time to branch out.
3. Expand my toolset. I’ve got a few heavier spindles, a niddy-noddy, a knitted plying ball, and a few dowels I’m using as bobbins. Turns out, I’m actually serious about this whole spinning thing,  so it’s time for a few more tools - a WPI gauge and a lighter spindle, for example. Any suggestions?
4. Understand? Good. Play! I’ve spun a lot of the past few months and I’m light years ahead of where I was in March but I’m still afraid to pull out the good, hand dyed stuff because I might mess it up. Time to nip that in the bud, pull out the good stuff, and make some yarn.

How To Ply Yarn

...or Process Part 5 of Spinning Yarn on a Spindle. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

| - | - | - | - |

After how much time it took my hands to learn how to draft fiber and flick a spindle, plying yarn seemed like such a simple thing. Put two or more singles together (or one single that’s been doubled or tripled) and spin them together counter-clockwise to make one intertwined strand. That’s it. The only thing I had to think about was how much twist to add. It seemed so much simpler than spinning up the singles but I knew there was more to it. At the same, I wasn’t worried about the details because I knew I’d figure them out eventually.

So, if you’re worried about ruining your singles, just jump in and go for it. As long as you ply opposite the singles and add enough twist, you’re golden.  

A spindle, 2-ply plying ball, and a bowl for wrangling.

Tie the singles together in a knot. If you’re using a top whorl spindle, slip the hook between the plies. For a bottom whorl, tie the singles around the shaft.

Flick the spindle counter-clockwise to add twist since singles are typically spun clockwise.

Once there’s at least an arm’s length of yarn and you’re happy with the amount of twist, wrap the yarn around the shaft. Bring the yarn back around to the hook or tie a slip knot and leave just yarn enough free to get the spindle going again. 

Repeat until you have one very full spindle and all the singles are plied. Woot!

To get your new yarn off the spindle and into a skein, you can wrap the yarn around your arm from palm to wrist or use a niddy noddy. Add a few ties around the skein to keep it from tangling.

Wash the skein to set the twist (I like Eucalan for this part) and hang it up to dry after a few good thwacks.  In this case, a thwack is pulling at both ends of the skein to make the fibers bloom and even out the twist. You don’t have to be about it gentle either. 

Ready to knit.

Now that I’ve gotten a little more practice under my belt, I’m beginning to see more of the nuances of plying. I’m refining my technique and experimenting with different methods (chain plying, anyone?). I’m making yarn that I love and can’t wait to knit with once I find that perfect pattern. This never would have happened I hadn’t thrown caution to the wind, and just tried in the first place. The first skein isn’t perfect but it’s still yarn and a first step.

Afternoon Swim, Afternoon Snack

This is Bob. He’s going for a swim in his brand new blue bikini.

This is not Bob’s lucky day.

This is Meg. She’s in the mood for an afternoon snack. 

Meg, meet Bob.

He’s tasty! Now Meg’s off to watch whales before dinner.

| - | - | - | - |

I made Bob and Meg for my Dad as a Father’s Day gift. The pair was a big hit and Dad’s reaction definitely kept him on the knit-worthy list.

Bob is a modified Groom from Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec. He’s knit from Knit Pick Palette and Paton’s Kroy Sock on 2.25 mm needles. I stuffed him entirely with his own yarn ends and a magnet. Bob’s magnet is in his back and Meg’s magnet is in her mouth. It’s never really isn’t Bob’s day since he won’t escape. Ever. The magnets make sure he’s always sucked into Meg’s mouth.

Meg is Clare Doornbos’ Shark. She’s knit from Knit Picks Wool of the Andes on 3.5 mm needles, has 10 mm safety eyes, and is stuffed with poly-fill. The pattern was very well written and I especially like how she solved pectoral fin placement. No guess work required. Full mods and details @Ravelry. 

The part of the sea is played by my own 3-ply handspun.

I had no idea how Bob’s size would compare to Meg’s when I first cast on. Turns out that Bob fits perfectly in Meg’s mouth and I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried. So, if we assume that Bob is 6’ tall, then Meg isn’t a Great White Shark (20’). She’s a C. Megalodon which current estimates put at 52’ long. Scale is everything. Now I want to knit a sailboat for Meg to chomp on. 

The Sweet Tomato Heel

I could wax poetic about how I started these socks last December when it was cold and when I needed purse knitting. I could write about how much I wanted to knit this pattern and have a new pair of socks. I could write about how fun it was to knit them despite having to slog through the cuffs. I could write all of those things but the main reason I knit these socks was to knit another set of Cat Bordhi’s Sweet Tomato Heels.

Pattern: modified Willamette Socks by Sara Morris

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Paints - 9872

Needle: US 2.25 mm

December 14, 2011 - May 16, 2012

@Ravelry

Cat Bordhi, I like the way you think. 

The process for knitting this short row heel isn’t hidden away in a pattern and you don’t have to be able to divine the mysteries of the universe to figure it out. The Quick Start Guide at the beginning of the book gives you everything needed to knit a a pair of socks this way and even a bit of troubleshooting help before diving into the patterns. Later in the ebook, she works out how to knit a padded, reinforced heel using this method. There are numerous diagrams, clear step-by-step instructions, and lots of helpful tips.  For example, instead of wrapping and turning when working the short rows, she uses a lifted increase to close the gap between stitches. Two versions of short row heels that can be knit from the cuff or the toe and numerous patterns aside, just that epiphany was worth the cost of this ebook to me. This video shows the technique off nicely. 

Reinforced heel flaps with a short row turn are still my favorite heel, but the Sweet Tomato is such a close second. It’s relatively easy to knit, uses less yarn, and - best of all - fits so well. The question of fit was the main reason I stayed away from short row heels to begin with but the tomato is so easy to modify on a foot by foot basis.

The first few pairs of Sweet Tomatoes that I knit taught me a few things. The first pair I made for myself and got the method in my brain. The second pair I knit for the Bearded One’s giant feet and they fit him just as well. The third pair - this pair - I knit in a fingering weight and decided to add a mini gusset to get a little more room in the gusset. The gusset made the fit all the better and saved the instep pattern from disruption since the heel is knit over more than 50% of the stitches. I also needed a fourth wedge instead of the three I needed in worsted weight socks. Such an easy change to make. 

I think I’ll be using this heel for a long time and for many, many pairs of socks. 

Summer Mint Sun Tea

How is it already June? And how was Memorial Day a week ago already? What’s the rush 2012? 

It’d be hard for me to believe it was already Summer if not for the humidity, the 85°+ temperatures, and the frequent, passing rain storms. On Memorial Day weekend, I made sun tea which counts as my official declaration of Summer. It just isn’t Summer without a glass of tea close at hand or a jug of it sitting ready in the fridge. 

The Bearded One and I used to drink our tea sweet. While the tea was still hot, I’d stir in a sizable scoop of sugar and revel in the sweetness. After so many gallons of sweet tea, I started adding less and less sugar to every batch until we drank it plain. Then, on a lark and my longstanding love of spearmint tea, I threw some mint into the mix. Haven’t looked back since.

Summer Mint Sun Tea

• 1 Gallon of water in a covered Jar
• 2 “Family Size” black tea bags
• 2 bags of of Spearmint tea
• A few hours of bright, uninterrupted sunlight

On a sunny day, put all the ingredients together and find a back porch, driveway, or doorstep in the sun to let the tea brew. I’ve even put the jar on a windowsill so it will get the most sun and it’s really easy to keep an eye on it that way. A few hours later there will be strong, dark, tasty tea and you don’t even have to turn the stove on to make it. 

 On another Summer note, naps. Shadow has the right idea on this one.

Testing Sophiti-cuffs

I like test knitting even though I don’t do it too often because of schedule conflicts or being waist deep in my own designs and projects. When the opportunity presents itself, I sign up whole heartedly because I like supporting people and designers that I like. I also get to knit the cool stuff before anyone else.

The latest bit of testing was for the Squares Sophiti-Cuffs from Gwen Erin. I’ve been following Gwen’s blog for years now and I’ve never once considered culling it from my RSS feeds. She recently started spinning yarn and dying fiber full time and it’s been to resist. I have a few ounces of her fiber and it’s been elevated to such high status that I can’t help but feel the urge to improve my spinning skills so I can do the fiber justice.

The cuffs turned out to be a quick little project. I might have spent more time picking out buttons than knitting. The grey yarn is leftover from a few different projects and the cream is some of my very own handspun. First time I’ve knit with my own handspun too. Full technical details on Ravelry.

Besides from being quick, the pattern’s pretty versatile too. I think the cuffs would be cute buttoned around gifts, flower pots, or naked table legs. I’m looking at you, Ikea table legs. 

Diablo Trio

On May 15th, I was one of those people who stayed up to 12:01 AM Pacific Time (3:01 Central) to play Diablo III. I ended up knitting for an hour instead. Error 37, anyone?  After finishing a pair of socks and getting a few inches done on a hat, I went to bed. I spent the next couple of days alternating between trying to log on - AKA knitting a hat - and fighting my way through Sanctuary. My Demon Hunter did eventually level up enough to wear a pair of pants.

Pattern: Pup Tent by Catherine Gamroth

Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool

Needles: US 6 (4mm)

I should call this hat Tristram Cathedral since that’s where I spent my time when I wasn’t knitting. I didn’t modify the pattern since I just wanted to knit. The cable rows where fun and I learned a new way to do work two stitch cables just by working from a k2tog or ssk. Can’t wait to try it out on something else.

Pattern: Waffle Hat by Gail Bable

Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool

Needles: US 6 (4mm)

While Hat #1 served to keep me entertained because I couldn’t log in, Hat #2 exists because I could log on. I cast on while waiting to play with friends and got a few inches of ribbing. I knit on it to keep me from playing 30 mins after I just logged out to cross chores of my to-do list. I knit on it to give my hands a break. I also knit on it to use up the rest of the skein. Cast on 96 sts, knit 24 rows of ribbing, and worked the waffle stitch for 5.5” before decreasing. It’s a big, warm hat and I still had 5g of yarn leftover.

Pattern: Stuffed Ball Cord Pull by Lee Meredith

Those remaining 12 yards turned into palm sized ball that I’m going to use for plying yarn. 

Isn’t it amazing how much is possible with 242 yards of wool? I got 2 hats, a plying ball, stress relief, patience, and hours of entertainment. Wool is awesome.

Anyway, back to killing demons for me. Iskatu is going down. 

For Mom

Pattern: Doublish by Alexandra Tinsley

Yarn: Noro Taiyo Sock

Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) circulars

Dates: April 4 - 24, 2012

@Ravelry

Wandering around my LYS back in September, this yarn was the only thing that caught my eye. I imagined it as a cute little shawl that would match most of my shirts and and upgrade my usual minimalist style. This idea lingered through Holiday Knitting 2011 and through a prolonged bit of finish-itis. Several projects fewer on the needles, I cast on for this shawl. After I got through the first few rows, I was a woman obsessed. The colors were gorgeous and the pattern was easy enough to knit around town; however, the more rows I knit, the more I knew this shawl wasn’t for me. It was for my Mom. I think I knit a little bit faster after that because my Mom is awesome and totally knit worthy.

I also made one other thing for her and it stole the show. I’m going to have a hard time topping this one.

Almost Socks

Today was the monthly fiber guild meeting and I had a blast. Instead of our usual meeting and class, we had a picnic. The weather cooperated with mostly sunny skies, a nice breeze, and a comfy 70° temperature. There was a ton of tasty food and none of the cookies I brought made it back home. People brought their knitting, weaving, spindles, and wheels. I was kicking myself for not bringing my spindle along. I guess I just haven’t reached the SIP - Spinning in Public - Achievement yet. I did bring my current bit of travel knitting though: socks.

These are the Willamette Socks by Sara Morris. I’ve only been carrying them around in my purse since December 2011. Do not take the months I’ve been working on these socks as an indication of ill will. I love the pattern and the book, Shibui Socks, it came in. I fell in love with the patterns when I first saw them online and literally pounced on this book when I saw it at my LYS. The the photos are inspiring and the patterns are beatiful. Alameda and Ankeny are swiftly moving to the top of my sock knitting queue. 

Shibui Socks isn’t just a pretty book. The socks range from simple to complex and are a mix of toe-up and cuff down. The photos are large, clear, and show off the important details. The patterns have a nice layout and are easy to read. The charts are large and in charge. For the Willamette Socks, the charts take up an entire page. Full page charts make me so happy.

Okay, I’m done gushing. Back to my socks.

I am so close to binding off. A few more inches between the pair and I will be finished. Can’t wait. Even though it will be a few months before I can wear them.

Before you click over to something, here’s my knitting tip for the day: When you want to be absolutely sure that you’re knitting the same amount of ribbing on each sock, mark the first row with a locking stitch marker and keep knitting. Count the rows when you’ve reached your limit and repeat on the second sock. 

How to Wind a Plying Ball

...or Process Part 4 of Spinning Yarn on a Spindle. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

| - | - | - | - |

I have finally finished plying all three singles for my little experiment making a 3-ply yarn. The first single flew off my spindle. The second single ate all my mojo. The third single brought back my mojo with some to spare. I used a smaller spindle that weighs just over an ounce and is just the right size to slide the cop - the mass of single or plied yarn wrapped around the shaft - off to a straw.

It’s really funny how quickly a new tool can change a process. My first favorite spindle weighs 2.2 oz and has a shaft too large to slide a straw over. Every time I finished a single, I’d let it rest overnight and then wind the single onto a small dowel (a ball would work too). It’s more time consuming but worth the effort to get an empty spindle.

Trying to ply three separate singles from three separate straws is just a recipe for disaster but all three plies on a single ball is much more manageable. This method also works well with two singles but I’d hesitate to wrap more than four since it would be harder to keep all the strands evenly tensioned. Also, just wrapping a single around a ball would be a nice way to store it for later since the ball is an easy and tangle free way to start wrapping. 

I’m using a styrofoam ball since I have them on hand but tennis balls and felted beads work too.

Gather up all your ends and start wrapping. A pail or box will keep the singles from running off to the four corners of the world. 

Keep wrapping until you come to the end of a single and cut the rest to match. If you have extra like I do, you can wind them onto another ball to make a cute little mini skein. 

Next up, plying!

Inspiration

Spinning blogs are slowly taking over my RSS reader post by post. Thankfully, they play nice with all the knitting, art, comics, recipes, cute animal photos, quick laughs, and architectural glamour shots that also clamor for my attention.

I’ve given up on the idea of visiting Reader everyday and knocking the unread count down to 0. With the current count at 909 items that is never going to happen short of just marking all as read. Instead, I’ve been just been reading and taking the time to enjoy good posts and good photos without worrying about the X number of blogs to read today. It freed up my mind to be inspired by and act on the things I saw instead of just filing ideas away for later. 

I read this post by the Yarn Harlot where she writes about tearing roving apart between color repeats to make self striping yarn. It totally blew my mind because I had never thought about using roving that way. So, I had to try it out. Photos will be forthcoming. 

On a new to me blog, Weekend Knitter, I read a post about the author knitting with some of her hand spun 3-ply. She described the yarn as plump and full. I’ve spun a lot of 2-ply but no 3-ply yarn and I wanted to try it out. Does 3-ply knit up differently than a 2-ply? How would processing the roving be different than for a 2-ply? How much longer would it take to spin a 3-ply?

So, I took the plunge. 3.5 oz of combed top was separated into 3 equal parts and those 3 parts were divided lengthwise 4 more times. Then a bit of pre-drafting was in order for a thinner single. The only thing that changed in the processing was how I split the roving and a greater amount of pre-drafting (aiming for a worsted or heavy worsted weight yarn). 

I’ve just finished spinning the second single and it’s taken a bit longer than spinning for a 2-ply. Is it because I’m spinning finer singles on a lighter spindle? Maybe. Probably. Only more experimentation will tell.  

Fixing Breaks and Making Joins

...or Process Part 3 of Spinning Yarn on a Spindle. Part 1. Part 2. 

There are days when spinning comes easy. I can pick up the spindle and find my rhythm immediately. Yarn just seems to spring from my fingers and all I have to do is wind it on the spindle before things touch the ground. The only time I have to make a join is when I need more fiber. I’m in the zone. 

Then are days where the spindle drops every 30 seconds and I’ve got a pile of loose, under spun fiber that couldn’t hold a paperclip off the ground. Bah. Once I get so frustrated that I want to jumble up everything into a giant felted ball, I put the spindle down and walk away. Better to calmly fix something the next day than rip it to shreds in frustration. Thankfully, fixing breaks isn’t a difficult, drawn out process.

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When it’s time for more fiber, fan out the end of the fiber coming off the spindle and the end of the new fiber.

Overlap the two ends by about 3” and start drafting and adding twist. If you just add twist without drafting the join will be lumpy and bulkier than the surrounding single.

Keep spinning and keep joining and, soon enough, you’ll have a full spindle. 

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Joining new fiber and fixing a broken single on a spindle are, essentially, the same process. Usually, a single breaks because there isn’t enough twist to hold it together. The ends won’t immediately untwist and become a frazzled mess but they won’t always salvageable. Sometimes, you just have to pull out the weak parts and get back to business. When joining two ends of single back together, just overlap the ends by about 6 to 12” and add more twist. Wind the join onto the spindle and keep going. That’s all there is to it.

If you have a broken single and need to join it a bit of un-spun fiber, draft out the fiber and overlap the two pieces by 12”. Wind yarn off the spindle to work with if need be. “Park and Draft” is your best friend here since it lets you slowly add twist and test the join to see if it holds. Plus, it might be more difficult to draft if the single was tightly spun. 

Good luck and don’t be afraid of a little practice.

Make A Bow

Despite what all those posts about spinning might have told you, I do still knit. Some of is secret, some of it for commission, and some of it I just haven’t gotten around to photographing yet. These two little Saplings fall into the commission pile. Now that they’re finished and delivered I can show these off. 

I used my favorite yarn for baby hats, Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, which is a soft worsted weight wool cotton blend and great for spring time southern weather. It has wonderful stitch definition, holds it’s shape, and is machine washable. It does have a smaller gauge than recommended in the pattern though so I had to work the larger size to get a nicely sized and stretchy hat.

Since the hats were going to be a gift, a little tag with fiber content and care instructions was in order. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. So, I wanted the tag to match the hat and share a theme. A cute little bow made from the same yarn as the hat fit the bill wonderfully.   

      Materials

• 2x4” piece of card stock (I used kraft paper)
• 4-6” length of leftover yarn used to make the gift
• Tapestry needle
• 1/8” hole punch
• Pen

1. Using the hole punch, make 2 holes in the card stock a half inch apart and a half inch from the top.
2. Under the holes, write the recipient’s name (I left this part blank), the fiber content, and care instructions underneath. 
3. Thread the yarn though the needle and push it through the holes so that both ends are hanging on the same side as the writing.
4. Tie a bow. Done!