This is the third braid of roving I’ve spun and I feel like I’ve already come a long, long way. It wasn’t until halfway through this particular batch that I had a personal spinning epiphany, and suddenly understood how to use my spinning hand and my fiber hand while my spindle, well…..spun! Pulling out the fiber toward the drop spindle with my spinning hand, pinching off with my fiber hand and bringing my spinning hand up the length of drafted fiber, allowing and smoothing the twist to meet my fiber hand. Repeating the motion and becoming smooth with it. Yay! Look ma! I’m doing it! Two hands! It’s a lovely little dance that for some unknown reason gives me a great deal of joy.
To ply my spun singles, I spun about half the braid, then wound it off the spindle into a ball to wait while I spun up the rest. When my pretty pumpkiny fiber (this is from Unwind Yarn Company), was all spun up, I placed my spindle in one bowl and my wound ball in another and proceeded to wind them together into one double stranded ball for plying. I got a lot of these corkscrewy things in the process. It’s expected, but I’m careful to smooth them out so they don’t get wound into the ball. That would really put a kink into the plying.
Plying on the drop spindle? So simple! I just wound my two stranded singles onto the empty spindle by holding the end against the whorl, wrapping around the shaft in a downward spiral a few times, then wrapping back up over the first wraps to secure them, coming up through the hook, feeding an arms-length of singles out and spinning counter clockwise. (My singles were originally spun clockwise. Of course, you’ll just go the opposite way the singles were spun). The spindle stops on it’s own when the energy of the spinning/plying equalizes and I noticed that the corkscrewy kinks I was seeing in the singles are gone. In their place: Yarn!
and don’t we all love that? ♥
Look amazing, and so magical when it all comes together! I’m dying to learn to spin
I recommend it! The last time I had this much fun was when I learned to knit. 🙂
That is going to be a gorgeous skein of yarn – what will you make with it?
I’m not sure yet, but the project planning and considering is always fun. 🙂 I’ll post the F.O. when I get there!
Looking good, Julie!! It’s really stunning, you keep motivating and inspiring me to keep at it!
I’m glad, Holly. I think you’ll just LOVE playing with those pretty colored rovings you got!
So lovely! I love seeing fiber I dyed “grow up” into gorgeous yarn. Thanks so much for the pictoral essay! 🙂 You’re making me want to dye some more of that up for myself!
I have another post for you on this fiber Dana. Stay tuned! The last one, where it becomes an actual skein, is my favorite. 🙂
Thanks so much for posting this. I’ve been wondering how to ply spindled singles without all the fuss of making a lazy kate. I can’t wait to try this. Your way of describing it is very encouraging and the pictures help a lot too.
You’re welcome, Jan! I’m no expert – just a newbie, but wanted to share what’s working for me. Hope it works for you too! 🙂
Hello again. I just wanted to tell you that your plying technique worked wonderfully for me too! Thanks so much for posting this advice!
I’m so glad to hear that, Jan! I found a new technique for super skinny yarn that I’ll put up in my next spinning post. I still put them in bowls but I roll the singles around TP rolls first. No more tangly bits at the middle of the ball. Worked perfect. 🙂 I’d love to see your yarn!
Ooo, sounds cool. I’ll look forward to that!