I had a bit of a panic when I went to spin my alpaca fleece. I wanted to spin as consistently as I could, so I thought having similar spindles would make it so my singles were more consistent. My current favorite top whorl drop spindle is one that I made from a branch from our back woods (maybe post oak? Or cedar elm), but making three or four similar weight whorls from branch wood takes high skill and time, neither of which I have currently. (Home schooling is going OK, and spinning is something I can do inside while the kids are playing, and put down at a moments notice.) I had an epiphany. I don’t need four spindles, I just need four shafts! The whorl I made can be removed from the shaft and put on a different one. Much easier and faster!

I am looking for the best method (for me) to hold the shafts while I ply. I saw a box with slanted slits, and decided to try it first in cardboard. I don’t like it much. The angle the yarn comes off the box has to be just right and the shafts are squirrelly as I ply. I’ll have to try a different method next time!

I did manage to ply the singles (Aimee’s fleece, washed, carded), but my ply wasn’t as good. I think I don’t have enough twist. I did a fair job of evenly dividing the fiber, and when one of the three ran out, I chained plied the rest (there wasn’t much) onto the end of the three ply yarn.

After plying I did put the yarn on my PVC niddy noddy and wet it down. I made about 54 yards of three ply yarn.