So I finished my single ply over two walks, then was left with a question: can I walk and ply? With the double ended cop method I can! Not really surprising; it is easier to do a two ply than spin a single. There is no drafting and less dropping (yup, I’ve dropped the drop spindle a couple times on the walk!) The cop fits well in my left hand, and I keep one finger between the strands to keep the twist from running down into the wad of yarn. I draw out an arm length of two strands, then flick the spindle clockwise to ply. When the twist is where I want it, I wrap the yarn around the spindle, do a half hitch at the top, and go again.

I do need to be careful with my hand position. I tend to let the spindle hang from my longest finger because it is convenient. I have to consciously add some fingers, since walking through the neighborhood with my middle finger raised high sends the wrong message. Although as I approach the middle of the yarn, it does get a bit knotty.

I can walk and spin! I’m beyond excited. I took my merino wool roving and my bottom whorl drop spindle and headed off through the neighborhood. For fiber management, I wrapped the roving around my wrist, which works really well. I really expected the spindle to swing, but it stays mostly straight down, and I didn’t kick it even once. The psychology also worked, because I walked longer than I would have without spinning.

One of my neighbors who was also out walking commented that from a distance it just looks like I’m waving my hands in the air. My fiber is rather road colored!