Knitted swatches

On March 15, 2021March 7, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

I had some more of my differently plied yarn, so I knit some swatches. I used different needle sizes for each yarn, but used stockinette for each piece. I was reminded how much faster I am with long straight needles than with circular needles, but my knitting is still slower than my crocheting. I like the knitted fabric, but don’t really care to knit. Ah well.

Knitted swatches of hand spun wool which was plied differently

All the knitted swatches had to be blocked because stockinette stitch is curly. The 2- ply was the softest, but the S plied four-strand had the most balanced stitches (the right and left side of each loop have the same number of twists). Most commercial yarn has an S ply.

Crocheted swatches

On March 14, 2021March 12, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

What to do with wee balls of yarn? Swatches! The experiments on my hand-spun yarn continue. I crocheted up a swatch from each of the three balls of yarn, one two-ply, one three-ply, and one four-ply. I used a double crochet stitch for each swatch, but used a different sized hook for the four-ply. I’ve labeled each swatch (as you do) with a bit of hole-punched card stock.

The stitch definition is nicer (to me) for the three and four ply yarns, but the two-ply is has the softest feel. Although, the three ply may have felt softer if I used a size larger hook.

Ply comparison

On March 11, 2021March 6, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

With my spinning experiments I ended up having three different plys of yarn from the same merino fiber, a two ply, a three ply (chain ply). and a four ply (cable ply).

From the top down, two ply, three ply, and four ply yarn from similar sized single ply (calico cat background)

I still don’t think the cable ply has enough twist, and I have trouble telling the two ply from the three, but it was an interesting experiment. Now, what to do with these wee balls of yarn?

Cabled yarn

On March 9, 2021March 6, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

So exciting! Another way to ply! I was scrolling through a spinner’s group and found reference to cable plying, in which you take a two ply yarn and ply it again with two strands to get a four strand yarn. I had an extra cop of two ply that I could easily use to try the technique. I was able to ply from both ends of the cop (inside and outside ends), just as I did for the first round of plying. As a bonus, I’m almost positive that I can walk and do this! (I was way too enthused about it to wait until daylight, so finished the plying just standing inside). I definitely need practice, however, I’m not sure I added enough twist.

Two-ply cop being plied into a four-ply yarn

The most exciting thing is that this makes my fiber last for more walks! Spinning, plying, then plying again!

Standing chain ply

On March 7, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

I say “standing” because it will take more practice before I can walk and chain ply. Chain plying is a way to make a three-ply yarn from one single, much like making a foundation chain in crochet with very long loops. If my single ply is supported I like to make loops as long as my arms can reach, but if I’m holding the source yarn in one hand and the spindle in the other, I have to shorten the loops to maybe half an arm span. And it takes more concentration to keep the three strands under tension and unkinked, so standing (with an occasional ball kick) is about all I can currently manage.

Critters and Craft

Category: Craft