I spun up three more bobbins of single spun Teeswater wool and plied them into a three ply yarn.
I think I have enough Teeswater roving to do one more jumbo bobbin of three-ply yarn, which means I will have to transfer yarn off a jumbo bobbin as I only have two. It will take me a while to spin though, so I don’t have to transfer yet.
I’ve spun up three bobbins of my Teeswater wool, so it is time to ply. I use the built-in bobbin holders on my Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and have two points of control. My right hand holds the three strands apart by putting each strand between different fingers, and my left hand slowly lets in the twist, then feeds it onto the jumbo bobbin. I’ve found that with slow and steady progress I don’t need to put a brake on the bobbins because they don’t spin out of control.
I have more Teeswater roving, so I’ll go back to spinning singles. I also have another jumbo bobbin, so I can leave the three ply on this bobbin to rest.
Missy the dog tries to lay right behind my feet when I’m spinning, which makes it hard to treadle. So I put her bed to the side, which was an acceptable offering.
I’m currently spinning Teeswater wool on my Ashford Traveller spinning wheel. Teeswater is listed as a critical in the Livestock Conservancy’s list of Heritage Sheep Breeds. I purchased roving from a rancher in Michigan, and I am enjoying spinning the fiber.
I spun and plied angora rabbit hair back in March. I stuck the small ball of yarn in a project bag and promptly forgot about it. I found it again 8 months later and this time made the swatches from it that I intended to do in March.
These swatches are made from unprocessed 100% angora rabbit fur. I took what was in the bag I bought from the breeder and spun it, no washing, carding, or combing. The yarn does shed a bit, but not significantly, and did fine especially with the abrasive nature of weaving and nälbinding.
The cop of yarn built up on a Turkish style spindle is called a turtle. In the photo below, you can see why. The balls of yarn look like turtle shells. I now have three single spun Southdown wool turtles from spinning as I walk. The next step is to ply the three together, but for that I will use a treadle spinning wheel and a secure way to hold the turtles.
Turtles of yarn are center pull balls of yarn, and it is possible to ply the inside end and the outside end to make a two-ply yarn. It is even possible to walk and ply, but since I want a three ply, and don’t want to chain ply, my best option is to sit at a spinning wheel so I can closely monitor the turtles. I may see if my yarn bowl will be helpful.
Critters and Craft 