Tag: spinning

Chain plying Ramie

On By CarynIn Craft

I like chain plying single spun yarn because I don’t need three bobbins and a Lazy Kate to get a three ply yarn. I use a center pull ball and make a crochet chain with really long loops. I was unsure about chain plying my Ramie fiber because I’ve read that it isn’t a good technique for bast fibers like flax because flax doesn’t like the sharp bends which happen at the ends of the loops. Flax is not as flexible as wool. Ramie is also a bast fiber, taken from the stem of the plant, but it chained plied quite well; the chain loop ends disappeared into the ply twist without little stubborn loops.

Photo description: three ply yarn (chain plied) on the left, four ply yarn (not chain plied) on the right

For chain plying with a drop spindle, I prefer to sit and park my spindle by my leg, then pull a loop as long as my arm. I keep the end of the loop open with a finger and the yarn ball in the same hand, then I can suspend the spindle and give it a spin in the opposite direction of the single.

Plying ball

On By CarynIn Craft

I finished spinning a single of my Ramie fiber sample. The long staple bast fiber was easy to spin fine, and was enjoyable to work with.

Photo description: Drop spindle with single spun Ramie fiber on a scale registering 48g

It is so fine that I decided to divide the yarn and make multi ply yarn. I weighed my full spindle, and since I had the spindle weight marked on the whorl (22g), I knew I had 26g of yarn. I wrapped a center pull ball of yarn that weighed 12g and set it aside to try chain plying, which results in a three ply yarn. I then wrapped two 4g balls and a 10 gram ball. Oops. No worries, I decided to do a four ply by using both small balls, and taking from the inside and the outside of the larger ball. It was tricky to handle, so I made a plying ball, which means I wrapped the four strands of yarn together, without twist, into a center pull ball. There were still some tangles, but they were manageable. I could then add twist as I pulled the four strands from the middle of the ball.

Photo description: bottom: spindle with plied four strand yarn, middle: plying ball with four strands, top: bit of tangle at the ends, which I was able to sort out once the rest of the yarn was plied
Photo description: four ply Ramie yarn on a drop spindle

The rather rough single spun yarn felt much softer once it was plied into a multi-strand yarn.

Photo description: two balls of Ramie yarn, left one is single spun, right one is four ply.

Return of the hook

On By CarynIn Craft

I finally did reunite a metal hook to my favorite drop spindle. I’m currently spinning Ramie combed top from Hearthside fibers. Ramie is a thornless member of the nettle family, and the fibers harvested from the stems are long, strong, and fine.

Photo description: lock of Ramie showing the long fine fibers, held in my hand, asphalt road in the background

I allowed myself to spin fine with this fiber, since on my last fiber I spun thick. I did not try to spin as fine as I could, that will be a later challenge, but just to spin a nice comfortable single.

Photo description: single spun Ramie fiber on a drop spindle, asphalt road in the background

I remembered to grab a cup hook and screw it into the top of the spindle, eventually. It really does make a difference in the spin of the spindle, because the arch of the hook allows the spindle to hang closer to its center of gravity, giving a smoother longer rotation.

Photo description: drop spindle with no hook, hanging from yarn secured with a half hitch, showing the point of suspension at the side of the shaft
Photo description: drop spindle with a hook, with the yarn secured by wrapping a couple times around the hook, showing the point of suspension centered on the shaft

It also helps that I am spinning clockwise again, which does not unscrew the hook. I will have to think on a way to add a hook that is secured without a screw or just glue, that can spin either way with ease.

Fiber Study: Banana

On By CarynIn Craft

I assembled my banana fiber study page with yarn made from the stems of banana plants and purchased as combed top from Hearthside fibers.

Photo description: counterclockwise from top left: card from Hearthside fibers that reads “Banana top, Developed in New Guinea, about 8,000 BC, made from stem waste”, unspun fiber, knit swatch, woven swatch, crocheted swatch, sprang swatch, two ply yarn, and single ply yarn

Bananas are believed to have been first cultivated in New Guinea around 8,000 years ago and used for both fruit and fiber. The staple length of the combed top is long, about 8 inches, and the fiber is strong.

Photo description: banana combed top next to a ruler showing around an eight inch length

The fiber was pleasant to spin. I did challenge myself to spin thicker than my default spin, which resulted in more thickness variation, and also subsequently less length. I used up all my two ply yarn in my swatches, and had to piece together bits for my bobbin on the page because I forgot to set aside some at the beginning.

Photo description: same fiber page with the swatches flipped up to show the hand written descriptions

I made unadorned swatches to show the texture in the yarn that was also a result of the variations in thickness. My sprang swatch blocked well and has a lovely horizontal stretch.

Photo description: sprang swatch held expanded with my fingers to show the interlinking between the strands

I would absolutely spin banana fiber again, but I think next time, I would spin thin.

Fiber Study: Camel roving

On By CarynIn Craft
Photo description: fiber study page for camel roving from Oklahoma Mini Mill, (counterclockwise) with a card from the mill, a sample of roving, knit swatch, woven swatch with embroidery, crocheted round swatch, nålbound swatch, sprang swatch, two ply on a paper bobbin, and single ply on a paper bobbin

I assembled my camel roving fiber page! I quite like camel fiber; it is nice to spin, and soft. I would definitely work with the fiber again. In fact, I have two and a half balls of 2-ply yarn with which to plan a project. Exciting. I have also decided to add a synopsis of my blog posts about the fiber to the pages, so I can remember how I felt about the fiber. Now to figure out how to attach the printed pages. I tried some washi tape, which surprisingly doesn’t like card stock much. Hm.

Photo description: same page with the swatches lifted to reveal the hand written descriptions

The roving sample isn’t as perfect as it came from the mill; I liked spinning so much I forgot to leave a bit unspun. The fiber in the box was spun, and then I brushed it back open. Oops.