Tag: spinning

Processing

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m still working on spinning the fawn-colored alpaca wool on my vintage Befra Willy spinning wheel. I’d like to get it finished up so I can give the wheel a good rub down with Howard’s Feed-n-wax, but apparently my fiber basket is bottomless. (Or I get distracted…)

Today’s distraction is an evenly wrapped bobbin. There are all sorts of devices out there designed to achieve a smooth wrap, rather than the bumpy wrap produced by the hooks on the flyer. A smoothly wrapped bobbin makes taking the yarn off the bobbin easier, with less potential for breakage.

I’ve been thinking on this, and noticed that I can turn my hooks and get a slightly different take up angle on the flyer. This helps a little, and if I did this from the beginning I would certainly be closer to that epitome of bobbin wrapping that seems to be so coveted.

Photo description: closeup of a flyer mechanism on a Befra Willy vintage spinning wheel, with light fawn colored alpaca single wrapped around the bobbin and going through the hooks on the flyer. One hook is turned sideways. The yarn wound on the bobbin is thicker near the hooks, resulting in bumps.

Helix scarf update

On By CarynIn Craft

Ah, so that is why it is called a helix scarf.

Photo description: garter knit scarf held up vertically showing a helix twist.

The pictures that accompanied the scarf pattern showed a lovely wide double-sided ruffle, but the title was helix scarf, which caused me to wonder, until I had knit awhile. So cool that the short rows on each side make this twisted effect. I really like short rows, and I like this pattern because it is a three-row repeat, which is easy to remember.

Yarn cake

On By CarynIn Craft

I have spun and plied all my blended fiber from Anniewhere. The blend is Merino wool, Blue-faced Leicester, Alpaca, Tussah silk, and Finn wool. I bought 6 oz and have been using it to test different spindles, so I’m frankly amazed that it turned out somewhat consistent. I joined the skeins with a braided join: split each end in two, then remove one of the four resulting ends, braid those three together, then moisten and roll between your palm. Here is a video.

Photo description: yarn cake on a yarn winder with two additional skeins on a PVC niddy noddy in the background.
Photo description: finished yarn cake sitting on a scale reading 5.3 oz.

I joined all the skeins together because I intend yo do a knitted project. I spotted a free ruffled scarf pattern while I was spinning, and knew that it would be great for my yarn, so the pattern has been sitting with the fiber. I’m excited to cast on. (I’m might have to admit that I could be a knitter.)

Plying speed

On By CarynIn Craft

Plying on a Turkish spindle is satisfying, especially now that I’ve figured out how to get the geometric wrap pattern, but it is not fast. I took the other turtle of yarn and pied it with a top whorl drop spindle.

Photo description: Top whorl drop spindle filled with 2-ply mixed wool yarn, my foot and asphalt in the background because I took the picture while walking.

I plied nearly twice as much yarn in half the time with the top whorl spindle versus the Turkish spindle. I can really get the top whorl spindle going by rolling the shaft along the outside of my leg. The Turkish spindle I have to get spinning with a flick of my fingertips.

Photo description: Top whorl spindle on left, Turkish spindle on right, both wound with 2-ply blended wool yarn.

Now there is a difference after plying between the two spindles. The top whorl spindle has to be unwound from the shaft and wound into a ball or cake before it can be used. The Turkish spindle shaft and arms pull out of the yarn turtle and leave a center-pull ball of yarn that doesn’t need rewinding. I like to wind my yarn on a niddy noddy and wet set the twist, so did not save time in that area on this project. If I didn’t want to use the yarn right away, and wanted to let time set my twist, and marvel at the pretty geometric wrapping, a Turkish spindle is a way to go.

Eureka!

On By CarynIn Craft

Turkish spindle yarn wrapping finally clicked with me. I’ve been following the “over two, under one” guidance for wrapping the turtle of yarn around the arms of the spindle, and I finally saw the pattern begin to emerge and was then able to follow along.

Photo description: 3D printed Turkish style spindle with a geometrically wrapped turtle of yarn, with a center-pull turtle in the palm of my hand as I walk the neighborhood.

The key, for me, was on which side of the previous wrap of yarn to put the new wrap of yarn. To start a new layer, the “two over” strand goes right next to the shaft, and the “one under” goes on the outside of the yarn under the spindle arm. As I wrap, the yarn goes outside the wraps next to the shaft, but inside the wrap under the arm. Ah ha. This method is slow, but satisfying; a good meditative practice.

Even though my previous attempts at a geometrically balanced turtle were not successful, they still worked beautifully as center-pull balls of yarn. In the picture above I was making a two-ply yarn from the center and outside strand of one turtle. So whether or not the ball of yarn is messy, it still does its job.