Few Questions pretty please

I have a few questions on spinning on the wheel and other fibery stuff. I would appreciate any help you all can offer.

1. How do you keep your yarn tensioned when you are in the middle of spinning your singles? Like last night for example. I'm done spinning for the evenig and I wanted to go to sleep. Right now I'm kinda wrapping my roving around my flyer. But the wheel still wants to move and it comes unraveled sometimes and I'll loose the twist in the fiber and it falls apart. It's very frustrating.

2. Which way am I supposed to place the bobbins when I go to ply my singles together? I'm having a very hard time trying to figure this out. I have to place my bobbins in one direction when I'm spinning my singles because of the way my wheel is made, and I always turn my wheel to the right. Do I place the 2 bobbins in the opposite direction on the lazy kate and turn my wheel to the left when plying? Does that even make since?

3. Do you all let your singles "rest" before plying? If so, for how long? What if one bobbin has rested for a few days before you get the second one done? Does it make a difference in how your yarn looks? Should you let the second one rest before plying?

4. How long am I supposed to let my yarn soak after I'm finished with it? I've seen everything from a few seconds to several minutes in my reading. Is there a rule of thumb?

5. Do you all weigh your finished yarn down when you hang it to dry after soaking it? What do you use?

Sorry it's so many questions but I can't seem to find the answers in my reading material or on the internet. I appreciate your help!

Tags: bobbin, plying, spinning, tension, yarn

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by wendy on January 27, 2012 at 11:31am

Wouldn't whacking it against something help with that? I know Peggy does this, so now I do too. Isn't it funny how we do things differently, and yet end up with the same thing - nice yarn?

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on January 27, 2012 at 1:13pm

I sometimes thwack my finished skeins, too.

Permalink Reply by Bren on January 27, 2012 at 11:04am

I never even thought about how much stretch my yarn needs to have. Shows you what a newbie I still am. I need to experiment with that.

Permalink Reply by wendy on January 27, 2012 at 11:27am

I made a concerted effort while spinning this Targhee to try and keep the stretch in. In other words, I kept my hand closest to the orafice higher than my fiber hand. It pulls out the crimp a bit leaving the stretchability of the fiber in. I did the same thing while plying. I heard that tid-bit from a blurb on Interweave's DVD by M. Stove? and then just recently read it in the book from Anne Fields. I'd say it worked.

Permalink Reply by Bren on January 27, 2012 at 11:09am

I really like the velcro idea as well.

So really it's a matter if preference when it comes to wether or not to let your singles rest.

Permalink Reply by wendy on January 27, 2012 at 11:28am

Nutty would be a good one to answer your resting/plying question.

Yes, the velcro works quite well, nothing dangling off or getting in the way, and always there.

Permalink Reply by PickleSue on January 27, 2012 at 12:26pm

I second everyone's answers! :) But have 2 things to add-

1. I use a hair clip- like the kind hairdressers use- I think they call them duck bill clips? It's metal and the two 'bills' are long. I will hold the clip to open it, wind my single around one of the 'bills' and then clamp it on the leather piece that the flyer goes through. Works pretty good until one of the little people decide to steal it. :P

5. The only negative I've hear to weighting your yarn when drying is that some of the stretch is removed, then when you knit with it, it will shrink again when washed. But if you always swatch and block it shouldn't make any/much difference- because you would then take it into account for your final finished product.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on January 28, 2012 at 7:37am

Good point! I think this would apply to my method, too. I've never noticed any problem.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on January 28, 2012 at 7:36am

You have indeed come to the right place! And we have about as many ways to deal with this as threre are ways to make socks! I spent three years on a boat, to I use a half-hitch (aka backward loop) on the knob that adjusts my scotch tension.

This won't come out until you're ready, and it will stay in even if you take your flyer off to move your wheel.

Permalink Reply by Bren on January 28, 2012 at 8:59am

I tried using a binder clip last night and that worked really well. I'm going to stop by the fabric store this weekend and get some of those little velcro tabs (the little circle ones). I also like the idea of looping it around the tension knob thingie, Peggy. I hadn't thought of doing that. It's amazing all the ideas you all have. I don't know why I couldn't come up with anything! LOL I was really frustrated. Thank you all so much!

I'm half way through finishing up my next skein of yarn. It was suggested in one of my spinning books to use a full can of soda to weigh the yarn down. I might try that.

Permalink Reply by cherylbwaters on January 30, 2012 at 12:36am