Spinning can be seen as a science, an art or a craft. I like to think of it as a craft; I don’t get too scientific or precise about it, I just spin. So..I sit in my crafting nest in the lounge room and spin while I watch a DVD or just sit and enjoy the quiet. It takes me about four hours of spinning (broken up into movie length lots) to fill a bobbin. Then it needs to be plyed into a strong yarn.
All ready to spin…coffee; check….rolags; check…..spinning wheel……
Spinning wheel; check
A half spun bobbin of singles.
A full bobbin
There are so many ways to ply yarn, it would take me all day to explain them. I usually use a Navajo ply method which uses a single bobbin rather than two or three bobbins.
Once the yarn is plyed, I wind it onto a niddy noddy to make a skein which is then tied together and washed again to set the twist. This part is fun as I take the yarn out of the bath (as described in part one), squeeze the water out of it somewhat and then whack it against a post with some vigour. This gets my dogs all excited (maybe they think I’ve gone mad) and they all start barking like loons and jumping around.
A bad photo of me plying
Half a bobbin of plyed yarn
My niddy noddy
The finished skein (badly over exposed, but you get that with the flash)
Once the excitement dies down, I hang the skein on a contrived rack (on my wool cupboard) to dry, or I may decide to dye it first.
Part three is the yarn dying process…. see you then.
Glossary Ply- Twisting two or more strands of yarn together to produce a stronger, thicker yarn. Single – A single length of yarn, spun onto a bobbin, prior to plying. Niddy noddy – A tool used by spinners to wrap wool around when making a skein. Skein – A neat parcel of yarn, made by looping yarn in equal rounds.
