Introduction to Spinning Wheels

8/3/2019 Introduction to Spinning Wheels

1/17

An Introduction to Spinning Wheels:How to Use and How to

Choose a Spinning Wheel

presents


2/17

Copyright Spin.Of

magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved. Spin.O

spinningdaily.comI1

Welcome to the world o handspinning! So, youve decided to take the plunge and explorethe wonders o making your own yarn with a spinning wheel. Not only are you in or atreat, but youve also started at the right place. Learning how to spin your own yarn is pretty

easy and straight orward, especially i you have access to great teachers. o make this reeeBook, we pulled rom some o our best content rom the pages oSpin.Ofmagazine.

Te oldest o Interweaves publications, Spin.Of is a quarterly magazine that has beenaround since 1977 inspiring spinners new and old to make beautiul yarn and ndenchanting ways to use it. We also host the spinning community, spinningdaily.com

complete with blogs, orums, and ree patterns, Spin.OfAutumn Retreat (SOAR)anintense and inspirational week with like-minded spinners, and our series o workshop videos

where the living treasures o the spinning world share their knowledge with you. Weredevoted to bringing you the best spinning teachers, the newest spinning ideas, and most inspirational

creativity right to your mailbox, computer, and ultimately ngertips.

We hope you enjoy your spinning journeycome tell us about it at spinningdaily.com.

Happy spinning,

Amy Clarke Moore

[email protected]

Spin.Offbrings you:

The bestteachers teaching the best spinning tricksand techniques

The newestinormation: fbers, tools, books, events,people, and places

The warmest handspun projects that you can make

The coolest stories o spinning history and tradition

Call(800) 767-9638or go tospinoffmagazine.com

Indulgeyourpassion for ber with

Spin.Offmagazine

SubscribeNow!


3/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI2

Spinning on

a WheelB y M a g g i e C a s e yLearning to spin on aspinning wheel is

tricky! How can your bodydo so many dierent things atthe same time? One hand pinch-

es, one hand pulls, and your eetpump the treadle. What a lot to

think about at once. However, iyou learn each step in the

spinning process beore youput them together, spinningwill be easier. And with a lit-tle practice, it becomes sec-ond nature.

Spinning is the act odrawing out bers (drating)

and adding twist to makeyarn. Your spinning wheel

will add plenty o twist, sobeore you sit down tospin, give your hands a

head start and practicedrating. Choose wool as your rst spinning berbecause it is the easiest ber to learn on and it iswidely available. I you are buying prepared ber,

choose carded not combed wool and a ber lengthabout 3 to 4 inches. Carded bers are much easierto spin than combed bers, and rolags (rolags arecarded bers organized on handcards) are bestbecause the bers are organized in a way thatmakes them drat more easily.

Practice draftingake a handul o wool in one hand, and with the

other hand, gently pull some o the bers awayrom the mass and twist them in one directionwith your ngers. Continue to pull out the bers(drating) and add twist. I you dont put enoughtwist in, the yarn will all apart. I you put in toomuch twist, you wont be able to drat out thebers. Concentrate on eeling the bers slipbetween your hands as you drat. his is the mostimportant step in spinning because as you dratthe bers, you orm the yarn. Pull out a ew bersand you create a ne yarn; pull out a lot o bersand your yarn will be thick.

Practice treadlingMost singles yarn is spun clockwise (to the right),so start your wheel in that direction and just trea-

1 2

Photosby Joe CoCa


4/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI3

dle. It isnt a race, so treadle slowly but with enoughmomentum that the wheel continues to turn clock-wise and doesnt stop and back up. hink o thedrive wheel as a clock. I you position the ootman(the part o the wheel that connects the treadle tothe drive wheel) at one oclock and make the rsttreadle strong, momentum will help keep thewheel going in the correct direction (ig. 1). While

you practice, sit on dierent chairs to nd the mostcomortable one. Both chair height and seat depthcan make a big dierence in treadling comort.readle while you talk on the phone or read untiltreadling becomes a natural movement.

Getting comfortable with your wheelhe wheel ratios o spinning wheels vary; you willwant to be on the slowest speed when yourelearning to spin. Remember slow is big.Use your largest whorl to give you the mostcontrol (ig. 2).

ie a piece o plied wool yarn about 24

inches long (leader) onto the bobbin. Youwant the leader to wind onto the bobbinwithout slipping, so tie the yarn on rmlyto the bobbin and leave a tail long enoughto wrap around the bobbin again and tieanother knot. Once the leader is on thebobbin, take the yarn over the hooks othe yer and through the orice.

Learn how to adjust the tension on yourbrake band on your wheel. his device con-trols the rate the yarn is drawn onto thebobbin and acts essentially as a brake. On

double-drive wheels, the drive band is alsothe tensioning device. On single-drivewheels, the tension is separate rom thedrive band. Some single-drive wheels have abrake band with a spring or rubber bandover the bobbin, and some wheels have astrap or brake band over the yer. In all cases, thetighter the brake band, the aster the yarn will bepulled onto the bobbin.

Spend some time playing with the tension onyour wheel. Start with very light or no tension onthe brake band. Hold onto the leader and starttreadling. he leader should pull onto the bobbin

very slowly or not at al l. Now tighten the tensiona lot and see what a dierence that makes. I thebrake is very tight, the leader will eel like it isbeing sucked out o your hand. Pull the leaderback out o the orice and keep adjusting thetension. ighten and loosen the tension in smallincrements and see how it changes the rate thatthe leader is pulled onto the bobbin. Learninghow to adjust the tension on your wheel can makeall the dierence or enjoyable spinning. Startwith the tension very loose with no draw-in, then

tighten the brake until the yarn is pulled on rm-ly when you release it.

Getting ready to spinhe yarn will be wound onto your bobbin with thehelp o the leader. Once the leader is on your bob-bin, take the yarn over the hooks o the yer. Itdoesnt matter which hook you start on, but it is

important that the yarn is engaged by all theother hooks between that one and the orice.Some wheels dont have hooks but have a threadguide that moves up and down the yer arm; besure to thread your leader through that guide andthen the one near the orice.

o get the leader through the orice, you willprobably need a small tool called an orifce hook,

which you insert into the orice to catch the yarnand pull it through. Some wheels have built-in ori-ce hooks and holders; i yours doesnt, tie a stringaround the hook handle and hang it nearby. Keepthe orice hook close at hand because you will needit requently. he orice o some wheels will belarge enough that you can just pull the leader

through with your nger, while Majacrat wheelshave been designed without an orice at all.

Time to spinFlu out the end o the leader with your ngers(ig. 3). With one hand (the back hand or fberhand), take a rolag or small handul o cardedber, place the leader on the ber, and hold theleader and ber together with your thumb andindex inger (ig. 4). Slowly treadle clockwise andwatch the twist come up the leader and grab the

3 4

5 6


5/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI4

bers in your hand. Ater the twist has built up alittle, use your other hand (the ront hand or twistcontrol hand) to pinch the leader to control thetwist. Now drat the bers out, keeping your ronthand closed. Next, open the ront hand and let thetwist run up, grab the loose bers, and turn theminto yarn (ig. 5). Relax your back hand and let thewheel pull the yarn onto the bobbin (ig. 6).Although you are stronger than the wheel, you haveto give the yarn to the wheel to continue makingyarn. Now start the spinning process over again.he ront hand controls the twist by pinching, andthe back hand drats the ber out. You determinethe size o the yarn by how much you drat thebers out. A ew bers make a ne yarn; many bersmake bulky yarn. Once you have made a length o

yarn, release the twist with your ront hand and letit run up the yarn and stabilize it. Remember to letthe yarn wind onto the wheel. I you dont, so muchtwist will accumulate that the yarn wont go ontothe bobbin. Adjust the tension i your yarn isntwinding onto the bobbin or i it is winding on tooquickly. Keep repeating the sequence: Pinch withthe ront hand to control the twist, drat the bersout with the back hand, release the pinch and let theyarn wind on.

Soon you will have to make a join because youwill have run out o ber. Make a join just as you did

with the leader and your rst bit o ber. Flu out theend o the ber you are spinning, place it on your newber, hold it gently with the thumb and index nger oyour back hand, wait until the twist runs up, and thengently drat the old and new ber together. Eachtime you start a new rolag or handul o ber, movethe yarn to a dierent hook on the yer to load thebobbin evenly (fg. 7). he size o your handuls willdetermine how oten you need to move the yarn. Youwant the yarn to ll the bobbin evenly without anygreat hills and valleys.

Congratulations, you are a spinner!Now you can take your singles yarn o the bobbin andput it in a skein. A niddy-noddy comes in handy here.A niddy-noddy looks like the capital letter I with the

top and bottom arms at right angles to one another.Hold the center part o the niddy-noddy with one handand wrap the yarn around the arms. o acilitate theprocess, you can number the ends o the arms; 1 and 3on one arm, 2 and 4 on the other. he yarn starts over1, goes down to 2, back up to 3, down to 4, and back upagain, over and over (ig. 8). Be sure to take the yarnto the outside o the arms as you make a skein. Whenthe skein is wound and while its still on the niddy-noddy, tie the two ends o yarn together and put someties through the skein. Gently pull the skein o theniddy-noddy.

he yarn you have made will probably be verycurly, so you will need to set the twist to relax theyarn. Fill the sink with warm water, add a little milddetergent, and soak the skein or several minutes.Rinse with warm water. Remove excess moisture bywrapping the skein in a towel and squeezing. Hangthe skein on a hook in the shower and put a weighton the bottom to straighten out the kinks. I use aspray bottle as a weight (ig. 9). he handle hangs onthe skein, and I ll the bottle with as much water asnecessary to straighten out the yarn. Once the yarnis hanging straight, let it dry, and while its drying,think o all the wonderul ways you can use it.

Maggie Casey, author ofStart Spinning (Interweave, 2008) and Start

Spinning DVD (Interweave, 2009), spends her da working and teach-

ing at Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins in Boulder, Colorado. She loves

teaching spinning because she learns so much from her students.

ResourcesRaven, Lee. Hands on Spinning. Loveland, Colorado:

Interweave, 1987.Rhoades, Carol Huebscher. Handcarding. Spin.Of

15, 3 (Fall, 2001), 74.

1

2

3

4

7 98


6/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI5

What is a plied yarn?In the textile world, both or handspinners andindustry, a plied yarn is deined as two or more

singles twisted together with a reverse twist.here are many yarns on the market right nowthat are two singles wound together with thesame twist as each singles; they are still singles.Its the reverse twist that changes the yarn to aplied yarn. We use the word singles to reer to ayarn with a single twist; a plied yarn is a yarnwith two directions o twist, a cable is a yarn withthree directions o twist, and so on. ry not to usethe term single-ply when describing a yarn; it issimilar to saying unthaw, or irregardless.

When a plied yarn is made, the twist enters allthe singles at once. For instance, when a our-ply

is made, all the threads are drated in together, atthe same time. A yarn made rom two two-pliestwisted together would be a completely dierenttype o yarn and would be called a our-strand cable.

A yarn made rom a two-ply yarn with a singlesadded to it is a crepe or cord yarn. It has wonderulcharacteristics, but it is not a three-ply yarn, nor willit do the job a three-ply was created or.

Why ply?Plying, as many spinning teachers will tell you,covers a multitude o sinsat least o the textilekind! It does this in a number o ways: it makesthe inished yarn more consistent, much stronger,and certainly more stable.

he consistency comes rom averaging out thediameters o the singles as they are plied together.When we ply, thin and thick places will oten mergetogether, and when they dont, there are good ply-ing tricks to help this happen. O course, the more

singles used to make a plied yarn, the moreopportunities available to make an even yarn.A plied yarn is stronger than the singles it is

made rom, both in tensile strength (the ability towithstand weight and stretching) and in its resis-tance to abrasion (riction). One o the irst prin-ciples o textile design is that a yarn that is manystrands held together by twist energy is strongerthan the individual ibers without twist, and thatstrength increases exponentially when we ply. Byplying, we add another layer and direction otwist, binding many more ibers together andredistributing the tensions and pressures. Also, in

the ply structure, more o the individual ibers arecovered and protected rom abrasive wear, light,and chemical damage.

We use twist energy as a magic glue to holdiber together; the more twist, the irmer andstronger the yarn will be. It will oten, however,have so much energy that the yarn will contortand pull the abric out o its intended shape. Whilethe plying process itsel releases some o the twist(as much as 30 percent), plying balances thatenergy. The two twists, one right (S), one let (Z),push against one another to create a stable, cen-tered yarn (see the box on page 8 to ind your

yarns balance). Although you may not always wanta balanced yarn (such as high-twist yarn orembroidery or a warp), when you do, a centered orbalanced yarn is a joy to work with. A balancedyarn resists tangling and lies smoothly in theabric, whether woven, crocheted, or knitted.

Plied yarns are also a very eicient structureaplied yarn occupies more space than the singles

The Art of PlyingB y J u d i t h M a c K e n z i e

Very ewspinners makeperect singles,

but ortunately,when we ply,thin and thickplaces willoten mergetogether.


7/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI6

that made it. his has to do with the pressure othe opposing twists allowing the yarn to open upwithout losing its strength. hat means thatwhen you knit or weave with a plied yarn, it willtake less yardage to make the abric.

How to plyWhen we ply with a wheel, we take whatever num-ber o singles we wish to ply together and we use awheel to both apply twist and to drat the yarn on tothe bobbin. his allows us to have a wonderullyconsistent twist throughout and allows us to createmuch greater lengths o yarn. Plying takes onlyabout a third o the time it took to spin the originalsingles. And as discussed earlier, that plied yarn will

make much more abric than the singles will. Spin asmuch o the singles as you can bear to beore youstart to ply and try to mix all the bobbins up toimprove the consistency o your plied yarn. Find asmany bobbins as you can or use cheaper storage bob-bins and a bobbin winder. I you have a bobbin onwhich the singles yarn is o diameter or has a slight-ly dierent twist, add a bit o it into every skein. Itwill be spread evenly throughout your whole project,and you wont notice it at all.

Hand holdinghe way I hold my hands when I ply is an old

British style o plying. I like this method becauseit gives me amazing control over the singles, butthere really isnt a right way or a wrong way to holdyour hands. I you have a method that eels com-ortable, allows you to keep consistent tension onall the singles, and keeps the twist entering all othem at the same time, there is no need to change.

o get ready to ply, you need to organize yoursingles. ake your drating hand and place yourmiddle inger under the threads, pushing itthrough the V that they orm as they enter theoriice, the palm o your hand acing you. hisinger will make sure that the twist enters the

threads at the same time. his leaves your thumband oreinger ree to pinch and drat as theywould normally do when you are spinning with ashort draw. I you need to let go, let go with thishand, the drating hand. he tensioning hand isthe one that keeps everything in order and pre-vents chaos. Pretend it is glued in placedontmove it back and orth. Not keeping tension steadywith this hand is the major cause o tangles andwill cause the bobbins to lash back on themselves.

Create a colorpalette by plying.Here, Ive used ou

colors rom Ash-land Bays beautiuselection o dyedMerino top. Byusing a 3-ply yarnstructure, I can produce ten yarns thaallow the colors toow seamlessly

rom one hue tothe next simply bygradually transi-tioning colors inthe plies.


8/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI7

Start your wheel and remember to go in thedirection opposite the one the singles were spun.Place your ingers back in the plying position and,using your thumb and foreinger, grasp the sin-gles and pull forward toward the wheels oriice.

Keep that back hand steady! When your ingersreach the oriice, draw them smoothly backtoward the tensioning hand. he twist will followyour ingers back like a puppy. he faster youmove your ingers, the less ply twist youll have inyour yarn. he slower you move your hands, themore ply twist youll have. When you reach yourback hand, clamp your thumb and foreinger sothat the twist cant go any farther and let all theplied yarn feed forward, onto the wheel. In tradi-

tional spinning, you feed it onto the wheel in halfthe time that it took you to draft it out. Keep thatback hand steady and the next length to be pliedwill be drawn out evenly.

Countingo count or not to count? When you count, youpull the same length o singles orward every timeand add the same amount o twist. What you arecounting are your oot beats; each time you trea-dle the wheel, you put in a given number o twistsover the same length o yarn, depending on yourwheel and the pulley you are using (see the box onpage 8). Counting is really just a plying aid, not anecessity. Im not likely to count every oot beat in

Left:These samples are all spun rom a springy Columbiaeece with European twista singles to the let (Z), plied tothe right (S). This technique makes a wonderul traditionalknitting yarn but a poor weaving yarn. (1) Singles, (2) 2-ply,

(3) 3-ply, (4) 4-ply, (5) 5-ply, and (6) 6-ply.

Right:Plying is a simple way to create a wide variety o tex-tures: the rst three samples use a commercially spun yarnand the Columbia singles to give three very diferent suraces.

Again, these are all spun with a reverse (let [Z] in the singles,right [S] in the ply) twist. Theyll make great knitting yarns. (7)Columbia singles and millspun mohair sotly plied togeth-er; (8) Columbia singles and a cabled ne wool loop pliedtogether; (9) Columbia singles and rayon novelty yarn

plied together; (10) Holding one o the Columbia singlesat a right angle to the other while they were plied madethis textured surace; (11) A Turkish knot based on a sim-ple plying errorunequal tension on one o the Columbiasingles allows it to old back on itsel; (12) Encasement: silkchifon has been caught between the Columbia singles asthey were plied.

3

1 2

4

5

6 7

8

9

10

1112


9/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI8

Choosing the proper pulley (or whorl) or plying depends on the type o

singles youve spun and the type o ply twist you want. In classic spinning,

or a worsted yarn, use a bigger pulley than the one used to spin the singles;

or a woolen yarn, use a smaller pulley. This works because a worsted yarns

structure is in the singles; it only needs the ply to balance the twist. The bigger

pulley puts in less twist. A classic woolen yarn, however, has next to no structure

in the singles; it depends on the ply twist to give it structure and stability, so we

use a smaller high-twist pulley. I your yarn, as is most, is a variation on these

two types o spinning, then think o the abric you want to produce. A sock yarn,

even though it is spun worsted, might need a higher twist, so use the same or

a smaller pulley than the one you used to spin the singles. A good blanket wet

yarn will need a so ter twist, even though you have likely spun it woolen, so try

a bigger pulley. I your wheel doesnt have any choice in pulleys, just apply a bit

more pressure on the drive band or worsted and a little less or woolen.

The two sections o yarn will twisttogether to give you an idea ohow the balanced plied yarn willlook and eel.

Draw out a length o your singles

yarn rom the bobbinplace yourthreading hook in the middle o theyarn and let the two halves oldtogether, allowing the threadinghook to weigh down the yarn.

Use your threading hook to test what

a balanced yarn looks andfeels like. Ithis is what you want, spin the rest o the

yarn with a similar number o twists per inch.

I the yarn isnt what you want, either too

much twist or too little twist when it is plied,

change the singles. You can add or reduce

twist by running it back through the wheel

in the direction it was spun to increase the

twist or opposite to release twist. Its the

twist in the singles that sets how a yarn will

balance when it is plied, not the ply twist.

I youre not sure what is causing your yarn

to be unbalanced, take a look at the direction

o the twist in the skeinthat twist is trying

to counteract the extra twist in your yarn. Itis twisting in the opposite direction o the

overtwist. I its the ply twist that has caused

the problem, you can correct it just as you

corrected the twist in the singles by running

it through the wheel to either tighten or

release twist.

Compared to learning to spin,

learning to ply is a snap

and a very satisying snap at

that! The rst step is to nd some

method o supporting your bob-

bins o singles. Many wheels have

storage racks or rods or bobbins

on the wheel, and it is pretty

tempting to use them to ply. With

the exception o the Louet and

Schacht Ladybug wheels, which

really do have a vertical plying

rame, try to resist, as the storage

racks hold the bobbins at a very

awkward angle, making it dicult

to do a good job.

Kates come in a wide variety o

styles and price ranges, some

very basic and others examples

o a great woodworkers art.

What I look or in a kate is

stability; I want it to stay where

I put it and not tip over or drag

along the oor. I have a Bluster

Bay kate that weighs 15 pounds,

and it does stay put! Schacht

makes one that can be clamped

in place to keep it steady, and

Ive ound that a C-clamp or a

urniture clamp will hold most

other kates in place as well.

I you dont have a kate, they

are simple to makepoke holes

through both sides o a shoe

box with knitting needles and

suspend your bobbins on the

needles. To add stability, cut

some pieces o oam rubber to

insert on the needle on either

side o the bobbin. Making your

own has one huge advantage

over most that you buy; you

can have as many bobbins as

you need. Most traditional

kates limit you to three or our

plies. You can arrange your

shoe-box kate to do wonderul

ve-ply gansey yarns or ten-ply

cashmere.

When you put your bobbins on

the kate, make sure the singles

are all pulling of in the same

direction. I you dont, it will

create a dreadul tangle. Im sure

it does make a diference i you

pull them of over the top or

underneath, because everything

we do in spinning has an efect

on the yarn, but I have not

noticed the diferenceyet!

To be on the sae side, just be

consistent.

Kates

Pulley Balanced Yarn

unbalanced balanced

Judith MaCKenzie


10/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI9

2 pounds o yarn. But counting helps me establisha rhythm when I start a new type o yarn. Also,its a good practice to check now and then to see iI am still on track, especially when I start a newbobbin. Rememberone o the aims o plying isto produce a consistent twist throughout all theskeins in your project.

Two-ply, three-ply, four-ply, or five-ply?What makes the diference between a two-ply anda three-ply is the surace o the yarn and how itreacts in diferent abric structures. In knitting,

when you make the loop to orm a stitch, a two-plyyarn moves away rom the center o the stitch; athree-ply, on the other hand, olds into the centero the stitch, illing it up. In knitting, this is calledblooming in the stitch. In weaving, a two-plylocks the abric in place, while a three-ply, having amuch rounder surace, will allow the warp andwet yarns to slip by one another. he basic rule orknitting yarns is to always use a yarn with three ormore plies unless you have a good reason not to,such as in lace knitting in which a two-ply yarnmoves away rom the stitch to make a more pro-nounced hole. In weaving, always use a two-plyunless you have a good reason not to, such as whena rounder multiple-ply in a rug wet is needed tocover the warp more easily.

All the tools we usebobbin winders, looms,ball winders, nstepinnes, knitting needles, andcrochet hooksadd or remove twist as we usethem. Pay close attention to how the yarn reactsto what you do. Yarn in our hands is always trans-ormed. Our jobs as yarn and abric designers areto understand how this happens and how to use itto our beneit and our great pleasure.

Judith MacKenzieof Forks, Washington, has been a textileartist for over thirt ears. Her love of textiles has led to man

fascinating jobs, including leading a National Research Council

grant to investigate industrial silk des and the repair of the

king of Afghanistans carpet. A teacher in the United States and

Canada, her work appears in private and public collec tions.

Judith is the author ofThe Intentional Spinner(Interweave, 2009)

and a number of Interweave instructional videos.

Right: Twoskeins maderom the sameour singlesspun rom aMerino/silkblend romChasing Rain-bows Dyeworks.

The rst sampleis a 4-plythetwist enteredthe singles at

the same time.The secondsample is a4-strand cable.Here the singleshave beenmade into two2-plies, thathave been twist-

ed together.

(1)Place the singles on your leg

choose the side that eels natural toyou. (2) Start with a simple 2-ply. First,using the hand that would normallyhold the ber, rom above the singles,slip your rst nger in between thetwo singlesyour thumb will be onthe outside o the threads, toward theinside o your leg. (3)Rotate yourhand toward the outside o yourlegyour thumb will slip under therst thread. Pick your hand up and tiltit back. (4)When I do multiple plies, Iuse this same method, adding in

another nger or each extra ply.Doing this, I can spin a comortableve-ply.

1 2

3 4


11/17

Copyright Spin.Of


spinningdaily.comI10

Commonly known among spinnersas Navajo-plying, plyingchained singles produces a three-plyyarn rom a bobbin o singles yarn andis accomplished by chaining loops;each new loop is drawn through theprevious loop.1 With this technique,you can create three-ply yarn rom onebobbin o singles instead o three. You

may be amiliar with chaining a warpor weaving, creating a crochet chain,or making a chain stitch in embroidery,but you cant make a stable yarn justchaining a strand o spun singles. Techained singles need sufcient twist inthe opposite direction to balance thetwist o the singles.

I youve spun a singles yarn rom avariegated roving or batt, you canpreserve solid sections o color in theplied yarn or gradually move rom one

color to the next. Plying chainedsingles reduces the length o a colorsection o singles yarn to one-third othe original length. For example, toply 5 inches o color, you will need tospin 15 inches o singles in that color.

I you are trying this technique orthe rst time, you may want topractice with waste yarna weavingor knitting millspun yarn or crochetcottonbeore using your precioushandspun. First determine whetherthe yarn has been spun S, the wheelturning to the let (counterclockwise),or Z, the wheel turning to the right (clockwise), and thenply in the opposite direction.

A previewYour orward hand will pinch o the twist, guide it intothe chained singles, and roll the bumps created where theloops join. Your back hand will orm the loops.

Start by tying a yard-long leader to the bobbin on the yerspindle. Tread the leader over the hooks and through the

orice. Double back the end o the leaderto orm a 5-inch loop and tie a knot.Select a large whorl to give you a lowtwist ratio. Tis allows more control asyou practice the motions. Hold theleader and begin to treadle slowly. Checkthe pull on the leader as it is drawnthrough the orice and winds onto thebobbin. Adjust the tension or a slightly

aster draw-in than you used whenspinning the singles.

Put the yarn bobbin onto a lazy kate.I like to place the kate on the oorbetween my eet. Draw the end o theyarn up rom the kate and old it toorm an 8-inch loop. Pass the yarnloop through the leader loop (Fig. 1).Pull the yarn loop toward your bodywith your back hand, centering it overthe yarn coming rom the kate. Pinchthe juncture o the loops with the

ngers o your orward hand, oldingback 4 or 5 inches o the beginning othe loop (Fig. 2). Tere are ourstrands o yarn at the pinch, countingthe tail rom the loop.

Use the thumb and little nger oyour back hand to spread and tensionthe two sides o the loop (Fig. 3). Pickup the strand coming rom the kate(the third ply) with your index nger(Fig. 4).

Begin to treadle slowly in thedirection opposite to which the singlesyarn was spun. Maintain equal tension

on all three plies with your spread ngers. As twist buildsup between the orice and the ngers pinching at the endo the leader, slide the pinch along the three strandswithout allowing any one strand to twist around another(Fig. 5). Stop sliding the pinch when 3 or 4 inches o loopremain (Fig. 6). Move your hands orward toward the

Plying Chained SinglesB y D o d i e R u s h

CARy RUSH

1Though plying chained singles is normally referred to as Navajo-plying, questions have beenraised about the origins of the term and whether or not it is a ccurate. Plying chained singles is adescriptive term for making a three-ply yarn from a singles yarn.


12/17

Copyright Spin.Of



orice to let the plied yarn wind onto the yerbobbin, and then stop treadling (Fig.7). With theback hand, pull the strand coming rom the katethrough the loop to orm the next loop (Fig. 8).Pick up the yarn coming rom the kate (third ply)with your index nger (Fig. 9). Resume treadlingand guide the twist along the strands (Fig. 10).Repeat these motions. With practice you will beable to increase speed.

o tighten the bump ormed where the loopsoverlap, roll the join back and orth between thethumb and index nger o your orward hand.Rolling the join lets in extra twist, minimizing thesize o the bump.

A three-ply yarn needs about three-ourths o

the twists per inch that were put in the singles. Ithe singles yarn has not been resting on thebobbin beore plying, you can test the twist byletting 12 to 15 inches o plied yarn hang withouttension between your hand and the orice. Youwant a relaxed yarn that doesnt twist in eitherdirection. However, some o the twist energy hasbeen set i the singles yarn has been stored on thebobbin or several hours or more. I so, to test orthe amount o twist, take about 3 eet o thesingles and old the yarn to make 1 oot o three-ply, knot both ends, and put it into water to allowthe twist energies to balance. Match the ply twistto this sample. Or, save a three-ply sample orcomparison when spinning the singles.

3 4

5 6

1 2


13/17

Copyright Spin.Of



Loops can be large or small. I you are plyingyarn with color sequences, watch or the colorchanges. Adjust the loop size to place colors whereyou would like them to appear; pull more yarnrom the kate to lengthen loops, or pull less tomake shorter loops.

readle slowly to give your hands time to ormloops or adjust colors. As you orm loops, you may

see thick or thin sections. Compensate by alteringthe loop length; place a thick section between twothin strands, or let three thin strands meet at thebump o joining loops.

I your back hand nds manipulating the loopsawkward, reversing hands may help. As youbecome comortable with the motions, youlldevelop a smooth, aster treadling rhythm. opause while plying, keep the working loop open byplacing the sides o the loop around the hooks onthe yer, or put the loop over a knob. Wind theplied yarn onto a niddy-noddy and cut it ree at

the leader loop. Pull out any unattached strandsand tie a knot to prevent raveling.

Dodie Rush learned to spin on a rented wheel when she

attended her rst SOAR (Spin.Of Autumn Retreat) in 1990.

She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her husband,

Cary, who took the photos or this article.

ResourcesFournier, Nola, and Jane Fournier.In Sheeps

Clothing. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press,1995.

Irwin, Bobbie. Te Spinners Companion. Loveland,Colorado: Interweave Press, 2001.

7 8

9 10


14/17

Copyright Spin.Of



When I am teaching spinning workshops, Imoten asked, Which spinning wheel shouldI buy? My usual answer is It depends. Tere aremany dierent wheels available, and all o themwill add twist to ber and spin yarn. But somewheels will be a better match or each spinner. Inaddition to price, there are some important thingsto consider that can usually narrow the choice tojust a ew wheels.

I it is possible, visit a shop that has several di-erent spinning wheels that you can try. Someshops and spinning guilds rent wheels, giving youan opportunity to try one in your home. Also askyour spinning riends to let you try their wheels.It is not unusual or spinners to have more thanone wheel, even though they may just bring a por-table wheel to spinning gatherings.

One o the rst things to consider is whichhand is your spinning or orice hand, (closest to

the orice) and which hand is the ber hand(holding the ber). I you are a beginning spinneror a novice, I suggest that you try letting yourdominant hand be your spinning or orice hand.Your dominant hand has the ne motor skills thatare needed or controlling the twist.

I your let hand is the orice hand, you willmost likely want the yer on the let, and i yourright hand is the orice hand, you will probably bemost comortable with the yer on the right. Tisallows you to drat across your lap and let thetwist enter the bers in ront o you without hav-ing to turn sideways, which can get very tiring or

painul.Unortunately, even though most people are

right-handed and their right hand is their domi-nant hand, very ew wheels have the lyer on theright. his is because o the historical develop-ment and evolution o spinning wheels. here area ew wheels that allow you to place the yer oneither side. A wheel with the orice in the centeris a compromise to accommodate either right- orlet-handed spinners.

How to ChooseYour First Wheel

B y R u d y A m a n n

PhotosfroMStartSpinningby Maggie Casey (interweave, 2008).

Upright wheel.


15/17

Copyright Spin.Of



You need to think about where you will beusing your spinning wheel. How much space doyou have, and how portable a wheel do you need?I you are planning to take your wheel to guildmeetings, spin-ins, or demonstrations, then size,portability, appearance, and style may be veryimportant. Nonelectric spinning wheels with y-

ers and bobbins can be put into three groups: tra-ditional or Saxony, upright, and portable.raditional-style wheels take more space and

usually are not very easy to transport. Uprightwheels take less space and are easier to movearound. Some upright wheels are designed to oldor to separate into several parts to make themmore portable. Te smallest wheels are the light-weight, compact wheels that are designed or easyportability. Generally, portable wheels are not asstable as ull-size wheels and oten do not have asmany eatures or options available.

Until a ew years ago, most spinning wheels

had only one treadle. oday, many wheels areavailable in single- or double-treadle models.Most traditional-style wheels have a single,narrow treadle just wide enough or one oot.Te treadle on some contemporary single-treadlewheels is wide enough that you can use either oneoot or both eet. A single treadle placed at thecenter o the wheel allows the spinner to useeither oot and also gives the spinner more exi-bility in nding a comortable position orspinning.

Some spinners nd that they have better controlo their wheels using a double-treadle model. Teyare able to spin more smoothly even at slow speedsand nd it easier to start and stop the wheel. How-ever, other spinners nd it uncomortable to keeptheir eet and legs together while spinning. Even iyou like to treadle with just one oot, there may be

some advantage in getting a double-treadle wheel.I your right hand is your orice or spinning hand,you can position the wheel to your right side anduse your right oot on the let treadle. Similarly,you could have the wheel to your let and treadlewith your let oot on the right treadle. Spinnerswith short arms may nd it more comortable tomove a wheel with a center orice to one side sothat they have more space in ront o them ordrating across the lap. I you think you mightwant to treadle a double-treadle wheel with justone oot, experiment and be sure the wheel spinseasily and smoothly using one oot.

When you are trying a spinning wheel, be sureyour oot is positioned correctly on the treadle ortreadles. Tis is especially important with asingle-treadle wheel so that you are able to useboth your toes and heel to power the wheel. Otenbeginning spinners have their oot/eet too arorward on the treadle. Te back o your heelshould be even with the bottom edge o the trea-dle. Tis allows you to press down with the ball oyour oot or the downstroke and then press downwith your heel or the upstroke.

Drive wheel

Mother-o-all

Footmen

Treadle

Maidens

Orice

Bobbin

Flyer

Drive band

Parts o a wheel.Traditional or Saxony wheel.


16/17

Copyright Spin.Of



For plying yarn, you should have a separatelazy kate. Te pegs that are provided on somespinning wheels are handy or storing extra bob-bins, but they are not really satisactory or ply-ing. For good controlled plying, you need to beable to place the kate behind you. Te kate shouldhave a tensioning device and be able to hold atleast three bobbins. I a separate lazy kate doesnot come with the wheel you select, buy a lazykate with tensioning that will accommodate thebobbins o your wheel.

I you have an idea about what bers and whattype o yarn you will be spinning, the drive sys-tem may make a dierence. Tere are three typeso drive systems: single drive with bobbin lead,single drive with yer lead, and double drive.

On bobbin-lead wheels, also known as Irish-tension wheels, the bobbin is turned by the drivewheel and there is an adjustable brake on theyer. It is easy to change bobbins on these wheels,and once the brake band is set, it usually does not

need to be adjusted. hese wheels usually havebigger bobbins and are best-suited or spinningDK and heavier weights o yarn, novelty yarns,and or plying. Spinners with several wheels otenkeep a bobbin-lead wheel to use or plying.

Although bobbin-lead wheels can be used tospin ner yarns, a yer-lead wheel would be a bet-ter wheel i you are planning on spinning cotton,silk, or other ner yarns. On yer-lead wheels,also known as scotch-tension wheels, the yer isturned by the drive wheel and there is an adjust-

able brake on the bobbin. Tis system oers themost control in spinning a large variety o dier-ent-size yarns and in the amount o twist thatyou insert in the dierent yarns. However, as thebobbin lls with yarn, the tension on the bobbinbrake needs to be readjusted. A yer-lead wheel isa good choice or spinning ne bers and yarns.

On double-drive wheels, both the bobbin andthe yer are turned by the drive wheel, usuallywith the bobbin turning aster than the yer towind on the spun yarn. Double-drive wheels aregood or spinning large amounts o consistentyarn in the ne to medium range o yarns. Teyare also good or spinning sot-spun yarns. Manydouble-drive wheels have the option o being setup as single-drive lyer-lead wheels.

here are a ew wheels that allow you to setthem up with any o the three drive systems. hatenables you to use either single drive with yerlead (scotch tension) or double drive or spinningsingles. When you are spinning the singles or a

two-ply yarn, ll the bobbins to about hal capaci-ty. Ten switch to single drive with bobbin lead(Irish tension) and ply the singles together on athird bobbin. Tis takes advantage o the benetso the dierent drive systems.

I you are planning to do a lot o spinning withne bers, you may want to consider a wheel thatoers an optional high-speed yer and bobbins.Also, some wheels have larger yer and bobbinsavailable or plying or spinning heavier andart yarns.

Double-drivesystem.

Drive band

on whorl(or pulley)

Drive band onbobbin

Optional brake bandor scotch tension


17/17

Te appearance o the wheel can be an impor-tant actor when selecting a wheel. Do you likethe style, design, wood, and nish o the wheel? Ihope you will be able to spend many happy hourssitting in ront o it spinning. You should enjoylooking at the wheel, and you should like the wayit looks in your spinning space.

Good luck in nding the perect spinningwheel or you!

Rudy Amann of Brunswick, Maine, is a retired high school

mathematics teacher and assistant principal. When he was

learning to spin, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts was his mentor. He

teaches and demonstrates spinning and nlbinding.

Bobbin-lead system.

Brake band

Flyer

Bobbin

Driveband

Bobbin

Flyer

Drive band

Brake band

Flyer-lead scotch tension system.

Enjoy the magazines exactly as they

were printed on one space-saving CD,

including popular sold-out issues.Quickly fnd what youre looking or

with the handy search unction and

easy-to-navigate table o contents.

interweavestore.com

866.949.1646

Collection CDs

Introduction to Spinning Wheels

Documents

Transcript of Introduction to Spinning Wheels