Plain Vanilla Two-Plying And Balanced Yarns

"My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with."
~ Oprah Winfrey.

Thus was the sentiment on the front of a card sent to me in celebration of the upcoming, and now upon us, Summer Solstice by Jenna. Happy Litha! May your gardens grow lush and beautiful.

Speaking of potatoes, do take a look above at how my tater plants are happily flourishing. I was pondering a bit the other day about my obsession with potatoes. I surmised that readers out in Idaho, Maine or other prolific potato-growing areas might think I'm slightly off my rocker, going on and on about my little patch. And if truth be told, I do go out each morning and check the growth progress, applauding each new leaf and checking for marauding insects that might need to find homes elsewhere. There's something so honest and earthy about potato plants and the resulting crop...feels to me like a direct connection to Mother Earth herself. Last Sunday, "Father's Day" here in the States, Alexander (youngest of the spider) joined Chris and I on a little one-day trip to NYC. David (oldest of the spider) was due to come in from Toronto on a Greyhound bus that evening. Our plan was to meet Dave at the Port Authority around 8pm-ish. That left the three of us to figure out just how we'd like to spend the rest of our afternoon . The beach at Coney Island won out for much of the day, and above you'll see Chris and Alexander, with wind-tussled hair, hanging out on the boardwalk...a nice Dad and son pic, me thinks. Another activity that occurred this past week was hooky-stick-making. I saw my first hooky stick when Celia Quinn, longtime fantastic spinning instructor and author, passed them out to our class years ago. Simply said, they are a spinning tool on which the three things necessary to make yarn can occur: drafting, spinning and storage of yarn. Eagle-eyes will note that a hooky stick is nothing more than a wire coat hanger with a hook bent into one end and the rough, cut edges smoothed down. Over the years, I've made dozens upon dozens of these wonderful spinning implements for my own students. Would any of you readers like me to show how to use a hooky stick in an upcoming post? Last week I mentioned the Akha spindle from Thailand. Above is a pic of such a spindle. I purchased mine quite a few years ago from Lynn DeRose Mason. Included with the spindle was a printed sheet of instructions, where Lynn wrote, "This is a hand-supported spindle from the Akha Hill people in Southeast Asia. Twist is inserted with a flick of thumb against forefinger; the support comes from the cradle made by the remaining fingers being held in a relaxed curl. The hook off the spinning tip allows drafting at 180 degrees. I occasionally use it as a drop spindle."

Connie Delaney has a great, online article on the Akha Spindle, clearly demonstrating her love and fascination with the spindle and the people who make them. Also, be sure to check out Connie's excellent "SpinCraft" patterns for sale on her site.

Before I move on to the spinning topics of this week's blog post, a bit of this 'n that is in order: Dyers, come one and come all, to the annual "Brighid's Dyers" gathering in Brattleboro, Vermont. Date: Saturday, June 30, 2007. Location: Bickford's Restaurant on Rt. 5. Just look for a table of enthusiastic fiber artists waving colored stuff around. Time: 1:00 pm. Bring: Any show and tell focusing on dyeing. Many of us in Brighid's Dyers are solar dyers, but ALL dyers are welcome...synthetic or natural...on cloth, yarn, fiber, etc. Please do go to our newly updated webpage (with its own URL!), Brighid's Dyers, with many thanks to our Elizabeth, of Hemlock Haven Llama Farm. On the left sidebar of that site, you'll find links to my blog posts devoted to solar dyeing. Can't wait to see YOU and what you've all been "dyeing" to chat about!

On another note, received this lovely e-mail from Drea the other day:
Dear Spinning Spyder:
I am a baby beginner spinner here and I stumbled upon your site. Although I have a friend who's been spinning for nigh on 30 years who's taught me the basics, she's far away and I've had to do most of it on my own. Your site has helped me tremendously. I've only just begun to spin and after reading your site with its suggestions, I have been able to spin a nice Romney (quite dry, by the way, which I prefer) roving into (almost uniform!!!) singles yarn. I also spun two bobbins of 'funky' orange and purple coloured yarn from roving I drafted together (super super dry). I've been spinning for two weeks come this Saturday and I'm already addicted to it. Thanks again for your great site -- you've just answered all my questions on washing and 'twist setting' and so forth (I'm about to ply - zoiks!) For a week I spun on my friend's ancient Country Craftsman Saxony (her re-enactor wheel). Wow is that hard. Then I bought myself an Ashford Traditional Saxony - double drive - single treadle - and it's much much easier - but she told me that after a week on that Country Craftsman wheel - if I could spin (yeh I could, but badly) I'd be able to spin on anything. After years of knitting, it's fun to be able to actually make the yarn!

And in a second e-mail from Drea, after I mentioned that I'd address plain vanilla 2-plying in this week's post:
YAY !!!! I can't wait for the post on vanilla two-plying. Pam (my spinner friend) told me the basics ending with her usual, "Now you'll just have to get the feel for it yourself" admonition. (And she's right about that - I just had to 'get the feel' on my own for the spinning). However, your posts about forward drafting (Pam taught me the backwards pull) and drafting zone and allowing the yarn to feed and all - well - it make made the lightbulb go 'click'. (Doing the forward draft taught me how to control the drafting zone, how to allow the yarn to 'feed' and hence greatly reduce the over-twisting, Now I start out with forward draft, segueway into back pull drafting and when I'm at the end of the roving, I let go my left hand and just pull back with my right hand out really long and it twists to the end beautifully (and then I add onto that with a fresh roving which I draft myself into a pencil draft).

All the best, Drea
Note from Spider: Thank you, Drea. I sure do appreciate knowing that some of these tappings help spinners. Thanks so much for your wonderful e-mails.

Now for a little hiccup again, with mention of a conversation I had had a few days ago with Leslie. She and her husband, John, recently came back from a fantastic camping vacation in Eastern Canada. Whilst travelling through Maine, John, good man that he is, noticed a sign for "The Purple Fleece." Leslie, who hadn't seen the sign due to being busy with her own knitting, was asked by John if she'd like to stop into the store? She did. They did. The lovely, well-stocked shop was next to the home of the shop's proprietress, Debbie. Even if you're not planning a trip to Maine soon, do go to The Purple Fleece, Debbie's website. Debbie found out that Leslie was a knitter, spinner and dyer and took the couple to see her personal, upstairs studio...filled with looms, wheels, etc. What a nice woman Debbie is (I called and chatted with her myself)...in many more ways than one! Funny how goodness prevails and things have a way of balancing themselves in the cosmos... Now, onto balanced yarns...as a lead-up to plain vanilla 2-plying... First, just what IS a balanced, 2-ply yarn? A balanced, 2-ply yarn is a yarn in which within the singles and the final plied yarn there is no excess clockwise (Z or to-the-right) twist; nor is there excess counter-clockwise (S or to-the-left) twist. In other words, the amounts of twist either way are balanced with each other. When a plied yarn is balanced, it will hang, as shown above, in a relaxed donut shape...showing no sign of twisting one way nor t'other...that is, after the skein has been washed and dried.

Sometimes spinners are alarmed when they see a "just plied," but not washed, skein twist off in a direction rather than placidly hanging open. Do keep in mind that if the plying was just completed, that ply twist is very much alive and active...wheras the singles that you plied were completed prior to the plying...be it a few hours before, a week before or even years before the plying took place. The singles, in those cases, have more-or-less sleeping twist, also called dead twist...the twist is still in them, right where you put it, but it's asleep, waiting to be awakened. How to do that? Wash the yarn! As a knitter, I rarely ever feel my yarn is ready for use unless I wash it first. Once the skein is dried, check again for balance by hanging it off your hand. Does it hang like an open oval? Then it's balanced.

But what about this whole balance thing...is it necessary? Well, knitters often like balanced yarns because their fabrics won't skew off (bias) into directions they didn't want. 'course if you use excess twist, often called "energized" yarn, in your designs and plan for it, then that's different and a whole 'nother ballgame. Kathryn Alexander is a knitting designer/fiber artist who has become known for her work in this energized arena. But if you were making...let's say a plain vanilla stockinette cardigan...perhaps you'd like the lower edges to hang straight and expect the fabric to behave as you planned it to...then perhaps a balanced yarn needs to be in your equation for success.

Crocheters, are balanced yarns important to your work, too? And how 'bout you weavers? Outrageously fun collapse fabric comes to mind when energized singles are used in weaving. Do you weavers worry as much as knitters about balancing your handspun yarns for use in your regular fabrics?

***Before I move on, it's important to note right at the beginning of this discussion that just because your yarn is balanced doesn't mean it's the perfect yarn-of-choice...the creme de la creme...for your project. Being balanced isn't enough. Does the plied yarn look sleezy? Are there holey gaps between the singles? Or, in the opposite scenario, is the plied yarn too tightly twisted? Did you lose the "hand" of the fiber...literally squash out all the good qualities inherent in the fiber(s) chosen for the yarn? If so, some planning needed to go into how much twist was necessary to put in the SINGLES. Yes, that's right...a spinner can quickly test how their plied yarn will look balanced as they begin to spin the singles. You do not have to spin up gobs of yarn only to find it all won't work as you had planned. Have YOU been disappointed with your plied yarns once they've been washed and dried and are ready to use? If so, read on....

What follows first is a pitstop to demonstrate the same, balanced skein pictured above, as a highly unbalanced skein, produced by my own exaggerated twisting. In the above pic, I've highly twisted the skein for demo purposes only, so that the whole twist angle for the skein reads Z (look at the diagonal connecting the two horizontal lines of the Z to see that it matches the diagonal of the turquoise line above it, which was drawn over the skein's exaggerated angle of twist.)

Here's something incredibly valuable I learned from Rita...if we read the skein that's pictured above, we see the skein is reading Z. If a skein reads Z, it WANTS Z. What does this mean? It means that the plying twist in the yarn itself (S or counter-clockwise) is too much for the singles twist (Z or clockwise) to balance with. So, in order for that yarn to balance, some of that S plying twist needs to come out.

Now mind you, I exaggerated the twist in the 2-ply skein above for this demo only. As you saw earlier, it really is a balanced yarn. BUT, if your 2-ply skein twists as above, after washing and drying it, you'll do yourself a favor by swatching it up to see if the swatch itself skews off into a direction. Knitters will see this happen when stockinette is used...a stitch that shows biasing in all its glory. There are other stitches that can actually hide minor skewing, so I encourage you to try swatching some (such as basketweave, etc.) Going down in needle size can also help minimize skewing...but be careful of how you may need to adjust the knitting pattern when your knitting gauge changes... Or, if the yarn isn't too hairy (such as yarn with a high mohair percentage,) you could try running the plied skein back through the wheel in the clockwise (Z) direction to remove some of the plying twist. In general, I try to steer clear of those kinds of hair raising methods . I prefer to test my singles for how much twist is needed BEFORE is spin them all up for the project of choice...more on that a few paragraphs down. Above is a pic of the opposite situation from what we've just discussed. Here's that same 2-ply skein where the exaggerated twist was added so that the skein reads S. Again, take a look at the diagonal that the turquoise line makes...it's the same diagonal that joins the top and bottom "hooks" of the S. Thus, this skein now reads S. Again, thanks to Rita, I understand that if a skein, after washing and drying, reads S, it WANTS S. This means that there's not enough plying twist in the original yarn (S or counter-clockwise) to balance the amount of twist that was put into the Z-spun, or clockwise, singles. Running the plied yarn back through the wheel in the counter-clockwise, S, direction will add more plying twist to aid in the balance.

***But let's go back to the first words of caution, so to speak, given: LOOK at your yarn. Does it look good to you? Will it work in your project? Have you swatched it to see if the swatch biases? Remember, just because a yarn is balanced doesn't make it great. Read above, at the ***, once again to clarify what I mean.

A pleasant thought to ponder: When your skein reads only slightly S or Z, you may be able to get away with not having your work bias. Some fudging is not only possible, it's acceptable. Only swatching will tell the truth.

Another thought: Here in much of North America, many if not most spinning mills and individual spinners often make plied yarns by spinning the singles clockwise (Z) and plying (S). It is not wrong to do the opposite: spin the singles S and ply Z...in fact, in some cultures, this is the norm. And even neater, in some cultures, twist is a downright magickal thing. I've been told that some folks in the world might even add into a project a bit of yarn twisted in the opposite direction from that of the main yarn, for very interesting reasons. Can any of you further elaborate on this? Remember when I mentioned a few moments ago that you, as a spinner, could design and learn to balance your 2-ply yarn at the singles stage? Well, you can. The best way to do this is to make a ply-back from your freshly spun singles. If you're spinning those singles pretty much consistently, when you fold the singles back on itself (called a ply-back,) the singles twist you put in balances with plying twist, to show you how that yarn would look as a balanced 2-ply. If the ply-back looks sleazy (a very technical spinning term, don'tcha know?) you need more twist in the singles. Thus, put more twist into the singles and make another ply-back. Look good? Great! Look too overtwisted? Then you need less twist in the singles. Check the ply-back again.

BTW, to save your ply-back of choice, simply separate the ply-back from the singles yarn you were spinning and knot the ends together. I like to save the ply-back by threading it through a hole punched into an index card. I also like to notch the index card and save a sample of the singles yarn, making sure the twist doesn't escape by putting the ends into the notches and tying the ends together on the back of the card. The whole card, along with anything written that is pertinent about the spinning of the yarn or where the fiber came from, etc. goes into a clear, sandwich-sized baggie, along with a sample of the unspun fiber. That baggie gets hole-punched and put into a binder for later reference, as needed. Documentation? You bet, baby! I don't want to be caught with my pants down, not knowing how I made a yarn or what fiber(s) went into it!!

In the above pic, you can see what to do when you've NOT saved your ply-back of choice from your freshly spun singles...or if you never made one to begin with. All is not lost, in that case. From Rita, I learned "the water trick." Just look at that limp, flaccid ply-back above. But I'm not blaming the poor, presently-sleazy, ply-back, after all...the singles had been sitting on bobbins for months or more. The singles twist is sleeping, but it can be re-awakened. Just knot the singles together and.... Pop the knotted-together singles in a cup of very hot water. Abracadabra ~ the twist comes alive again. It's neat to watch the ply-back squirming around and waking up. Dry the ply-back completely. One black cat I know just had to make an appearance in this shot... This water trick works wonderfully well and shows a balanced yarn if the singles yarns are more-or-less similar, especially in twist rate, but also regarding the size of each singles. If this ply-back looks good to you - great! If the re-awakened, "subjected-to-the-water trick" ply-back doesn't look good, either because the singles yarns are very different or otherwise, add or subtract twist in plying to your taste, but note that the end result may or may not be balanced. Only by swatching can you truly tell if your ply-fudging will or will not result in biasing. But in this case, lookee at the plying twist! No flaccid plying twist is that!! I love that word, "flaccid, "...can you tell? Now I can use the alive ply-back as a visual reference to ply for a balanced yarn. If your singles aren't incredibly consistent in the ply-back or even throughout your bobbins, pick the area of the ply-back that you want to match. It's that simple. Because I use a leader that has a loop on one end, I can put the two singles, coming from bobbins set in a tensioned Lazy Kate, through the leader's loop, fold the singles back on themselves, and add twist via treadling in order to secure the two singles to the leader. Nary a problem ever occurs with the singles slipping off the leader when this method is used. 'course you could tie the singles to the leader instead.

Ply in the opposite direction that you spun the singles. Usually my singles are spun Z (clockwise) and plied S (counter-clockwise.)

I'm afraid all I can say is "good luck" if you're not using a tensioned Lazy Kate. By tensioned, I mean that the bobbins held in the Kate are attached to each other via a string of some sort, which travels inside one end of each of the bobbins' grooves. This tensioning string can be tightened or loosened as needed, usually by turning a knob on the Kate, acting as a break on the bobbins in the Kate. When the tensioning string is just right, the bobbins will release their singles easily and nicely, with no taught stretching of the singles nor any "back-flapping" of the bobbins which might tangle the singles together. That said, I've always loved Rita's description of some so-called Kates that are attached right to a post/beam (be it vertical or horizontal) on the spinning wheel itself: "Yarn Admiring Racks," (and that's about all they're good for in my spiderly opinion, as well!) Here's a photo demonstrating my plying set-up. Some folks like to set their kate on a table, nearer to their elbow. I like the kate to be on the floor, to the right, and a bit behind me, since my back hand for plying is my right one. Reverse if your back hand will be your left one. I let the singles angle over my lap towards the orifice.

I tend to sit as far back from the wheel as is comfortable to treadle when I ply. I think of this as a "given" setting, allowing me to more easily replicate a yarn from my notes, knowing I'll always be this distance from the wheel. The extra distance also allows me to see the yarn as it's plying for a greater length than just a few inches, leading to better consistency in the plying overall.

Your draw-in-tension (be it Scotch tension, Irish/German tension, or the tension on your drive band for a double drive set-up) on the wheel should allow the yarn to go on easily. Avoid having to push the yarn on due to inadequate draw-in and conversely, having to hold on to the yarn with a death grip because there is too much draw-in. Adjust the draw-in tension as needed. I generally find I need more draw-in tension for plying than I did for the singles. As the bobbin fills, more oomph is needed to get the yarn on the bobbin. In that case, add more draw-in tension as necessary. Make these adjustments in small increments - no wild knob turning, please. Aim to understand how your equipment works. Another view of my plying set-up. Hawk-eye spinners will note that I have a Lendrum bobbin and some Schacht bobbins in my Lendrum Tensioned Lazy Kate (Village Spinning and Weaving website linked). You'd be surprised how bobbins from various wheels fit in other brand's Kates. I particularly like that my Louet bobbins fit into my other, much-loved, Schacht Tensioned Lazy Kate. Adjust singles through your fingers to separate strands or simply hold them together with your back hand... your choice. The back hand you use is generally the same hand you'd hold your fiber supply if you were spinning a singles. Decide where it's comfortable to keep your back hand stationary. I tend to like it directly in front of and up against my stomach. Others like it angling off to one side. Avoid going too far in back of you because your body would have to continually twist awkwardly during the plying process. A close-up view...note how the thumb of my back hand (the one that is tensioning the singles) is pushing down on my pinkie finger, and hence the place where the two singles come together, as they are drawing from the Kate. I call this thumb the "gate keeper." When the gate keeper is pushing down on the singles, it has the uncanny ability to make sure both of the singles (as for a 2-ply) are tensioned the same. The gate keeper thumb opens and closes as needed...it's closed when the plying twist is being inserted in a length of the two singles....it opens when that plied yarn needs to travel towards the orifice, to be stored on the bobbin.

Now for my directions for plying:
Your front hand pinches the yarn at the point of contact and slides backwards to meet the back hand as you treadle and plying occurs. Note that the point of contact continually moves and your pinching fingers stay on the point of contact and move with it. Once you reach the back hand, your front hand then makes the journey to the orifice, generally stopping about 4-5" before the orifice. The next round trip can then occur.

Point of contact: The place of plied yarn immediately next to the two, still-separated singles.

Round trip: A total of how many treadles are needed for one length of yarn to be plied, both out to you and in towards the wheel, so that you can then begin another round trip.

Be sure to put the ply-back sample you've chosen close by for visual reference. I put mine right on my lap.

Calculate the round trip by trying various treadle sequences (ie. 5 treadles to have your front hand move back to meet your back hand and 2 treadles in to have it do an arm's length towards the orifice = 7 treadles round trip.)

After completing two or more of the same round trip, stop and pull the yarn off the bobbin (pull off the side of the bobbin if you are afraid you'll add or subtract twist by bringing it out the orifice...this never worried me much, however...with no ill effects) in order to compare ply "bumps" per inch to your chosen ply-back. If your plied yarn matches the balanced ply-back, stay consistent with your round trip treadling throughout.

If you've found the correct round trip, but uncomfortable to achieve, adjust your in's and out's to be the same overall round trip but make it more comfortable to do (ie Say the 7 treadle round trip is correct, it can be achieved in several ways - 5 out and 2 in, 6 out and 1 in, 4 out and 3 in, etc...)

If your tried round trip does not produce the same bumps per inch on your ply-back, try another round trip sequence. If there are more bumps per inch on your ply-back, up the round trip treadles (ie you need more plying twist in order to match your ply-back.) If there are less bumps per inch on your ply-back, go down in treadles for your round trip (ie you need less plying twist in order to match your ply-back.)

For your body's sake, avoid having to bend forward too much. Consider beginning your round trip about 4-5" or so from the orifice, not right up against the orifice.

Remember to change hooks to avoid big hills and valleys as you ply. Hills have a tendency to topple over into valleys and cause tangling, especially with fine or hairy yarns.

Something to consider prior to plying in the first place: I do like to wind off singles once spun, by hand, on to a new bobbin. It seems to even out the twist. This may seem extreme to some, but I like the end results I get when doing it. See the past post, Fiber Of Gold & Leslie's Sock Solution, for more info on that.

I often get asked what whorl I use for plying? The truth is, I generally use the same whorl I did for spinning the singles. But, if for comfort's sake or you just want to use a different whorl, note that your round trip needed to get a balanced yarn will change from one whorl to the next. I also get asked whether I use a plying head or some particular wheel for plying? No, I don't. That said, one can fit more plied yarn on the usually big bobbin that comes with a plying head or if one has access to a Louet wheel, which inherently has bobbins with a big-ish capacity.

Cats and plying do not go together. Try it and you'll see. Good luck!

I dry my plied yarns flat on a towel and do not need to hang weights or go to great lengths to keep them from kinking or twisting. See the past post Finishing Handspun Yarn - Part One, for more info on that. The final pics that follow show the makings of a round trip... Back hand tensions singles and stays stationary. It was really handy when I was pregnant...my back hand could rest on the "shelf" of my growing belly! Front hand guides the twist as it runs towards the back hand. Treadling occurs throughout. Front hand continues moving towards the back hand. Front hand reaches the back hand. The gate keeper and fingers of the back hand open up to allow for the front hand to bring the plied yarn to the orifice so it can be stored on the bobbin. The back hand does, however, remain stationary. Do note that while there are three bobbins shown in the Kate, only two of them have singles that are threaded through the Kate's pig-tailed, guiding hook, in order to achieve a 2-ply yarn.

Just as folks have various ways of tensioning yarn (or not) through their fingers, I have my own way I like to thread the singles through my fingers to separate them. I do admit to liking my wheel-plied singles to be separated, but tensioned equally, in the plying process. Interestingly, in spindle plied yarns, I tend not to separate the singles for plying...go figure...but that's another story...

And finally, this is NOT the only way to wheel-ply a yarn. I do not claim it to be the best way to ply. I do claim it as the way I choose to ply and I'm pretty damn proud of my plied yarns. You can ply this way, too,
if you'd like!

Wishing you all Summer Solstice blessings!!

"Beginning Spinning Plus" At Cornell University Cooperative Extension And More

Buckets of rain

Buckets of tears
Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears
Buckets of moonbeams in my hands
I got all the love, honey baby
You can stand

I been meek
and hard like an oak
I seen pretty people disappear like smoke
Friends will arrive, friends will disappear
If you want me, honey baby
I'll be here
~Bob Dylan "Buckets of Rain"

Oosh! Feels like ages since I last posted. Such a busy time with workshops and gardening. I'm back home for awhile and will settle in to once-a-week posting, at least through July. I am dying to just sit down to my personal spinning for THE BOOK. My fingers are itching for it...know what I mean?! I'm in good company, as I know you do know what I mean.

I spent much of last week with the most incredible bunch of folks in upstate New York. I must admit, after writing the last post about the also wonderful participants in the "Learn To Spin" class at Harrisville Designs, I really didn't plan on devoting a whole post to the "Beginning Spinning Plus" workshop. But I knew after 1/2 hour went by that this was a special group, indeed, and that I needed to introduce you to them.

First, for clarification's sake, "Beginning Spinning Plus" and "Learn To Spin" are really pretty much one and the same class...give or take a few demos and techniques practiced. Both are "3-day blitz" spinning classes. "Learn To Spin" has the possibility to be a tad more intensive, in general, and the name is reserved for Harrisville Designs only.

Interestingly, Janet A., who did a fantastic job of organizing in order to hold the workshop at the Cornell University Cooperative Extension, located in Hamden, NY, called the entire 4 days of teaching (which included an extra day of handspindling)..."Spinning School." I rather like that title! Once, when I was writing stuff on the board, Janet A. said, "You look like a regular school marm!" Indeed, I am...with my major in art education...tho' perhaps not your average marm. In fact, when I was a child, I enjoyed playing school, both with friends and as a solo act. My favorite thing was setting up for school, writing lesson plans, making up math sheets (who was kidding who there?) and even pretending that I had corkboards to seasonally decorate. For me, life is always about the journey...with the end result much less important (ie. It's more fun for me to travel to OZ than to meet the wizard!)

That said, I aim for folks in the blitz workshops to 1) have a firm grasp of what spinning is and become acquainted with some of the various techniques used to make yarn; 2) learn how their equipment works (be it spindles, wheels, lazy kates, hand cards, combs, etc.); 3) begin right at the start learning how to literally design their own unique, personally spun yarn via blending of fibers and through color use; and 4) discuss ways to use their amazing yarn once it's made. On pondering, it's really rather unreasonable of me to expect folks to learn to spin in three days, but judging by the happy faces who leave the class and the resulting correspondence over the years, much gets accomplished during those blitz workshops. Hope to see YOU at offerings in the future.

Now for a peek into the going's on of the "Beginning Spinning Plus" class at Cornell Univeristy Cooperative Extension.

The above pic is of Janet A., administrator extraordinaire. Without Janet A., there would have been no such spinning workshop offered through the Extension. THANK YOU Janet, for all your hard work in dotting all the i's and crossing the t's in order to pull off spinning magick. Additional thanks to Mariane and Judy for their contributions in seeing that this workshop ran. Do note Janet A.'s stylish, burnt orange, wool top scarf. Also note Wild Fibers Magazine issues on the table...Janet A.'s personal copies...though she didn't begin to spin until during the workshop she, herself, organized.

Oh, one more thing....Janet A. is the most Fantastic Fleece Flipping Faerie I have ever met. Folks who've taken my "Learn To Spin" and any "Beginning Spinning Plus" class will know what I mean. For the rest, you'll have to use your imagination.

And here you see the participants of the workshop. Back row (left to right): Ariel (seated), Ildiko (standing), Sonia (seated), Lorraine (standing), Catharina (seated), Janet A. (standing), Janet P. (standing). Seated on the floor in front of Sonia is Elizabeth (with red socks and Birks). Next to Elizabeth, on her knees is Linda. Behind the Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel, all the way to the right, in the blue shirt with white tee is Alice. Directly in front, seated on the floor, is Marilynn. Next to Marilynn is her husband, Charles.

Now one of the things that blew me away at this particular workshop was that not only were many of the participants fiber growers and farmers, but they were unbelievably talented in the culinary department. Each day lunches were comprised of pot-luck specialties, with an incredible array to choose from. Normally I can't eat much, if at all, when I teach, so I stuck with Janet A's delicious homemade bread and Alice's homemade goat's cheese. But on the last day, I threw caution to the wind, and feasted on ALL the goodies...holy cow (well, goat) it was good!

The above pic (l to r), in the lunch line: Charles, Linda and Alice.

Now here's a delightful couple, Marilynn and Charles, that came all the way from Pennsylvania to join us. Marilynn is, in my opinion, the NIDDY NODDY QUEEN to beat all niddy noddy queens. You'll have to ask her why... Oh, Marilyn is also an avid sock knitter.

Marilynn told me the second day of class, after my intro to spinning using the hooky stick and low-whorl spindle, how she asked her daughter (living in NJ, I think) to call the father of Joan Sheridan Hoover of Heritage Spinning and Weaving, who makes the "Sheridan" spindles I use in class. Unfortunately, the location of the shop was mixed up a bit...instead of Michigan, the maker of the spindles was searched for in Denver, Colorado. What follows is from Marilynn's own writing:

"Following our first class on the hand spindle, I spoke to my daughter and asked her to check for information on Thomas L. Sheridan Wooden Hand Spindles. She couldn't find anything specific, but did ultimately find a phone number for a Thomas L. Sheridan in Denver, CO. My daughter called the number. A woman answered. My daughter asked if this was the residence of the Thomas L. Sheridan, the maker of fine, hand crafted wooden spindles? The answer: "Are you kidding? My husband can't do anything. Is this a joke?"

A pic of Charles seated by his Ashford "Joy" spinning wheel. Charles had never spun before this workshop (tho' his wife, Marilynn had). By the end of the workshop Charles was plain vanilla 2-plying and if memory serves me right, he even Navajo 3-plied, as Marilynn did, as well.

Above you'll see Lorraine. Lorraine is an amazing woman. We've got a lot in common. She first learned of Barbara Walker for her books NOT related to knitting. Lorraine really took to spindling and chose to concentrate on that during the workshop. Her yarn was great!!

Another pic of Lorraine in her hand knit poncho. Her hat is the icing of the cake, creating a fabulous outfit.

Sonia (left) and Elizabeth (right) engaged in a deep discussion. Sonia is tying off her very first handspun yarn on a niddy noddy.

And after tying off her yarn, Sonia (originally from Spain) is showing what a heady fashion statement such yarn can be. Here Sonia (left) is, with Ildiko (right).

Ildiko (originally from Transylvania), too, knows high fashion when she sees it...or wears it. Here you see her highly energized yarn turned into earrings and a choker, which she later dyed herself.

Ariel came to the workshop already an accomplished spinner, with a head for fashion and business. She's pictured with some of her unique and exciting handspun yarns.

A close-up of Ariel's yarns, labelled "Dela Yarns":

The first skein Ariel ever spun is third from the left. It's a 2-ply that is 50% Romney, 25% Angora rabbit and 25% silk. Ariel said, "This skein was the start of my love affair with fiber and spinning."

Second from the left is a natural 2-ply angora rabbit skein, from her own Giant Angora doe.

Fourth from the left is a very fine singles from a sheep in Ariel's flock, which are Finn/Dorset/Fresian crosses. Her aim was to spin a yarn to be used for knitted lace.

Ariel LOVES to design novelty yarns. First on the left is "Lunacy": a skein comprised of Alpaca top with dashes of colored wools. "After Party" is 5th from the left. It is a 3-ply made of 2 commercial yarns and one string of sequins. "Sealight," 6th from the left, is a 3-ply with metallic thread.

Ariel's plan is to continue to develop her own line of handspun yarns to market to yarn shops. To inquire about Ariel's wonderful yarns: Ariel Delacroix Dax; South Kortright, NY 13842; (607) 538-1799; e-mail: tempest@dmcom.net

Bravo Ariel!! All the best with your fibery endeavors.

LOOK at that gorgeous 100% Romney, naturally grey, wool fleece, from workshop participant AND fiber grower, Alice. If YOU would like to purchase one of Alice's superb fleeces or inquire about her milking Devon cattle or her Alpine Dairy goats or her incredible, personally-made goat cheeses, do contact Alice at: "Highland Hollow Farm," P.O. Box 7, 501 Moxley Street, Jefferson, NY 12093; (607) 652-7973; e-mail: alicesing@aol.com

A nicer woman than Alice you could not find.

Here is Catharina (originally from Sweden) and her lovely hand knitted and hand fulled, Swedish-style, "Lovikka" mittens and hats and ear-warmers. These pieces are exquisite with a capital "E."

A close-up of some of Catharina's beautiful work. To contact Catharina: "Promisedland Farm," 2714 Houghtaling Hollow Rd., East Meridith, NY 13757; (607) 436-9095. Think gifts folks and warm, fibery treats for yourself!! And don't forget to ask Catharina about her flock of Finn sheep.

And speaking of treats, here's Janet P. with one of her Canadian goose creations.

Janet P.'s delightful mama goose and gosling are hand crocheted and can be made, if desired, from Janet's own handspun yarn. Janet also creates Snow Geese, Cranes, Whistling Swans and sheep of various genders and sizes. Be sure to ask her when her Creche figures will be available for purchase. Contact her at: Janet Povlock, P.O. Box 214, Unadilla, NY 13849-0214; (607) 369-9389; e-mail: sukpov@yahoo.com

Again, think of all the people you know who would love to receive these little gems.

Linda is shown above handpainting her handspun skein, spun in class. Linda began her spinning journey before she came to my workshop (spider says: Forgive me Linda, your previously-spun yarn pic didn't turn out!), but dyeing was new to her. The "Plus" in the "Beginning Spinning Plus" workshop is a tad of dyeing technique. For many participants, this dyeing experience is eye-opening, showing how the world of color is at their fingertips (literally! With gloves, of course!!)

Linda is the proud mother of 7, home-schooled, children. In addition, she raises Alpacas (4 males so far, one pictured above) and offers their fiber for sale, as well as the capability of fiber production/processing into yarn and finished products. Linda says, "We'd like to grow our business to process other Alpaca owner's fleece ~ particularly small amounts." Contact Linda at: "Abundant Blessings Farm," 1666 State Hwy 7, Unadilla, NY; (607) 369-4341; e-mail: jacksonwa@citlink.net

That brings us to the end of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension "Spinning School." Thank you to all involved, for making the week very, very memorable and special.

But wait...this post isn't complete yet...

I received this pic via snailmail from Caroline in England. Caroline took my 3-day "Silken Fibers" workshop at Spin-Off magazine's SOAR (Spin Off Autumn Retreat) last fall, in CA. Participants of that class were given my personally solar and naturally dyed Tussah silk fiber to spin for a scarf, using a pattern of their own choosing. Some folks even started the knitting or crocheting in class, whilst others spun the fiber in class and completed their scarves once home.

Caroline kindly wrote: "I spun the silk on my Lendrum just as it came and filled 2 bobbins and then plied them together. The yarn was 22 wpi and I used a Fiber Trends pattern, "Faina's Scarf." The pattern is quite close knit, but I wanted a more delicate and lacy look, so I used larger sized needles than suggested (pattern says 3 1/2 mm but I probably used a 4 1/2 or 5 mm). The weight of the scarf is 2 3/4 oz."

Caroline continues: "I am really pleased with the result. I have thought about putting some beaded fringe on it but haven't found anything yet that looks right."

Caroline finished by saying, "I have to say that my class with you at SOAR last year was one of the best I have done. Silk is really my favourite fibre to spin and you had dyed the fibre such a lovely colour. I do hope you teach at another SOAR sometime. Look forward to seeing you perhaps in the future."

Thank you, Caroline, for your kind and much appreciated letter and photo. The scarf is so beautiful I encourage you to consider entering it into any contest that comes your way.

In another correspondence, Meg, a friend and spinner, e-mailed me about a woman named Joanna Gleason who sold unbelievably gorgeous fleece. When someone as discriminating as Meg tells me about such a fiber grower, I stand up, take notice and happily pass the info on to you.

Here's the details in an e-mail from Joanna:
Dear Jenny, I have attached a photo of the two original Australian Bond rams we imported in May, 2000. Also a lock "wheel" of some of our fleeces. The Bond breed is close to the Corriedale breeding in that it too was a Merino X Lincoln, but with more of an emphasis on a finer, longer staple. From the OSU Encyclopedia of Sheep Breeds: "Bonds evolved in Australia in 1909 as a dual-purpose breed, using Peppin Merinos and imported Lincoln rams. The Australian Bond Sheep Breeders' Association has existed since 1984. It now has 30 registered studs that sell more than 3,000 rams annually. Wool selection for Bond sheep is for big, bulky, long stapled bright 22-28 micron fibers. Bonds are renowned for long, lean, fast growing lambs. Their robust constitution means they are capable of coping with extreme climatic conditions. Bond sheep are mainly found in the southeast portion of Australia. Being a new breed, numbers available for export are limited." We are extremely pleased with the Bonds and the Corriedale crosses. The fleeces produced are dense; heavy, long stapled, and have a very soft handle. The character of the sheep themselves is quite appealing and pleasing; an important inducement to spending time with them while caring for them year round and lambing. On the whole, importing the Bonds has been a very good experience and has greatly improved our flock genetics.

Joanna Gleason
gfwsheep@gfwsheep.com
Gleason's Fine Woolies: Australian Bonds & Corriedales ...

You'll find two of Joanna's rams above. Aren't they handsome fellows?

In another e-mail, Aurita asked if I knew how to use the above spindle? In an even earlier e-mail, Aurita wrote:
Hi Jenny, I found your blog while trying to find information about a hand spindle that I bought over the weekend in a wool fair in Wooster, OH. The lady was spinning yarn with it, holding it horizontally in the air. It was not a top or bottom spindle and neither was it one of those Navajo spindles that get supported on the floor or on the leg. She was just twisting it with one hand while controlling the yarn with the other, holding the whole thing horizontally in the air. She said it will be easier to learn using one of those spindles so I bought one and I am not sorry...I just can not find any information on how to use it. Can you orient me? Thanks, Aurita

Before Aurita sent me the pics of the spindle shown above, I figured it was the same or similar to the Akha cotton spindles used in Thailand. However, once the pics came in, I noticed that there was no carved hook at one end of the spindle, enabling the spinner to indeed use it horizontally, as once described in Lynn DeRose Mason's article in a long, out-of-print, Spin-Off issue, Spring, 1995. Lynn mentioned that the Thai spindle could be used as a light-weight drop spindle, as well. I'll show a pic of the Thai spindle on next week's post. Regarding Aurita's spindle, the whorl is not located near the middle, as is the case with the Thai spindle.

Here's the whorl-end of Aurita's recently purchased spindle. No hooks or notches at this end of the tip of the shaft. However, do note the notch in the whorl.

There also is a notch (at the other end, Aurita?) on the shaft. If it is at the other end, this indicates the spindle could be used as a low whorl. But take another careful look 2 pics above, at the notch on the whorl...it sure does look like it's more oriented to being a high whorl given that notch is there at all. But how to spin with it? Any readers with ideas about using this spindle? And how on earth did the person who sold the spindle to Aurita spin with it by holding the spindle horizontally? Forgive me, I'm clueless. Or it could be that I'm finishing this post at 1:00 am in the morning....Either way, what's YOUR ideas regarding spinning on this spindle? Thanks for anything you come up with!

I'll finish this post with some helpful hints if you're experiencing "undertwist" problems when spinning your yarns (ie. your yarn drifts apart and just can't even be called yarn at all...) Again, some of the info below is in "The Spinner's Encyclopedia," by Enid Anderson, David and Charles Publishers, Great Britain, 1987.

To help with undertwisting:
a) Try decreasing your brake band tension (be it Scotch tension or be it Irish/German tension)...the yarn may be going on too quickly and not able to gather sufficient twist. If you're using a double drive wheel, try decreasing the tension on the drive band.
and/or
b) Hold back on yarn a bit to allow twist to enter
and/or
c) Treadle faster

Have a great week everyone!!

Life is sad
Life is a bust
All ya can do is do what you must
You do what you must do and ya do it well
I'll do it for you, honey baby
Can't you tell?
~ Bob Dylan "Buckets of Rain"