Mixing Things up for a Sweater
words and photos by: Johanna Carter
I always admire those who are able to spin mountains of yarn for a big project, ready to knit a wonderful sweater or cardigan. It is a satisfying feeling when you finish all that work, especially if you started with washing and combing the wool or even raising your own sheep.
Mixing spinning and knitting
The typical way to work through a larger project is to spin all the singles first and ply them in a particular order so you get the yarn even throughout the whole project. I don’t have so many bobbins, but my bigger problem is that I am quite impatient and want to get on with knitting once I have an idea. And normally, my brain is full of ideas for fibre work and the limit is the time, as I am a musician and teacher. I can’t sit at the spinning wheel for a long time if I’m not on holiday, so during the school year I mostly knit, and during the holidays I can dye, spin, use my drum carder, and do lots of fibre work. The only time I was able to produce bigger quantities of yarn before I knitted them up was during the Tour de Fleece in the two years during the pandemic, when we did not go on holiday at the beginning of July.
A highly photogenic collection of naturally dyed fibres.
I like to finish knitting one big project like a sweater or cardigan before I start the next one, or at least until I can’t carry it in my bag easily anymore, so I have an excuse to begin the next one. Sometimes it is good to have a second project on the go – I call it mindless knitting, where I don’t have to look very much – which I can keep my hands busy during Zoom or other meetings, which helps me listen.
Mixing colours and fibres
Usually I dye my yarn with plants which I collect in the woods or get from garden flowers. I also use cochineal and indigo, which I buy, to get lots of different colours. I really love the greens and blues I get from dyeing with indigo. I have lots of dyed wool, and all those colours give me inspiration for further projects.
Beautiful greens and blues dyed by the author using indigo and other natural dyes.
Blending the wool on the drum carder I can get even more shades. I like to blend with fibres like silk, alpaca, or plant fibres, and I love sari silk, to get those little bits of colour in my yarn.
Fibres of different types and colours are blended on a drum carder for elegant results.
When I have an idea for the next sweater, I start carding, and then I can begin to spin. Once I have spun enough yarn – say, for one day – I cast on and start knitting, usually top down, so I don’t have to decide too much in advance about length and width.
An idea for the author’s next sweater in the gathering stages.
When I spin on my wheel, I have to sit at home, but while spinning I can read a book or talk to others during online meetings. I also like to spin on my spindles, and that works on a walk, or a museum visit. I take them on holiday as they don’t need much space, and when I spin for a lace shawl, I don’t even need much wool either. At home there are spindles all over the place; I can spin when I am waiting for the kettle to boil, when the computer is slow, when I am cooking. Like that I can make good use of a short time and the yarn still grows.
Knitting as soon as the yarn is spun helps the author complete sweater projects in a timely manner.
I can take my knitting almost everywhere, which is why I don’t want to wait to get started until I have spun all the yarn for a whole sweater. I knit at home, on the bus or train. The only thing I have to make sure of is to be one step ahead with the yarn.
I love to knit Fair Isle sweaters. My favourite method is to use only one bobbin, which I don’t even fill, because I need smaller quantities of lots of colours. Then I wind a ply ball and ply it on itself. For that I put my thumb through the ball, so I can tension the two singles with my fingers and they don’t get tangled, as long as my thumb (or a cardboard roll or a pencil) stays in the middle. I don’t have any leftovers from plying, and it is quick when I suddenly need more yarn.
Several charming sweaters dyed, spun, and knit by the author.
I have never had problems with the yarn not being consistent enough throughout a project. I just know what yarn I want and my fingers seem to remember what to do. I am sure it is good advice to have a little card tied to the spinning wheel with a bit of the singles you are aiming for, so you can check and make sure you are spinning a consistent yarn.
Mixing breeds
There are so many different breeds, but some of my favourites are Shetland, BFL, and Jämtland – a Swedish breed. After dyeing them, I often forget what I have used, so when I do a new project it often turns out that I have used different breeds and fibres just to get the right colour. For the Fair Isle knitting I want to juggle lots of colours, which is more important to me than making a sweater out of only one breed.
Recently I made a pullover for my husband using about 12 different breeds and colours, even mixing short and long draw. For me it was a breed experiment and a way to use up lots of smaller quantities of wool I had in my stash. For that sweater I used combed top without blending.
Mixing in knitting during the spinning process is a wonderful way for a spinner to avoid being overwhelmed during a sweater project.
My feeling is that some people don’t dare to start spinning for a bigger project because they get overwhelmed by the quantity they have to spin and then all the knitting there is to do, especially when you want to spin the yarn entirely on spindles. Mixing the spinning and knitting for the same project is more interesting; you get more variety and more freedom to choose what you want to do next as long as you don’t run out of yarn. It breaks the project down into smaller, less daunting parts. The only thing you might want to plan is to have enough fibre at the start, but even that is not necessary, there is always a sheep growing more wool.
Hand Prepping the Itch – All the Mistakes
I am not a very patient person. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve shied away from hand prepping fiber. But now that I want to learn to hand prep I have to slow down and be patient. I knew that somewhere along the way it was going to be a struggle, and I just found the spot. I enjoyed washing the Bond fleece, didn’t mind the mess or all of the water; I loved the smell. It went pretty quickly, or seemed to because I could do other things in between washing and rinsing.
Not so open and opened. Guess which carded easier?
I assumed I would put the Bond fleece on my drum carder and zip, zip I would have lovely fluffy batts to spin. Not exactly. I made a bunch of errors, all because I rushed. First, I didn’t open up the fiber enough before I ran it through the carder and I got neps, lots of little tangled fibers. After sighing like a teenager denied car keys, I spent more time teasing open the fiber and applying it in thinner layers to the drum carder. There were fewer neps, but there were still neps. More sighing and maybe I stomped my foot. I will shamefully tell you that I tried both original carding techniques multiple times before admitting that they didn’t work.
Neps, gross!
I sat; I hated on hand prepping; I thought about what causes neps. Neps can happen when a fine, crimpy fiber is treated poorly. If it gets stretched too far, too fast, some of the fibers spring back and wrap around themselves forming neps. I had been operating this prepping expedition with the idea that Bond is like Corriedale. It is, but it isn’t. I went back and looked at my fiber. I pulled out a bit, I held it up to the light, I twanged it and watched it spring back. Then I petted it and apologized. It was finer and more crimpy than Corriedale that I would zip through my drum carder. I dug out my hand cards.
Not so many neps with the hand carding.
Hand carding made the Bond much happier, but really tested my patience. It takes a long time! Granted I don’t practice much, so my technique is, well, saying it’s wonky wouldn’t be too far off. But I am going to persevere and hand card the rest of the Bond. I suspect by the end of these couple of pounds of fiber I won’t be eye-rolling and head shaking anymore, but just enjoying the ride.
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Spindles – They are for everybody
I’m primarily a wheel spinner. Actually it’s been that way since I learned to spin. I love my wheels. I love how they look. I love how I imagine I look when I’m using them (don’t laugh). Many of the classes I teach are wheel focused classes.
But I like spindles too. I have plenty of them. Don’t ask how many. It’s not important.
When I learned to spin I began on a spindle but it was slow going and I was convinced that my lack of progress was because of the tool I was using and I needed a wheel. So I bought myself a used Ashford Traditional. Needless to say, the tool was not my problem. But that’s another story. Anyway, I took some lessons and got to be decent on the wheel. When I was satisfied that I was learning and improving I picked up the spindle again and magically I could do it! From then on I was a fan.
Let me tell you why I think you should like spindles too – beyond the fact that they can be beautiful.
For the last couple of years I have been immersed in a couple of projects that needed a wheel to complete so I hadn’t picked up a spindle in a while. Then, last month I was teaching at the Palouse Fiber Festival in Moscow, Idaho and I was there with my friend Esther Rodgers who was also teaching. Esther had been told several times by Abby Franquemont that her arm problems when she used a spindle were because she was using a spindle that we lovingly refer to as a boat anchor. What that means is that is was too heavy. I was able to drag Esther to the table of Greensleeves Spindles. I own at least 10 of their spindles myself and I know that they are super good spindles. Well, Esther began to spin 
and try some out and she chose one to buy. Well, she didn’t stop spinning on that spindle for the whole weekend and I think she’s still spinning with it! I also think she may have visited the Jenkins table and bought a second one before we left Idaho.
So I was inspired and last week we were headed to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan just to spend the day with all of our kids and grandkids and on the way out the door I grabbed a spindle and an illusive Abby Batt to work on while we walked around. I got pretty much done in the midst of semi chaos. and I began to think about what I learned from spinning on a spindle. all of the things I’ve learned translate to wheel spinning and make me a better overall spinner.
I learned to better handle live singles. I rarely have tangles. I learned this by butterflying the yarn onto one hand to raise the spindle rather than reaching for the spindle when it is hanging by a super long thread. If you are unsure what I mean by butterflying the yarn you can see it here at around the 5 minute mark. (yes, that’s me a few years ago.)
I learned that sometimes it’s better to take some time with a project rather than always trying to be in production mode. Please don’t mistake me, spinners all over the world spin pounds and pounds of yarn using only spindles but I am not as practiced at it as they are since my focus has been a different tool. I am thoroughly convinced if I made yarn exclusively on a spindle and carried one with me all of the time I would be able to do it too. but since that isn’t the case, I like to use a spindle for special fibers that I only ahve a little of so that I can savor the experience.
I learned (again) that the right tool for the job is often key to getting the results that I want. spindles can add twist extremely quickly and with very little tension on the yanr being made so they are perfect for spinning super fine/gossamer type yarns that spinning wheels may not be as good at.
I’m sure there is more that I’ve learned but it’s all in my hands and not in my brain right now.
Do you spin on a spindle? What have spindles taught you?
What’s inside the Bulky issue?
The Summer 2016 “Bulky” issue is busy making its way to various destinations around the world. Whether you’re a subscriber waiting for your copy to arrive, or you’ve been thinking of subscribing and you’d like a preview before you buy, today’s post is here to give you a sneak peek inside the issue!
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We hear from a lot of spinners that you started out spinning bulky by default – so many of us did, because that was the easiest thing to spin! Eventually, many of us go on to try to mimic commercial yarns, or to spin a fine lace-weight, and we leave our lumpy, bumpy, bulky experiments in the past. If you’ve been living under the assumption that now that you’ve learned to spin finer yarns, you can’t go back to bulky – we’re here to dispel that myth. Let’s get inspired to spin some bulky yarns! Here’s a peek into our issue devoted to these bulky beauties…
Great Articles!
We’ve rounded up the a talented group of spinners and asked them to share their insights and experiments with us, and as always we’ve got a tip jar full of helpful hints from our readers, new information on the spinning SCENE, and how to keep your spinning body happy by Carson Demers! Take a look at what you’ll get:
- Bulky, by Stephenie Gaustad – Stephenie gives an introduction to this big, beautiful yarn.
- Making the Leap Back to Bulky, by Vickie Hauff – If you went lace and never looked back, join Vickie on an exploration of her spinning roots, and a return to spinning thicker yarns.
- Big Crimpin’: Sneaky, Surprising Cormo, by Beth Smith – In this month’s breed study, Beth takes us through the buttery soft crimp of Cormo.
- The Long and Short of Bulky Yarns, by Deb Robson – Deb explains how fiber length makes a big impact on the ability of a bulky yarn to hold up to wear and tear over time.
- Drafting Thicker, by Jacey Boggs Faulkner – If you’ve been drafting out fine yarns, it will be a challenge to start drafting thicker amounts. In this article Jacey walks you through the process to help you spin a bulky yarn.
- The Truth about Take-Up, by Michelle Boyd – Adding more take-up to your wheel (tightening the tension) is a generally accepted way of drafting a bulkier yarn – if the fibers feed into the orifice faster, you’re more likely to get a bulkier bundle in there, right? Well, only to a point. Michelle explains the details for you in her article, including a discussion of different wheel types and how take-up affects the grist of your yarn.
- Behind the Curtain: SpinOlution, by Ashley Martineau – The SpinOlution wheels are friends to bulky spinners, mainly due to that open orifice and the big bobbins. Ashley takes you on a sneak-peek tour of the SpinOlution company, including an interview with Mike Pauly, the owner.
- Prep It! Pre-Drafting with a Diz, by Sylvia Becker – If you have problems drafting properly for a bulky, worsted single, then this article is for you! Sylvia explains how she uses a horn diz in her prep stages to get the yarn she’s after.
- Spin It! Bulky Singles, by Kim McKenna – Kim walks you through fiber choices, prep, spinning, and finishing to create a smooth, bulky singles yarn.
- Spin It! Thick and Thin, by Jacey Boggs Faulkner – We’re going back to (most of) our roots and spinning a thick and thin yarn – but this time, with intention rather than just beginner’s fumblings. This art yarn creates a contrast in texture and is gorgeous on its own or knitted into a project.
- Spin Thick vs. Ply Up, by James Perry – There are two very simple ways to get a bulky yarn: spin thick singles in the first place, or ply several finer singles together. In this article, James takes us through the differences and the resulting yarns and swatches they create.
- Fat Color, by Jillian Moreno – Have you ever noticed how spinning a bulky yarn seems to make the fiber colors lighter than spinning a thinner yarn from the same fiber? Jillian explains how light, twist, and the surface texture of the yarn affect the overall color of the finished project, with plenty of colorful examples.
- Spin It! Lightweight Bulky, by Esther Rodgers – If you’re not overly enthusiastic about the idea of spinning up some heavy yarns just in time for the heat of summer, worry no more! Esther shows you how to reduce the weight of a yarn and still give it bulk.
- Build! Get Bulky from Your Comfort Zone, by Sylvia Becker – Start in your comfort zone and spin a fine single – and then several more. In this article, Sylvia will show you how to build a Lazy Kate that will hold 8 bobbins or use separate Lazy Kates to combine several bobbins full of singles at one time. She also includes the use of a home-made heck to keep those singles tamed.
- Spin It! Bulky, by Bren Boone – Bren shows you how to develop the muscle memory needed to teach your hands to spin bulky yarns.
- The Bulkiest Yarn, by Esther Rodgers – In 2011, Lexi Boeger actually spun a bulky yarn using a cement mixer instead of a spinning wheel. In this interview article, Esther gets her to tell the story.
- Spin It! Lumberjack Yarn, by Amy Tyler – In a twist on the classic cable yarn, Amy explains how she uses a lower twist in the original singles to make a “lumberjack” cable yarn that is soft and elastic.
- Bulky Yarns for Knitting Sketches, by Stephenie Gaustad – In this illustrated article, Stephenie talks about how great it can be to use bulky yarns for a knitting design, because the work goes quickly so you can see the results of your labor sooner.
- Spin It! Monster Satchel Yarns, by Christopher Kale – Christopher uses his sample yarns and puts them to good work! In this article he explains how to spin them, whether for a practical reason or just-because.
Fantastic Projects
In every issue of PLY, you’ll find a handful of projects for knitting, weaving, crocheting and more – along with instructions for how to best spin the yarns you’ll use in those projects. Here are the projects from the Summer issue:
- Sodalite Cowl, by Kim McKenna – Even though this project was made with a singles yarn, the resulting stitches don’t skew, thanks to the finishing technique described in Kim’s other article.
- Coincide Cowl, by Brittany Wilson – A fabulous and fashionable accessory, perfect for using those thick and thin singles!
- Shappo Hat, by Julia Farwell-Clay – Featuring a cabled sideways brim and a lace stitch pattern, this bulky hat is a fast and fun knit.
- Monster Satchel, by Christopher Kale – Put those sample-sized yarns to good use in this monster of an accessory!
Everything Else!
Tip Jar will help you spin a bulky yarn with consistent diameter. In Ergo Neo, Carson explains that your body actually tenses up when you step outside your spinning default, so he shows us ways to counteract that problem. In Guilded! we meet the spinners of the Etobicoke Handweavers and Spinners Guild and learn about their 50-mile coat project. Scene is full of things on the spinning scene that you’ll want to know about including a Guatemalan weaving tour and a great new Craftsy class. Beth Smith offers a variety of pattern suggestions to get you to Use Your Yarn, maximizing the smaller yardage and bigger weight. And finally, if you missed the PLY Away retreat this year, we’ve got a round-up for you in this issue!
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that right here on our website! And be sure to pick up a copy of this issue if you don’t already have one (or it isn’t on its way to you)!
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