PLY article index

Search for articles in published issues of PLY Magazine. You can search by any or all of the options: author, word(s) in the title, word(s) in the description, issue topic, or article topics. Note that the article topics search will show results of articles that fit ALL of the selected topics.

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Total Records Found: 1356, showing 25 per page
Author	Article Title	Issue date	Issue number	Issue topic	Article topic list	Description
Meagan Condon	The Lie of Tension Finishing	Summer 2049	49	Tension	tension, experimenting, finishing, Merino, alpaca, mohair, Corriedale, twist, samples	This article examines the results of drying your yarn under tension by spinning samples of several fiber types to see how they behave when dried under tension compared with drying under no tension.
James Perry	All About Brake Bands	Summer 2025	49	Tension	tension, brake band, bobbin-led (Irish tension), flyer-led (scotch tension), crosslacing	This article explains how brake bands work in flyer-led wheels and bobbin-led wheels. It then goes through various material options for brake bands and the advantages and disadvantages of each (filament line, cotton, flax, leather, kevlar) as well as brake band texture and size considerations. It also offers suggestions for how to change the take-up in other ways besides changing the brake band.
Heavenly Bresser	Drive Band Essentials	Summer 2026	49	Tension	drive band, tension	This article explores the various materials you can use for your drive band: poly band, crochet cotton, hemp cord, butcher’s twine, jute cord, and thick cotton cord. It talks about what makes a drive band successful and how often you should replace your drive band. And it dips into how changing the drive band material can change the yarn you create.
	Tip Jar: Deciding take-up tension and keeping track	Summer 2027	49	Tension	tension, organization	We asked our readers for their best tips on deciding how much take-up tention a particular spin needs and how they keep track of it.
Maggie Casey	Turning Up the Tension	Summer 2028	49	Tension	tension, brake band, drive band, bobbin-led (Irish tension), flyer-led (scotch tension), double drive, e-spinner, twist, plying, long draw, bobbin winder	This article starts with how tension works with various drive systems (flyer-led, bobbin-led, and double drive) and talks about adjusting the tension. The article then gives nine specific instances where you might want to increase the tension on your wheel.
Vivian Hsu	Tension and Long Draw	Summer 2029	49	Tension	tension, long draw, woolen, supported long draw, supported spindles, spindles, flyer-led (scotch tension), double drafting, unsupported long draw, spindle wheel	This article discusses the role of tension in spinning supported long draw, double drafting, and spinning unassisted long draw. The author explores these techniques on a flyer wheel as well as on a supported spindle (or a spindle wheel).
Jacey Boggs Faulkner	Spin It! Double-drafting Tension: The magic of using a WooLee winder	Summer 2030	49	Tension	spin it, even winding device, double drafting, rolags, 3-ply, plyback, bulky	This article explains how to spin the yarn used for the cowl pattern included in this issue. It also discusses how to use an even winding device (such as a WooLee Winder) for double drafting and why that combination is pure magic. And it shows you how to create a 3-ply plyback sample.
Lauren McElroy	Knit It! iNter-Being Cowl	Summer 2031	49	Tension	knit it, bulky, cowl, Targhee, silk	Knitting pattern for a cowl that looks like chain links.
Jill Duarte	No-Nep Carding	Summer 2032	49	Tension	drum carding, hand carding, troubleshooting, hand cards, drum carder, fiber prep	This article talks about how to card your fibers to avoid unintended neps in your fiber prep, using both a drum carder and hand cards.
Andrea Lui	Hand Care for Spinners: Tips for injury prevention and longevity	Summer 2033	49	Tension	self-care, ergonomics	This article talks about the different types of hand strain that can occur while spinning and what you can do to avoid it. Then the author provides several specific hand exercises you can do daily to help keep your hands flexible and injury-free.
Jacey Boggs Faulkner	The Secret to Corespinning	Summer 2034	49	Tension	corespinning, tension, troubleshooting, textured/art yarn, expanding skills	Tension is important when creating any type of yarn but is especially important for textured and art yarns. This article explains how to use tension and how much tension to use when corespinning and also provides troubleshooting tips for problems you might run into.
Deanna Moore	A Range of Kates	Summer 2035	49	Tension	kate, chain plying, boucle, opposing ply	This article looks at the various types of kates that are available for holding your bobbins while plying and how tension works with each type. It also talks about specific types of plying when tension is most important.
Michelle Boyd	Tensioning Singles for Smoother Plying	Summer 2036	49	Tension	tension, plying, kate, brake band, rewinding, worsted, woolen, 4-ply and beyond, diz, yarn management	This article explores how to make sure your ply twist is even and consistent by keeping your singles well tensioned while plying. It describes how to set up your wheel and kate and how to manage your hands. It also offers tips for managing singles when plying 4 or more plies.
Dia Robinson	Swirl into Summer: Swirled rovings on a blending board	Summer 2037	49	Tension	blending board, planning, inspiration, diz, color	This article describes how to use a blending board and a photo inspiration to create a distinctive colorway of fiber that will spin into a unique set of colorful swirls.
Laura Linneman	Bring the Bounce: Opposing-ply yarn for socks	Summer 2039	49	Tension	opposing ply, socks, plying, yarn management	This article discusses the benefits of using an opposing-ply yarn for making socks and then explains how to spin an opposing-ply yarn, especially how to manage the single spun in the same way as the ply, which will have lots of extra twist in the end.
Rachel Smith	The Tension and Timing of Worsted Drafts	Summer 2049	49	Tension	worsted, short forward draft, short backward draft, experimenting, BFL, Corriedale, Shetland, Cotswold, elasticity, grist, WPI	This article experiments to see if the type of worsted draft (short forward vs short backward) affects the finished yarn.
Andrea Deck	Tension: Good for your yarn, bad for your body	Summer 2048	49	Tension	self-care, tension	This article looks at how spinning can help with stress relief and offers suggestions for what you can do while spinning to help reach flow state.
Samantha Stopple	Crochet It! Polished Glass Scarf	Summer 2047	49	Tension	crochet it, scarf, fine, Targhee, silk, bamboo, 2-ply	Crochet pattern for a delicate and textured scarf using puff stitches.
Samantha Stopple	Spin It! A Fine Yarn for Crochet	Summer 2046	49	Tension	spin it, fine, 2-ply, Targhee, silk, bamboo	This article describes how to spin the yarn for the crocheted scarf pattern included in this issue, a laceweight 2-ply yarn fro a blend of Targhee, silk, and bamboo.
Evie Jillian Schwartz	Turning Down the Tension to Spin the Finest Yarn	Summer 2045	49	Tension	experimenting, tension, fine, brake band, BFL, Merino, alpaca, cotton, silk	The author experiments with fiber types and methods for spinning an extremely fine yarn, challenging herself each time to go even thinner. Can she surpass 100 WPI?
	Pushing Plies: Knitting pattern stitches and the number of plies in woolen and worsted yarns	Summer 2043	49	Tension	knitting, lace, cables, swatches, samples, 2-ply, 3-ply, singles, experimenting	This article examines how different ply structures (singles, 2-ply, 3-ply) affect your knitted item in stockinette, lace, and cables and provides sample swatches to show those differences.
Emily Wohlscheid	Swirled Top on a Hackle	Summer 2038	49	Tension	color, fiber prep, hackle, combed top	This article shows you how to create a swirled blend of combed top for a worsted-leaning preparation using a hackle.
Laura Linneman	Spin It! Bouncy, Stretchy Sock Yarn	Summer 2040	49	Tension	spin it, opposing ply, plying, Targhee, silk, socks	This article explains how to spin the opposing-ply yarn for the sock project included in this issue.
Crystal Hesser	Pl(a)ying with Differential Tension	Summer 2042	49	Tension	twist, tension, plying, textured/art yarn, spiral ply, coils	This article explores how differential tension can affect the look of a plied yarn, going from a traditional 2-ply yarn through gimp yarn, spiral ply, and supercoil.
Dawn Henderson	Knit It! Simple Stripes Socks	Summer 2041	49	Tension	knit it, socks, opposing ply, Targhee, silk	Knitting pattern for toe-up shorty-style socks using opposing-ply yarn.