PLY article index

Long draw is a method of woolen spinning in which we allow twist to enter the fiber supply between our hands. One hand is in front controlling twist, and the other is pulling the fiber supply backwards. This article focuses on a new-to-woolen spinner and learning the technique on an e-spinner. Included is fiber prep, fiber choice, friction, uptake, and point of contact spinning.

There are many ways to add either spark(le) or a spark of interest to yarn. We can add sparkly fiber such as crystal metallic blending fiber, Angelina, nylon, or firestar. Another option is to add a spark of color with nylon, firestar, or beads. This article covers all of these fibers and techniques to add them to your yarn.

There are lots of new and exciting fibers to blend and spin.Glow-in-the-dark fiber is a short-stapled synthetic fiber that glows in the dark after being exposed to light or under UV light, and conductive stainless steel fiber is magnetic and conductive so fiber blends including this make it so you can text in your mittens or gloves! These new manufactured fibers can be expensive, so sampling small is an ideal way to determine how much is required to be effective. This article samples all of these fibers on drum carders, blending boards, and hand cards.

Departing from the ordinary nuno-felting technique which produces a thick, woolen sheet combining layers of fiber and fabric, this article explored the beauty of nuno created with multiple sheer fabrics. Felting, rather than stitching, creates seamless layers of transparent colors atop this chiffon scarf with the spectrum of fabrics. Even the fluorescent color fiber can penetrate through the fabric to add nuances of soft shade. This project makes beautiful wall hanging or curtains.

Spinning is a very old activity. At its core, spinning is the act of drawing out a few fibers and twisting them to form yarn. The twisting of fiber has existed from as far back as 30,000 years ago, when humans used either their hands and a leg or a stick rolled on their thigh. We have examples of late Neolithic1 spindles made from wood with a clay whorl. As humans evolved, so did spinning tools, from the “twisty” stick to spindles with whorls. Around 500–1000 CE, the earliest spindle wheels began to appear in India and China. In the 14th century, the flyer-driven treadle wheel appeared on the scene. This article covers the evolution of spinning wheels and the pros and cons of current wheels and the yarns they can produce.

When you look at the array of twisting devices we spinners have at our disposal, it’s easy to see their evolution. But does newer mean “better”? Honestly? Yes and no. Changing a tool to improve its ergonomics in one area often compromises its performance in other ways. This article helps you develop habits with e-spinning that can help keep pain at bay.

This article focuses on spinning weaving yarn on e-spinners. It covers the most important factors: 1) spinning a fairly consistent size thread, whether fine or thick, minimizes breakage and abrasion, 2) having even, at least balanced, twist with a twist angle around 25 degrees or more is important in both the singles and plies to keep the yarn intact under loom tension, 3) making sure joins are structurally sound is critical to avoid threads pulling apart on the loom, and 4) the finer the yarn, the more important the first 2 factors are.

The article covers planing a weaving yarn and spinning it out of silk hankies. The yarn is used for a beautiful drape-y shawl (in this same issue).

This shawl was the fulfillment of a vision Susan had for some time. She wanted to create a wearable using handspun silk, hand-dyed, and woven using a structure that would highlight both the warp and the weft, along with having lots of color movement and wonderful drape. She designed this piece as a block weave. The warp blocks are created by using a mock satin tie-up, and the weft blocks use a 3-1 twill. It’s beautiful and drapey.

With typical plying methods, we use our hands to hold back the yarn from entering the bobbin while our feet are treadling. This stops the bobbin from turning, increasing the bobbin’s resistance on the flyer. (This is with Scotch tension/flyer lead, which is the form-factor used by the Hansen miniSpinner and many spinning wheels.) Even if we don’t realize it, our legs work harder, to push against the extra friction of the bobbin not moving on the flyer. Similarly, the motor of an e-spinner is pushing against the friction of the bobbin on the flyer, making the e-spinner work harder. This happens with the typical plying method where we hold back the yarn while twist enters it, then feed it on in a sweep, and repeat until done. This article explores Alden Amos’s described  method where the yarn was moving continuously toward the wheel, never being held back and how well it works on an e-spinner.

Spinners love spinning cotton off the point of a taklis, charkhas or wheel quills, so why not the e-spinner? This article explores using an e-spinner with a quill to spin and describes exactly how to do it. It also has lots of tips, tricks, and includes how to use straws to ply off the quill too!

This article is for all of you out there who are always looking for the hack. You may want a bobbin winder for numerous reasons. Many spinners wind off every bobbin of singles onto a new bobbin before plying, or just want to rewind for spinning or weaving. This article gives you step-by-step instructions for turning your household drill into a bobbin-winder.

This article is an exploration and experiment into acid dyes and whether they can produce consistent results if you are using different water from the person who wrote the instructions. It also reveals the importance of properly rinsing your dyed work in hot water with detergent.

Teeswater wool is long, curly, silky, lustrous, strong, and generally just wonderful! It makes excellent special effects yarns, but it can do so much more. This article goes into the history of the breed and what it can be used for.

When techniques you love seem to fall flat, you might need to add a little spark in your spinning. Wirecores are a great way to add a structural element to your yarn, and lightwires could be that extra fun spark you need. Here are 2 techniques the best highlight a lightwire yarn: supercoils and corespinning. They can be spun bulky or thin, and you can really play with the fiber textures and how they interact with the light. This article goes into planning and spinning each of these yarns.

Ah, the Renaissance festival. The sights, the sounds, the outfits! A chance to play dress up of another era. If you have ever been to a festival of this kind, you will see people in the most amazing outfits! This project is fairly simple, and you can get wonderfully creative with what you have (or make a fast trip to your local craft store). W This super fun project is simple for anyone to do.

She did what so many people dream of doing. In December 2018, she sold my house and started out on her new life – traveling in a small RV all around this nation. She has embraced life as a nomad. To see all she can, meet new people, and live life to the fullest. But going from a 1500-square-foot house to less than 100 square feet required some hard decisions. Which of her hobbies and interests would fit into this new lifestyle and this small space? One of the easiest decisions for her was to bring along drop spindles and her Hansen miniSpinner. Learn all about her interesting life in this article.