PLY article index

This article explains what a cabled yarn is and how to spin it. Photos show up close images of the finished yarn so you can see the ply structure clearly.

This article troubleshoots some common plying problems and how to fix them. The problems include the following: I want to make a balanced yarn but don’t know how much twist to put in my yarn when plying. As I ply, my yarn doesn’t come off my bobbins smoothly. My singles yarn is all twisty and hard to ply. One of my singles breaks while I’m plying. My freshly plied yarn is twisting back on itself when I take it off the wheel. Even after finishing my yarn, my skein is twisting back on itself several times. I didn’t put enough plying twist in my yarn. My plying is uneven; some parts have too much twist and some have too little. My plies don’t twist together; one strand wraps around the other. My plies have little pigtails that stick out of the yarn

Plying is an important step in yarn creation, PLY readers help you get just the right amount.

Stephenie Gaustad lets us in on the secrets of yarn handling tools and how they can help us! She shows (and shows how to use) a counting clock reel, a reel, bobbin winder, and a squirrel swift.

Jacey asks Stephenie all of her spindle questions and Steph answers! They discuss top, bottom, and mid-whorl spindles as well as supported and kick spindles.

This article starts off this special topic issue by describing what a boucle yarn is and the basic way to create one. It talks about wheel setup, the core yarn, the wrap/effect yarn, how to create the circles/loops, spinning the binder yarn, and how to bind your boucle. Lots of pictures are included to illustrate the process.

A knitting pattern for a cowl using boucle yarn that starts out very ordinary but quickly morphs into a funky shape that shows off a wide eyelet pattern with lots of drape down the front of the neck.

This article explores using various breeds of wool for boucle and how effective each one is: fine wool (Merino), medium wool (Corriedale), longwool (Cotswold), Down wool (Tunis), and primitive wool (Icelandic).

This article starts from the base of knowing that mohair top spun worsted makes the most sublime loops and explores the following questions: What if we switch fiber preparations and instead of combed, it’s carded? What happens if it’s not mohair but a wool not known for its looping properties? Will it give interesting bumps and squiggles along with loops? Will it still look like a boucle or is fiber preparation just as important with this yarn structure too?

This article looks at the history and development of the yarn we refer to as boucle. It covers some of the history of spinning machines (such as the spinning jenny and the water frame) and discusses how telephone wire and horsehair factor into yarn structures related to boucle.

This article describes spinning the yarn for the hood pattern also included in this issue. It creates a boucle yarn using a two-step process instead of the traditional 3-step process.

Knitting pattern for a hood that uses boucle yarn (described in this issue). A rectangle is worked in sections of stockinette stitch with a smooth, solid yarn and sections of short rows in garter stitch with longer color repeat boucle yarn.

This article describes how to create a boucle-like yarn by making a cabled yarn. It discusses the wheel setup, suggested materials/fibers, spinning the single, spinning the first ply, and spinning the binding ply.

This article explores creating a boucle-like yarn by using the idea of differential shrinkage, which is what happens when fibers react differently when washed, some shrinking more than others.

This article explains how to create cloud boucle, a light and airy yarn with a beautiful feel against the skin. Instead of loops formed by a buckled single, the fibers spun aruond the core are buckled and bound in place to form airy puffs.

This article explores which longwool breed works best for making a boucle yarn: Bluefaced Leicester (BFL), Romney, and Wensleydale.

This article explores creating a boucle yarn by using silk not just as the core or binder but instead as the wrapping yarn.

This article provides the information to spin the yarn used for the soap bag project included in this issue. It uses hemp to create a boucle yarn.

Knitting pattern for a soap pouch made from boucle yarn made from hemp. This would make a great gift!

This article explores creating a boucle yarn by using horsehair, which is a slippery stiff fiber with a staple length of about 2 feet.

In this article, the author takes up the challenge to spin a true boucle on spindles. It covers the trick to tensioning, wrapping and sliding, and how to manage all the elements using only two hands (when it feels like three would be better).

This article explores the possibilities of weaving with a boucle yarn and provides several options for how to incorporate this yarn into your weaving projects.

This pattern describes weaving a blanket made out of boucle yarn. It discusses preparing the warp yarn and choosing the weft yarn, weaving the blanket and finishing the project.

Weaving pattern for a winter hat that uses a smooth plied warp yarn and a boucle yarn. Provides calculations to determine your warp and weft measurements based upon the size you want to make and the yarn you have.