PLY article index

Why – and how – does fiber color change depending on how it’s spun? This article investigates the effects of twist and ply on color.

A bulky yarn can struggle under its own weight and the amount of fiber needed. In this article, learn how to incorporate a core for a lighter yarn.

You can still get bulky if you’re a die-hard fine spinner. These homemade tools and plying tips will help.

The process of spinning a 3-ply bulky yarn.

Pattern for a lace knit hat in bulky 3-ply yarn.

An interview with Lexi Boeger, spinner of “the Bulkiest Skein Ever, aka the Cement Mixer Skein.”

The deceptively simple process of spinning cabled yarns.

Four suggestions for knitting, crochet, and weaving projects that use bulky yarn.

A reflection on the 50 Mile Coat and its artists, the Etobicoke Handweavers and Spinners.

Sometimes a challenge becomes an inspiration.

Samples don’t have to just gather dust once the yarn has been spun. Sample with abandon for both practical and simply experimental purposes, and then put that yarn to work!

The pattern for a small messenger-style knit bag using various mixed samples of bulky weight yarn.

PLY readers help you create a more consistent bulky yarn.

Measuring your yarn and taking your yarn stats can be intimidating. Jacey introduces the episode and talks about what’s to come.

WPI is a quick, easy, and imperfect way to measure yarn. Jacey walks you through how to do it, how not to do it, what it can tell you, and what it can’t.

Twist per inch can tell us so much about yarns, but as spinners, we often only take half the measurement and therefore know only half the story. In this episode Jacey explains what TPI is, how to measure it, and why it’s important to measure the twist in your singles as well as in your ply! And if you’ve ever wondered why you don’t divide your plyback by two, you’ll know at the end of this segment!

How can you use TPI at the wheel to change your yarn and create the yarn you want? Michelle Boyd sits down at her wheel and talks us through what TPI is, how we can use it and Mable Ross’s famous formula to systematically change our yarns. And if you’ve ever wondered about that formula, how to understand it, and how to use it to your advantage, this is the segment for you!

Join Jacey as she talks to technical spinner Michelle Boyd about yarn, spinning, and life.

Advice on spinning with crimpy yarns, using Cormo as a case study.

This article provides an overview of cotton, including a brief historical of cultivating cotton, benefits of cotton, and practical uses.

This article describes the lessons that spinning cotton taught the author, about the fiber, about spinning, and about herself.

This article describes options for finding plant materials in the local area (both in the author’s garden and the desert) and discusses how to prepare cotton for natural dyeing. The author experiments with the dye materials and shares the colors created from those dyes.

This article describes how to card cotton and make a puni, with step-by-step photos of the process using hand cards.

This article discusses how to blend cotton with other fibers using hand cards. The author considers what fiber characteristics you might consider when planning your blends and then explains the blending process and provides helpful tips for a successful experience.