PLY article index

This articles tests the effect of yarn construction by spinning eight samples of the same fiber blend, varying the amount of twist, yarn structure (2-ply, chain ply, cabled), and drafting style. The author knit swatches with the resulting yarns and measured them before and after blocking to see how much they grew. 

This author tested three fibres that have a reputation for significant floof factor: Cormo, Polwarth, and Targhee. All three are considered high crimp. How much would they expand in diameter and lose in length? Would the spinning style affect that growth or loss? How would the number of plies affect the change? How would the finishing technique impact it? 

Author describes her journey of learning long draw and spinning woolen yarns

This article discusses fiber choices when it comes to socks as well as the structure of the socks during the knitting process to see if there is a perfect combination for socks that stay on our feet throughout an active day. 

Anyone with ten square feet of garden and a willingness to get a little dirty can experience the magic of making linen from scratch. Article discusses various aspects of growing flax: planting, harvesting, processing (rippling, retting, breaking, scutching, hackling).

We’ve all heard the dreaded tale of superwash wool or an alpaca sweater growing and the “common” knowledge of wool not losing its shape. What causes certain fibers to “grow” or have a significant change in size when weight is applied to a knitted handspun yarn? Once a fiber is stretched out of shape, is it possible to get the shape back? That’s what we’re here to find out. Article compares seven different fibers.

Handmade wheels are made by hand by a single (maybe two) skilled wheelmaker, often one wheel at a time for each customer. The vast majority (if not all) of the work on these wheels will be done by hand, including jointing, turning, and carving. This level of detail and the custom nature of the tool means you are able to make specific choices, both functionally and aesthetically, to fit what you want to spin and to appreciate from an artistic perspective. Article discusses factors to consider when choosing a wheel.

Article discusses the anatomy of wool follicles, genetic variation; how nutrition, hormones, aging, infections in sheep impact the fiber; and other challenges to wool growth.

Handspinning judge Dave Lewis, a longtime member of the Algonquin Spinners and Weavers Guild in Carroll county, Ohio, and the current president of the GLFS, had an ambitious idea – train more judges. A main focus of both organizations is education, so to further that mission, they supported and sponsored the training program. This article discusses that program.

It can be exciting to receive a box of various fibres, with smaller amounts and some type of variety of colors or fibre or blends throughout the box. But what can you do with these small amounts of fibre? Working with limits and constraints is a fantastic way to challenge your skills and creativity. The limited materials within the box become your palette in exploration, whether you have a commercial kit (like an advent box) or you make your own (see box below, no pun intended). Spinner’s boxes are a fun and rewarding way to do just that.

Although a lot of factors go into determining how much yarn you’ll need for a sweater, this article gives you an overview of what to consider when making that decision, from grist as a description of the yarn to yarn itself as the gauge, and sampling and swatching.

As spinners, we can take a few mindful steps at the beginning of our journey to ensure with a high degree of confidence that the yarn we’re spinning is going to make a great sweater fabric before we embark on our multi-mile spin. This article gives  you a step-by-step approach for planning your yarn.

This articles provides options for controlling colors when spinning braids for a larger project. The example yarns in the article are all 2-ply, woolen drafted from combed top. The techniques show ways to keep color as close to the braid as possible as well as how to manipulate the colors within the braid, including adding in other fibers.

Each spinner created a yarn for the Stash Sweater project, which is designed to be able to use various yarns from your stash. The spinners were given basic descriptions of what to aim for with the yarn and then allowed to make decisions about fiber and spinning methods.

Sweater pattern (cardigan) with the idea that you can take a variety of yarns from your stash to create the project. Uses a slip garter stitch design; the pattern is for a drop shoulder, two button, relaxed fit cardigan. The body is knit in one piece with the sleeves knit separately, then sewn in. Written for 9 sizes and includes schematic.

Explores the question “What wool breeds play well together in a project?” Breeds featured are Targhee, Polwarth, Bluefaced Leicester (BFL), and Corriedale cross. Experiments with creating 2-ply yarns using singles from each breed (for example, one ply of Polwarth and one ply of Targhee) and blending fibers together before spinning. Includes analysis of knitted swatches.

This article discusses how to plan a larger project, such as a sweater, using a combination of handspun and commercial yarn. It discusses the types of designs that can be used within the pattern as well as other suggestions for combining yarn to have enough for the project.

This article discusses how to create different colors from pre-dyed fiber. Tools used include a blending board, combs, drum carder, hackle, and hand cards and also discusses blending at the wheel.

This article discusses ways to use the yarn you’ve already spun to create a sweater as well as learning from the yarn you’ve already spun to spin new yarn for a sweater project. It talks about figuring out what style of sweater you might want to make as well as thinking through specific patterns with the yarn you’ve spun. It talks about how to swatch and then evaluate your swatch as well as what information to track to help your future self with planning for new projects.

This article walks you through the process of taking a commercial yarn and evaluating it to determine the aspects of the yarn you can re-create in your handspun yarn. It also talks about how you can tweak your yarn to help improve/change any of the parts of the commercial yarn that you’re not as fond of.

This article describes spinning yarn to make the popular Flax sweater by Tin Can Knits. It starts with considering which fiber to use and the yarn structure and spinning style and then looks into color options and decisions. The article includes photos of the yarn as well as the finished sweater.

This article discusses spinning cotton for a sweater project, starting with thinking about how the fiber characteristics might impact your project. It talks about the drafting method and spinning options to consider for cotton as well as the final yarn structure, ending with some thoughts about knitting with cotton and thinking about other potential plant fibers you could use.

This article looks at how various ply structures (singles yarn, 2-ply, chain ply, and a cabled 4-ply) affect the stitch definition within knitting: basic knit/purl pattern, highly textured pattern, ribbing, and eyelets/lace.

This article looks at the effect finishing has on fabric made from a woolen-spun yarn as well as other factors such as breed type and gauge. Two swatches were made from each yarn spun, one control and one washed and dried flat. The washed swatch was then steamed and stretched in various directions to stimulate wear. The control swatches and “worn” swatches were compared for stitch and row gauges as well as other factors.