PLY article index

Spinning a balanced, 2-ply sport weight yarn for knitted mittens.

Knitting pattern for geometric colorwork mittens.

Spinners are such interesting people. Meet Heather Apple, amazing spinner and devoted World of War Craft player.

Teaching somebody to spin for the very first time can be a daunting task. Here are 21 tips from the spinning commun ity that might make the task a bit less unnerving for both teacher and student.

Who were those first ingenious spinners that thought to take fiber and twist it into string? We have little direct evidence about the first ventures into spinning, but archaeology can give us clues nonetheless.

Corriedale is a forgiving breed and one that often comes to mind for a spinner’s first wool. This article explores what makes it such a good choice and how it was developed.

Spinning a color-progression, worsted-weight, 2-ply yarn from Corriedale for a lace shawl.

Irida is a simply constructed triangular shawl knit from the top down with a lacy chevron pattern and garter stitch bands that show off the color changes of an ombré handspun yarn (2-ply, DK weight, Corriedale).

Born on July 5, 1996, Dolly was the first sheep successfully cloned from an adult cell. This article looks at the broader considerations of both Dolly’s life and cloning more generally.

What were the “first sheep,” the ones that gave rise to the many varieties of wool we love? This article looks at both the wild progenitors and the domesticated breeds of sheep to sketch what we know about the answer.

A glimpse into the origin of PLY Magazine and its plans for the future, from the perspective of its very first issue.

Corespinning engages daring spinners to produce a diverse array of yarns, varied by choice of materials and drafting extremity. What’s the best way to get a feel for it? This article gives useful tips for a textured, bulky tailspun yarn.

This cardigan beautifully showcases a corespun yarn that is often difficult to know how to use. Knitting pattern for a cardigan in 2-ply worsted weight yarn with long sleeves, hood, and tailspun trim details.

The Louet S10 is a popular treadle wheel known for its clean lines and distinctive looks. Three anonymous reviewers give their feedback on this classic recommendation for a first wheel.

There comes a time in your life as a spinner when you want to bond with your own kind, and social media can’t always substitute for face-to-face connections. This article will introduce you to the world and etiquette of fiber guilds.

Like the first spinners, we don’t really know what the first wheel looked like, but this article explores likely lines of development.

A personal journey from first skein, lovingly rediscovered, to a world of fiber arts.

Back through history to prehistory, humans have made and used yarn, twine, cords. How did this technology develop, and how do we investigate?

Competitions can be a great way to get feedback on your spinning and can help you move forward in developing your spinning skills. This article gives you tried-and-true methods to get the best result even in your first competition.

Jacey explains the differences between styles of spinning wheels, their parts, and how they work. She covers castle/upright wheels, saxony wheels, and e-spinners. She also goes over each tensioning system (bobbin-led/irish tension, flyer-led/scotch tension, and double drive) and how they function.

Dear, wonderful Stephenie Gaustad uses her Alden Amos double drive wheel to talk about how double-drive drive systems function. She talks about the relation between whorl/pulley size and bobbin end size and how when you’re starting out, it helps to just trying different adjustments until you get it right.

Stephenie Gaustad gives you the lowdown on how a bobbin-led single drive wheel works. She talks about what yarns this generally greedy drive system excels at making and what it struggles with.

Stephenie Gaustad digs in on how the simple but effective flyer-led (scotch tension) wheel works. She discusses the advantages of this system and how to modify it for specific uses.

An introduction to the idea of spinning ergonomics and how it can improve your experience.