Category Archives: spinning

A Plying Spree

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My wheel was empty after finishing my Fusion BFL skeins so I decided to ply up my first couple of set of singles. My purple singles and teal singles were WELL rested and ready for plying.

I used my ball winder to wind both singles into center pull cakes to ply end to end. My spinning teacher recommended this for me based on the twist/singles she saw me making. So I just decided to give it a whirl and I learned a lot.

First up, I could really tell I spun the purple singles first. They had much more thick and thin spots with plenty of unspun bits. That is compared to my teal singles that got more consistent thanks to practice. And both skeins had some overspun spots where it made plying extra hard because the yarn kinked back up on itself.

At the end of the day I have two filled bobbins with almost finished yarn. Next up for those yarn babies is bath and whack! Happy Spinning!!

Look At That Balance

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I took some time in between pie and napping yesterday to wash and dry what I’m calling my Fusion 2 py and Fusion 3 ply handspun.

I am super super super happy with these skeins. I have lots of issues but I managed two pretty well balance skeins that hang straight and stayed together through washing! Considering I have about 20 hours of total spinning under my belt I am super happy with my results. I am taking all of this with a growth mindset and looking forward to improving from here.

My chain ply is a little ropey and tight in places but still a super useful yarn! Next up is to dig out my yardage counter and get these measured up. Still betting on these both come out to a bulky weight. And I have absolutely no idea what I will knit with these. I might need to hoard them in the stash for a bit, lol.

Happy Spinning!!

Plying BFL Singles

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With the short holiday week I snuck in some extra spinning time, tee hee hee. My Jakira Farms BFL singles flew through my fingers. I had about 3.5 ounces of fiber left for this go around. I had split the fiber braid in half so I spun half on one bobbin and the second half on a different to aid with plying.

I managed to get a decent sized bobbing of a two ply (left) and then I had some singles remaining because I obviously didn’t split precisely or more likely my spinning varied quite a bit from beginning to end. So followed some more YouTube tutorials and managed to chain ply what I had left (right).

I am just pleased as punch to have some finished yarn that I made on purpose! Next up for these guys is a wash and whack to set the finished yarn. I am pretty sure both of these will come out to a bulky weight but we shall see!

Happy Spinning!!

Spinning BFL Singles

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Since my wheel was empty after finishing my teal singles I decided to put some more singles on before plying, just to keep my hands and feet practicing going in the same direction. This time I grabbed the Jakira Farms BFL I had tried to spin over a year ago to absolutely no success.

Safe to say I am making better progress this time! I am starting to notice that I can maintain a more even single with fewer thick and thin spots. Don’t get me wrong there are a ton of them in there! There are just fewer than last time, lol.

Happy Spinning!!

All Skeined Up

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Today is my birthday! I am celebrating by NOT being at work and treating myself to spa evening at a local spa. I have 60 minute tub soak finished with a 60 minute massage. I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!!

And to celebrate even more I thought I would share my finished handspun skeins I finally got around to counting and skeining. First up is my Blueberry Chick “Tequila Sunrise Experiment”.

I spun the singles on my drop spindle and then chain plied them on my Kiwi 3. But I discovered that because I left months inbetween these steps that I accidently plied in the same direction that I spun. So I got a very “artsy” skein, lol. Oh well, it was fun and I learned something. I got a 20 yard skein that weighed 117 grams so bulky/super bulky for sure.

Next up with my Spinning Class Sample skein. This is just a hodge podge of fiber I used to learn with at spinning class.

This is skein was much more successful and looks like traditional yarn. I wound the singles into a cake and plied from the inside and outside. This skein ended up with roughly 35 yards and 78 grams so a pretty solid bulky weight. It is a mishmash and total barber poled and I LOVE it!

Safe to say I have been successfully bitten by the spinning bug! Happy Spinning!!

Starting and Finishing Teal Singles

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I’ve had a steal spinning project on my wheel ever since I finished my purple singles. I had second 4 oz bag of merino blend roving from The Shepherd’s Mill where I took my lessons, this time in teal with rainbow flecks.

I admit I struggled in the very beginning with this fiber. I was trying to spin WAY to thin for my skill level so I was breaking every couple of minutes. Once I calmed down and consciously spun thicker then I really started cooking with gas.

Over the course of the past couple of week I managed to get all four ounces on one bobbin. I will likely ply this yarn with another single but it hasn’t told me what it wants to be when it grows up. So I am going to let it rest and start another batch of singles. I think I might be hooked!

Happy Spinning!

Spinning Class Sample

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Based on a suggestion from my spinning teacher I wound off my singles from class into a center pull ball. With the ultimate idea of plying them back on to themselves to create a finished yarn

Took a minute but I got it wound and then since my wheel was empty after finishing my purple singles I decided to ply before adding new fiber on my wheel. I used my Ashford Kiwi 3 and made sure to ply in the OPPOSITE direction that I spun. And I got a pretty respectable bobbin filled!

Now I just need to recover enough energy from Halloween crash to wash and finish this skein to see what kind of yarn I ended up with!

Happy Spinning!!

All The Purple Singles

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Huzzah! I have been try to dedicate some of my precious free time to my spinning wheel. And that has paid off as I have finished the 4 ounces of merino blend that I was spinning.

All four ounces fit on one bobbin and I managed to get some fairly thin parts. Don’t get me wrong it has the normal newbie amount of thick and thin parts. I have big fluffy sections and some sections that could function as thread.

I’m going to let these rest and spin another bit of fiber before I decide what to do with them. They are inconsistent enough that they need plied either back with themselves or with another single. But I need time to ponder that!

Happy Spinning!!

Spinning Outside

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Fall is in full swing and we have had our first frost. The kids are LOVING the temperatures and have been spending every minute we can outside. So this weekend I lugged my wheel out to the patio and spun while my kids played.

I am still spinning the 4 ounces of merino blend in the purple color from The Shepherd’s Mill. I am still very much learning. I break my singles A LOT and have to rethread. I am also spinning very thick and thin but for the most part I am getting a single spun that holds together. I am about 4 hours in to this spin.

Giving myself permission to go slow, make mistakes and just learn along the way. Haven’t quite got to the “zen” spinning but my fingers get a little less stressed as I go.

Happy Spinning!!

Let’s Spin Some Purple

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I couldn’t let my wheel sit with no fiber on it after my spinning lessons now could I? So I grabbed the purple roving I purchased and set off.

This roving is a merino, bamboo and nylon blend. My teacher told me that spinners should never be intimidated by any fiber. Anything can be spun by any spinner, it just may take some extra time and adjustments. So I am going to be fearless (maybe clueless) and take off!

Wish me luck! Happy Spinning!!