Spinning Tricks

Another lovely spin-in here yesterday, only 5 of us this time so it wasn't quite such a circus, but intimate and fun. Something I meant to do after the last one but didn't get around to was to share the tips which were exchanged. You know, the moments as we were all spinning away when someone said, 'Hey, what's that you're doing? I've never seen that.' So here's one from last month and two from yesterday:

Predrafting, from Kate:
Kate tears long strips from her roving and then predrafts by pulling them out until they are thin like pencil roving. This is particularly useful with difficult-to-draft fibers or for spinning thick singles without overtwisting them. Also a good beginners technique.

Plying, from Sarah:
Sarah uses the cap from a spice bottle to keep her ply balanced. She starts plying by threading the end of one strand of yarn through one of the holes in the cap, so that each singles gets its own hole. Then she plies normally, and the cap keeps the tension on the strands even so that no little boucle sections form.

Wrist Distaff, also from Sarah, who found it on a now defunct website called Urban Spinner:
Really cool device, it's a cord, beaded for weight, that hangs from your wrist while you spin. You wind your roving around it and pull from it as you go so that you don't have to keep stopping to grab a new piece and your fiber doesn't trail all over the floor picking up bits of dog and cat hair, sticking to the rug, or whatever else. It sounds awkward, but she says it's surprisingly comfortable and easy to use. Since the original website with the instructions and picture are no longer up, I'm posting them here, unchanged.



Wrist Distaff Instructions
Materials

    * About 12 yards (12 meters) of yarn, DK weight or heavier. Any fiber is
fine, although I prefer wool yarn because it's slightly grippy and helps
keep the roving in place.

    * About 12 inches (30 cm) of a contrasting yarn

    * Enough beads to decorate 36 strands of yarn. Any kind that pleases
you, although be careful not to use too many heavy beads or the distaff will
get clumsy to use.

How to make one

   1. Using a niddy-noddy, ruler, box, or other rigid form, wind out 16
strands of yarn about 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) long.

   2. Use a twisty-tie or string to tie the bundle together temporarily 8
inches (20 cm) from one end.

   3. Separate the yarn into four groups of four strands. Braid the strands
together to make the bracelet. (Sometimes it helps to anchor the bundle to a
table or chair to help you maintain tension while working.) You could also
do macrame or finger weaving.

   4. When the braid is a comfortable length to wear around your wrist,
untwist the temporary tie that held the bundle together. Fold the braid over
so that it forms a loop. Wind the ends of the braid together with
contrasting yarn and secure.

   5. Trim the loose ends of the distaff so that they are a comfortable
length. I usually like the fringe to be about 6-8 inches long (15-20 cm) I
also usually trim the outside strands so that they're shorter than the inner
ones. (This shows off the beads better!)

   6. Thread the ends of the distaff with beads and knot the ends to secure
the beads in place.

How to use the wrist distaff

   1. Slip the distaff over the hand you normally use to hold the fiber
   2. Hold the roving in place against the distaff fringe with that hand
   3. Wind the roving onto the distaff with your other hand. Leave the end
loose.
   4. Start spinning with the loose end of the roving
   5. When you need more roving, unwind a length from the roving. This
requires a little swingy move with the distaff that makes it jingle nicely.