helwen

Setting the twist is the full phrase I guess.

Usually when you spin it's got enough twist that if you let the yarn that hasn't been wound onto the spindle relax (instead of holding it taut), it will twist up on itself a bit. This is good to a certain extent because it means the yarn won't fall apart.

Once the spindle or bobbin (wheel) is full, you wind it off onto something else -- I usually use a niddy-noddy, which is an odd-looking I-shaped thing. This is useful because you're basically winding it into a big loop-shape. Once it's on the niddy-noddy you can count approximately how many yards you've spun. Now you need to "set" the twist in the yarn, so that it won't curl up on itself anymore.

If you're not in a hurry and you don't need it for anything else, you could just leave the yarn on the niddy-noddy for a while and eventually the twist would set all on its own. Or you can take it into the bathroom when you're going to take a shower and let the steam set it for you. Or if you're not in a hurry for the yarn but you're going to need the niddy-noddy soon, you can hang the loop of yarn up and hang a weight off of it and just let it hang out for awhile.

When I spun the autumn colors yarn recently I worked around needing to set the twist. I spun two bobbins of yarn, put them on a device called a Lazy Kate, and then plied them together onto a third bobbin, but in the _reverse direction_ that I'd spun the single plies. The opposite direction twists kind of cancel each other out. The one I plied more loosely didn't need to be set. The one I plied more tightly did, and is currently hanging on the back of a door with a weight tied to it.

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I generally do all my yarns tow ply now, as
they are stronger and more stable that way.
My fave method of setting the twist in is to
throw the hanks in an electric vegetable steamer for a half hour or so.

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thats 2 play... argh

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Sometimes the keyboard just isn't one's friend...

For me, it depends on what I'm going to be using it for. I think it's more of an issue for knitting, crocheting, that sort of thing. And sometimes the warp in weaving -- that's something I hope to play with, some day. I have some Icelandic I'm spinning that will someday get woven, and historically both the warp and weft for this type of weaving was one ply. Might have to do something annoying like starch the warp threads or something -- temporarily add strength to them until they're interwoven. But that's all getting spun with a drop spindle. My drop spinning, and this is true for at least some other spinners as well, is stronger than my spinning-wheel spinning.

But plying has other virtues too, like evening out the width-wobblies that sometimes happen with spinning. And then there's the fun of plying different colors together :)

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Kinda funny, I have heard that many folks do
better on drop spindle. Not I. Heh.
I tend to do it all two ply unless there is a
specific need for 1. But that is because I
normally end up giving most of it away. I don't
crochet or knit particularly well myself, and
don't currently own a loom. My only real use for
it is making leg warmers on my Knifty-knitter.

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ellid.livejournal.com

I think it's useful to have an idea of where you started; gives you an idea of how you're progressing. Plus it's useful to show to people when they're taking their first lessons ;)

That's why I still have the very first quilt I ever made. It's a real horror (ugly colors, weird fabrics, one side almost a foot longer than the other, badly quilted) but it's very instructive to see where I started.

Also, Diamond likes to sleep on it, and who am I to deprive a tiny gray cat of a comfortable bed?

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Indeed, it is obviously the perfect shape for a kitty :)

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I feel much, much better about my spinning now. ;)

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I've mostly enjoyed the journey -- except for the times I wanted to throw the spindle across the room. No Athena I, to spring fully formed from the head of Zeus :D

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I did find a wonderful pattern to eat of some of my unintentional thick and thin spinning. The "Urchin" hat from knitty.com is perfect.

http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTurchin.html

And thanks for letting me poke my head in here. I do love hearing about your crafting and crofting. ;)

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The lady who taught me, remeinded me early
on that when you buy finished yarn in the
store, the lumpy slubby stuff "that looks
handmade is always more expensive!
Hehehe

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I know! And the things I've made out of thick and thin always get the most attention, even though they are the simplest patterns.

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Cute hat! And, you're most welcome :) Found me through AODA?

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Yes I did. We seem to have a lot of the same interests aside from the druidy stuff.

I have been part of the makeyourown-stockup-doityourself-crafty-livesimply mindset for a while myself.

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Indeed, music, history, and art too. And I like anime too -- what series is your icon from, if I may ask?

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harpnfiddle.livejournal.com

I'm keeping all of my firsts in lace. I know that they are not very good - especially the plaits - but it is nice to see when I am getting better (or not)... (still having plait troubles)

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Yup, some of life's markers :)

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oakmouse

Yep, that looks a lot like what I'm spinning right now. *g* One of the things I did to motivate myself to keep going despite uneven results is to decide I'll be using what I spin for weft yarn in practice weavings until I get better. After all, weaving --- especially tapestry weaving, which I'm beginning to learn --- can use everything from thread to unspun rovings. So I won't feel as though I'm wasting the wool producing something unusable. That means I keep going instead of getting discouraged.

I'm also spinning S yarn to Z ply, so it'll be good crochet yarn. Turns out the motions of crochet unply S-plied yarn, which explains certain problems I've had with some brands of yarn. Knitting, on the other hand, wants Z spun yarn that's S-plied.

Got lots more to say but not tonight. *faceplant*

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