Spin, Spun, Ply

This past weekend the local spinning group met out at Little Barn fibers. While there we enjoyed socializing and the cool fiber treats that were distributed to all that were in attendance. You know free wools that had been processed as we were spinning to let us see if there was anything we couldn't do without. Since I spindle spin only at this point and all spindles were heavy with other fibers, I set the nice nuggets aside to spin later.

Happily I finished spinning the 16ozs of Shetland wool that I received with the 3 oz Louet spindle for the beginning spinning class that I took in August. In the class I spun 50 yards on the spindle and another 50+ on a Majacraft wheel. Then I plied the 50 yards with the Majacraft. After this class I spun another 300 yards on my spindle. Finally, finishing this weekend.

Another spindle spinner suggested using toilet rolls to hold the spun fiber, since I didn't have access to a ball winder. So with a shoe box, dowel rod, and two plumbing washers I have a place to hold the toilet rolls while I two-plied with the spindle.

On one roll I had quite a bit less than on the final roll that I spun. So I took some of the spun fiber I had left from my Majacraft spin and spit spliced it to the shorter single ply. From here I ended up with 112 yards and another 76yards left on the roll. I skeined the just plied yarn on my new niddy-noddy from Little Barn and tied it. Then I took both ends of the single ply and rolled it onto another paper roll so that I could put it back in the box and plied it for 38 yards. When I was done I skeined this yarn and did the final wash to set the yarn of both plied skeins.

And ta-da we have three skeins of Shetland ready to dye. 200 yards total. Can you tell which one was my first skein and which was spun last?

After all this work it was time for a nap. :)

Yesterday I finished spinning a sample bag of alpaca, so now it's time to ply this with the Louet and I will have both my spindles ready to go again.