OHMYGOD, I Suck at Plying

Sandy, I beg your forgiveness. This is what I've done to your Bay Colony roving.

Okay, this part doesn't look too bad.

Then there was the Andean bracelet.  Not so horrible, really.  And it worked without tangling me up and pulling off my arm or my digits. So that's a good thing.

But then, I don't know. Things started to not look so good anymore:  This has to be the most unevenly plied yarn in the history of the universe.

But I washed it and microwaved it, based vaguely on how I remember Leigh did it. And it's drying now under a bit of tension. Fingers crossed. Maybe it's not quite so shitty. We shall see.

Now I'll try to distract you with my Wisconsin cheese.

Vicki, we need a cheese button. Vicki's from Wisconson Wiscanson.  She has a Tricoteuses Sans Frontières notebook that she has bloggers she meets sign, and then she gives you an eraser in the shape of a Wisconsin Wiscanson cheese. Cheesy, in a good way, eh?  Mmmmm, cheeeese, Gromit, more cheeeeeese!

Comments

[Isela]

Ooops--can it be fixed? I hope so.

[Jessica]

I had some really overplied yarn that I ran off of my swift back through my wheel going in the opposite direction until it was balanced. You can always add more twist. Twist is like water. It will even itself out (to a degree). Do you know how to check to see if the yarn is properly plied? I check constantly. Every few feet.

[Rabbitch]

wet it down. stretch it out onna niddynoddy (or on the legs of your kitchen chair if you're like me and you're too cheap to buy a niddynoddy). wait. pray. drink. knit it into a scarf and call it art.

Truly? It looks fine to me. I have a skein in the bathroom (oh don't you pretend you don't have yarn in there, missy!) that is far FAR worse than that.

[Cara]

You're scaring me.

Cheeseheads ROCK! Especially when they come from Vicki!

[jean E.]

I love Wallace and Grommit!! and of course "Shorn" the sheep. (but I don't know doodly about spinning -- yet)

[Rachel H]

Granted I know absolutely nothing about spinning or plying (yet. I have recently aquired lots and lots of books on the subject I just haven't delved into fully yet) but what you've got there looks a whole lot like the texture of the Debbie Bliss SoHo I bought to make what will turn out to be a Very Expensive Scarf for my brother for Christmas. What drew me to the yarn is how the purposefully uneven texture highlighted the colourway. So for me, I see absolutely nothing wrong here. I love what you've created. If you're still unhappy with it when you're done, I will cheerfully trade you new roving to play with for your finished product. Seriously.

[Kae]

If you want to, you can add more twist to the plied yarn later, but what I'd suggest calming down, taking a drink, and look at that yarn again... it really does look like a lot of the really expensive designer yarns :-) It's perfectly fine, and I've found after knitting my first horribly plied yarn that it evens out, especially when the finished piece is blocked.

[anj]

everytime we saw these sheep Sue and I would shout "wensleydale grommit!!"

ahem. I think you are doing a fine job plying. It takes soem time and some concetrations. Plying goes much faster than spinning and so it just zooms out of your hands. See what it looks like after it is stretched a bit and then we'll talk some more.

[Cassie]

That's a LOT of yarn to try to Andean ply. And it can be tricky when you start out with it anyway. Keep that foot treadling!

[Carole]

I'm going to run out of bobbins because I've been a-scared to take the yarn off the bobbin and ply it. Maybe this weekend me and Alden Amos will sit down together and give it a go. And, I have a spinning lesson tomorrow, so that should help!
I think your yarn looks great, myself.

[Vicki]

I didn't bring the damn notebook and accompanying cheese tray to the meet-up. What a dim-wit. That's it, we'll just all have to do it again next year...

What about a Sharpie? Did you get a Mini Sharpie???

[Stalker Angie]

Suck at plying my arse. So it's a little uneven. Big whoop, Norma Dear. Did you even look at how those colors are standing out in that photo? And I hope you weren't making a thick n thin yarn. Cuz then it would be sucky plying. It's too even for thick n thin yarn. :P

Oh and tsk tsk, someone chews her pencils. Heeee ^^

[Erin]

I had a problem plying my spun singles together a while ago and it turned out that the two single's twists were going in opposite directions, so no matter how much I spun them together, they wouldn't ply like they should and they turned into a big awful mess. Hopefully that's not what happened to you, but I can tell ya, plying should be the easy part...

[Bookish Wendy]

I love the cheese. I didn't even think of making the connection between all of the Rhinebeck cheesy love and Vicki's cheese head!

[Marcia]

Do you have a ball winder? Or a nostepinne? Wind the yarn into a center-pull ball...you get better control, I think. I even do that with spindle singles. It depends on what you are looking for...what you've done looks like some very expensive "handspun" yarn that they've started carrying in local yarnshops, so I wouldn't complain. I'll give you the same advice I gave Laurie: get Mabel Ross' book and/or video (although Mabel's Tables will put you to sleep) and Judith MacKenzie's video. Now, JMM's video is really about spinning exotic fibers, and who doesn't need a little help there considering the price, BUT, she has an excellent refresher course on basic plying, etc. I've got other hints, too...we should talk.

[Lee Ann]

I still think it's pretty :-) So there.

[Leslie]

Art yarn! You know what Colinette charges for stuff like that? I think it's hip and lovely.

[Patti]

Uneven is GOOD. When you get a few years under your belt (so to speak) and things are always perfect, you will wish you could make uneven stuff again, and it will be harder to do it.

[margene]

Plying scares me. Claudia advise that if it holds together it is knittable. You'll do it!

[Cathy]

hey - some people never figure out plying so you are way ahead of the game RIGHT now. Hell, I am proud over here that you conquered your fear of twisting....errr... spinning. Whatever.

[Tish]

It looks a lot like Noro (except your colors don't have the obligatory whack color thrown in)(and that's a good thing). Call it art yarn and find a nice "rustic" scarf or mitten pattern to knit it up in. (And you bloggers are guiltying me into getting my wheel- which has been a lovely piece of furniture for far too long!- up and spinning again.) Nothing against "Wiscanson" cheeses, but I have to admit to a marked fondness for "Vamahnt" white cheddah (as my MA born and bred MIL would say). Gotta go check the frige to see if a trip to the Whole Foods cheese counter is in order.

[Libby]

What exactly does plying mean? I'm a spinning moron. Use small words. :)

[Melissa]

I have no business asking this, but were you spinning counterclockwise when you plyed?

[Nathania]

I have to remember to post the pic of Laura tying you up - I mean demonstrating how do make the Andean bracelet. It's yarn. You made it. Sandy will love it cuz it was made with lots of love.

[mamacate]

Plying is hard. No question. Carole is on the right track: Alden Amos has great plying instructions. I was spinning for a year before I finally settled down and started paying attention to what I was doing with plying. And it still kind of sucked for a while after that.

It's way easier to ply from two bobbins and a lazy kate (set a ways away from you) than from an andean bracelet or a center pull ball (and I'm going to have to disagree with Marcia, a well-done bracelet is much easier than a ball, IMO). You don't have to fill two bobbins, just start a new one when you're halfway done. Then you'll have a full one when it's plied.

For plying, just try to get a rhythm. I don't usually count treadles when I spin, but it's not a terrible idea to go 1-2-3, run-in...1-2-3, run-in...1-2-3, run-in... when you're starting to ply, until you get a rhythm (and then whenever you think you're losing the rhythm). And the stuff I said about not letting it sit there and twist when you were spinning singles. You do need to do a little of that for plying. Cuz you're not drafting.

Anyway, all that, and I'll just tell you that I think that yarn is just fine. Make something with it or keep it, but remember it's some of your first yarn and it's brilliant. It's absolutely lovely and you should be very, very proud. And keep spinning!

[tracey]

well- i'm enitrely new to all this- but met with wool comp specialist yesterday---at zeilinger wool co (frankenmuth mi--).....he said- leave yarn on bobbin---then
STEAM at 275-add water to roaster- let reach 275 put bobbins ontop of rack- close up for about 25 mins)-------let dry- and its perfect.....sounds worth a shot- good luck-

[Kathy]

That's Wiscaaaaansin, I think. Used to have a teacher from there, and we'd mess with her by asking her to say soda, mountain, and about. Ah, good times, good times.

"I know, we'll go somewhere where there's cheese!" (fill in appropriate hand gesture)

[Dianna]

Did you remember to ply spinning the opposite direction of your original yarn spinning?

[rams]

Dear lord, that guy from Frankenmeuth must have had Babe PVC bobbins -- I don't see ash withstanding that steam

A vote here for plying from the center-pull ball AS LONG AS you remember to get all gynecological/James Hariott about it and stick your middle finger into the core as soon as you slide the ball off the winder. Your thumb acts as a brake for the outside thread while you insert more fingers into the core as feeding out thread hollows it. Piece o' cake. (and I vote for counting treadles, too -- I spin to a waltz, ply to a march.)

ON TO NAVAJO PLYING!!! (Must go breathe in paper bag...)

[juno]

Norma! You Spun! I'm so proud.

[tracey]

hmmm like i said- i'm clueless- but- do know the mill guy- was using antique machinery and antique bobbins- but- what can i say? i agree- I think it looks beautiful!!!!