Friday, May 15, 2015

Doing the Twist

Adding twist to a thread makes it stronger. A thread with less twist is softer. When spinning, you have to balance these two attributes, strength and softness, keeping in mind the purpose of the yarn being spun. When I'm spinning for sock knitting, I usually aim for a yarn with a tight twist because strength is important. The wool on the left is sock yarn. But for a poncho, I want a soft yarn, so I aimed to spin the wool with less twist.

On my spinningwheel, I can influence the degree of twist in the thread by moving the drive band. In the top picture, the band is set for a higher ratio than in the bottom picture. What that means is that for every time the wheel goes round, it turns the spindle whorl more times, so the thread is more twisted. So I spun the sock yarn with the drive band set as in the top picture, and the poncho yarn with the band sitting on the bigger spindle whorl. The yarn pulled in more quickly on the lower ratio, so I had to keep my wits about me!
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12 comments:

  1. MaureenMay 15, 2015 at 2:59 AM

    I'm fascinated by the whole process - not that spinning is something I want to learn, but I enjoy seeing how it's done! I've been wondering though, what will happen to that kilo of thicker yarn you spun for Poncho Mk 1? - Aran Jacket?

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    1. Jane McLellanMay 15, 2015 at 7:05 AM

      It'll probably be used for a scarf. I'd have to spin a lot more to have enough for an Aran jacket.

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  2. Madtatter80May 15, 2015 at 3:56 AM

    Nice information, I picture you having great peace with you spinning :)

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  3. muskaanMay 15, 2015 at 4:22 AM

    Very interesting !
    We play with threads of various kinds, here you are introducing us to the process & concept at the very initial stages . Thanks :-)

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    1. Jane McLellanMay 15, 2015 at 8:13 AM

      Yes, twist is very relevant to tatting thread too.

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    2. muskaanMay 15, 2015 at 8:49 AM

      Jane, I was wondering if you could do the Z & S twists -- it would come into existence at this stage ? What would you have to change, to get either effect ?

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    3. Jane McLellanMay 16, 2015 at 12:06 AM

      Oh yes. It's just a question of which direction the wheel turns. I spin with an S twist and ply with a Z twist, but it's quite possible to work the other way round. It's not so relevant with plied yarn, but if you're knitting singles the direction of spin makes a difference, and some designers use that to good effect.

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  4. God's KidMay 15, 2015 at 10:44 AM

    Thanks for the lesson!! I sure do enjoy learning things now much more than I did as a kid! :)

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    1. Jane McLellanMay 16, 2015 at 12:07 AM

      :-) it was a rather didactic post. I figure that anyone who doesn't want to learn can just move on to someone else's blog!

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    2. Jane McLellanMay 16, 2015 at 12:07 AM

      Unlike when they were children and had exams to pass.

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  5. Margarets designer cardsMay 15, 2015 at 10:47 AM

    Very interesting, never tried spinning, it looks diffcult but I expect it's a matter of practice.
    Margaret

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  6. Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ DianeMay 16, 2015 at 6:18 PM

    I love reading about your spinning adventures!

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