I was asked recently what balance means for hand spun yarn. What is a balanced ply? Balanced ply is when a yarn is twist neutral, i.e. the twist in the singles is balanced by the twist in the ply, the yarn has no tendency to twist. A yarn doesn’t have to have two strands the same… Continue reading Balanced ply in hand spun yarn
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Wraps per inch of commercial yarn
Some of you will know I create sample wraps of all my hand spun yarns*. While working on our book, Alison Daykin and I wondered “how does our hand spun compare with commercial yarn thickness?” There are various charts giving the wraps per inch of commercial yarns but they seem to differ widely. How accurate… Continue reading Wraps per inch of commercial yarn
Odds and Ends Scarf
I am sure I am not alone in having numerous small samples of hand spun yarn or commercial yarn left overs from major projects. I have recently started a great pattern for using them up. This scarf is an easy fun knit, uses up odds and ends and looks great. I made one a few years… Continue reading Odds and Ends Scarf
Blooming
The photos are of some softly spun spiral plied yarn that bloomed by 40%, the cardboard bobbins show fine tightly spun 3 ply that bloomed by 7.5% Background Hand spun yarn blooms, becomes thicker and shorter, when it is finished (washed, thwacked, steamed etc). This effect is rarely mentioned in books though Ann Field takes… Continue reading Blooming
Wet Felt Flower
It has been such a strange time recently, I hope you and yours are keeping safe. Thank goodness for the NHS and crafts. I am sure I am not alone in finding solace in fibre and fabric. A friend asked about instructions for a felt flower so here it is. There are many ways of… Continue reading Wet Felt Flower
