I made the prettiest chain plyed sample the other night after reading about it over on a Ravelry Tour de Fleece group. I looked it up on You Tube and sure enough, I found this.
I sure can't spin like the lady in the video but I could apply what I know about spinning to the technique she was obviously quite an expert on. First, I started by spinning about a yard's worth.
Then I unwound it and wound it around my left hand.
I made a loop and then began to chain ply by pulling the singles from my hand through the loop. I had to use my other hand for photos so you will have to imagine me pulling the single through the loop with my right hand.
Your left thumb becomes your best friend as you can use it as a hook to hold everything while you use your right hand to spin the spindle.
When you come to the end of the singles you will have a knot where the end of the loop is. I started spinning singles again from that point.
I was very worried about that loop. You have to wind it up and then you need to find it again to restart the plying, but I always found it with no problem.
You just keep spinning and plying and spinning and plying until you have the spindle full. The tricky part is to remember to spin the spindle in the opposite direction while you ply and than back the other way for spinning. I had a few drops at first but then my hands took over when my brain was failing me-as it so often does these days.
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love this technique, good for demo sessions in pubs as you can spin, ply and then knit a small piece fairly quickly to give peeps an idea of how it all works,
ReplyDeleteSat outside a fibre fest last year showing wikkidknitter how to do this, didn't realise that the four ladies opposite were watching carefully and noting every movement until they came over and said thanks for the lessin :-)