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Andean Plyer Tips
Securing the Yarn
End
There is a screw &
washer at the bottom/end of the plyer for securing
the yarn end when you start & anytime you stop.
It works well and doesn't mark the yarn but it can be
a bit fiddly sometimes. A stick on velcro dot (the
hook side) can be placed either on one side at the
bottom or take the screw out and put it right on the
bottom to use instead. This works pretty well for
holding most yarns but if you stop in the middle of
winding then it can cause the yarn to fuzz up some in
that spot.
Plying from the
Yarn Bracelet
I have been using my
Plyer a lot lately with some wheelspun yarn. I was
trying to catch laundry up one night and had to keep
interrupting my spinning & plying. I found that
if I just slipped the yarn loop around my palm (with
the thumb still outside the loop) instead of on my
wrist it was just as easy to ply. In fact, sometimes
it helped to be able to use my thumb to clamp down on
the loop. It also made it super easy to slip the loop
back onto the Plyer to keep it tangle free when I had
to get up.
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Cards or Combs?
I've found that it's more
a matter of different results rather than better results
when considering the differences between cards and combs.
My observations:
Cards tend to be a
blending tool, evening out the fiber:
good for short
fibers
good for prepping
fiber for woolen spun yarn
good for colour
blending
handcards are the
best way to produce rolags
can get a
semi-worsted type prep if you remove the fiber
from the cards side-to-side, keeping the fibers
parallel
may not handle
long fibers well
do not necessarily
remove a lot of 'junk' from the fiber
fairly low waste
fiber leftover
Combs tend to be a
separating tool, removing the longer fibers:
good for long
fibers
good for prepping
fiber for worsted spun yarn
good for removing
'junk' from the fiber
good for colour
blending
do not handle
short fibers very well
higher amount of
waste (but this can often be felted or carded to
spin woolen if it doesn't have a lot of VM)
I prefer to spin firmly
spun (semi-)worsted style yarns so I like to use combs
whenever the fleece is suitable for it. Someone who likes
to spin from rolags or prefers woolen yarns would
probably be happier with cards.
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Do I really need a Threader?
A diz threader is much like a needle threader, you don't need it but it can eliminate a lot of frustration. Especially since when you're threading a diz you're always dealing with a puffy bundle of fibre rather than a thread end you can trim back to make it easier. When I use the threader I can be already done dizzing the wool from the combs in the same amount of time it usually takes me to just thread the diz without it.
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Drum Carding
Small Amounts
If you need to card
only a small amount of fiber (less than a batt) it is
much better to fill a small strip thickly than spread
a thin layer over the whole drum.
Spacing Between
Drums
For coarse fibers if
the drums are too close together you will likely feel
it 'jamming' even if you're feeding in the fiber
carefully since the fiber will tend to catch in both
sets of teeth instead of being brushed. For fine
fibers too close will usually result in
neps--actually it's the same problem but fine stuff
will break and wad up and the coarse stuff will tend
to tangle/jam the drums together.
If the drums are too
far apart then the fiber won't transfer well, or at
all, and any clumps will tend to end up directly on
the large drum as a clump instead of being brushed
onto the large drum into a nice smooth batt.
Storing Batts
Sorting through the
spare bedroom the other day I found a plastic storage
container that is the perfect size to lay my
batts flat in. With a cat & other critters it
works great to keep my batts nice and neat and clean.
Wax paper works well to separate different fibers or
colours.
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Dyeing
I've found
that letting the dyepot slowly cool to cold
after simmering really helps eliminate any colour rinsing
out. I dye in the evenings in winter and after simmering
until the dye bath is clear (or nearly so, some colours
won't exhaust completely) I turn the stove off, put the
lid on the pot (leaving the pot on the burner, but make
sure stove is off :-), and then leave it to cool slowly
until the next day--no peeking! <g>
Kool-Aid
Dyeing
The
guideline that I use is one ounce of fiber, one
package of koolaid, two tablespoons of vinegar. You
can stretch the kool-aid, but it gets lighter and
lighter. Soak the fiber, fill your dyepot with water,
koolaid and vinegar; put wetted fiber into pot and
heat (don't boil) for 20 minutes. Let cool slowly.
Your dye bath should be clear, rinse your fibers
twice after cooling.
I've
found that most small coffee scoops are about 2
tablespoons so I keep one with my koolaid and use
that for measuring the vinegar. It's easier for me to
remember--1 oz fibre, 1 pkg koolaid, 1 scoop vinegar.
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Knitting
Dropped Stitches
I have two methods I
use to help make picking up dropped stitches easier.
For both methods if the stitches have dropped down
more than a row or two I usually use a crochet hook
to help work them back up more easily.
For larger amounts of
stitches I use a yarn needle and smooth thread or
yarn. I use a piece at least twice as long as the
dropped section and thread through every dropped
stitch. This keeps them secure and helps prevent
further ravelling and I can start from one side and
get them back on the needles. Depending on how
irritated I am at dropping them I can also tie the
ends of the string together and set it aside for a
while without worrying about it getting worse.
For smaller amounts of
sts or tightly knit fabrics I also keep a package of
hairpins (the U shaped kind not bobby pins). Just pop
a hairpin in each stitch then work them back on the
needles as above.
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Machine Knitting
Hairpins, Dropped
Stitches & Weights
One of the most
all-round useful items I've found so far for machine
knitting is hairpins (the "U"-shaped kind
not bobby pins). They are great for popping into
stitches if you happen to drop a few, keeping them
from laddering down til you can get them all back on
the needles. I also use them as hooks by bending the
two 'legs' down. Rolls of pennies make great (cheap
;-) weights. I wrap one snugly with an elastic then
use 1-3 hairpin hooks to hang it. Since each hairpin
gives you 2 hooks to hang in the knitting I find it
is less likely to distort stitches than an S-hook. I
prefer to use rolled penny's (or nickels for a bit
heavier weight) since they're nice and compact that
way but you can also throw a handful of change into
an old sock, plastic baggy, etc, and then use
hairpins/bent wires to hang. A roll of pennies weighs
about 4 1/2 oz and it's easy to wrap 2 rolls together
if needed. A roll of nickles weighs about 6 or 6 1/2
oz I think.
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Spindles
Removing the cop
I've found putting a
paper sleeve on the shaft first helps in these cases.
Post-it notes work good for this--start wrapping at
the end without adhesive :-)
I always forgot to
wrap paper around a spindle shaft before starting so
what I've done instead is use drinking straws. Once
I'm ready to remove the cop from the spindle I stick
the tip of the shaft into a straw then slide the cop
down onto the straw. Then I'd use a box & heavy
wire/coathanger to make a lazy kate for plying.
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Spinning
Identifying
Bobbins or Hanks
I use cash register
paper rolls. Lots of room for notes (I usually use a
strip at least a foot long), cheap, and wraps nicely
around a bobbin, twisted hank or ball with a bit of
tape.
Size variety by
plying up instead of spinning thicker
This is usually what I
do, but I prefer to use at least a 3-ply anyway. It
also makes it easier for me to make matching
accessories. For example I can 4-ply enough for a
sweater, 3 ply leftovers for matching socks, and if I
still have some left I may 5-ply some for nice thick
mittens. I also find it much easier to use up
leftovers since the singles are easily incorporated
into other projects.
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Wool Combs
Choosing
The closer together
and thinner the tines are the better the combs will
deal with fine fleece. This spacing seems more
important than pitch for very fine fibers.
I've found 4 pitch combs work best with fibers over 3-4" long
and are great for medium to coarse stuff. They'll do
med-fine fibers if it's long enough but anything
shorter is better done with 2 pitch. They are also
great for production work but inconvenient for
smaller batches because of the setup time.
The tine size &
spacing on 2 pitch combs will determine their
effectiveness on various fibers. 2 pitch combs will
also usually do a better job with less waste for
shorter fibers (2-3").
For good all-purpose hand
held combs I like tines to
be 3/32"-1/8" on 1/4"-5/16"
centers. These work very well on medium to fine
fibers (fine may require an extra pass or two) and
will handle coarse if necessary too.
For fine fibers my favourite are 2 pitch with 1/16"-3/32"
tines on 3/16" centers. Small tines &
spacing also allow the combs to be small &
lightweight, but this will also limit combing to
smaller amounts at a time. This is somewhat offset by
the combs being primarily used handheld so no setup
time. Thinner tines will make the combs more
susceptible to damage if used too forcefully with
coarser fibers.
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