Spinning Sock Yarn

[michellebreton]

Hi everyone! I just got my my Ashford Traditional last week, and I've been spinning for the first time for a week. I've gotten my self down to a pretty consistent sport weight yarn, but I really want to spin sock yarn. Every time I try to thin my yarn down, I get too thin and it breaks. Then when I try to pull out some to rejoin it pulls apart. I spent 10 minutes this afternoon just trying to rejoin.

Does anybody have any good hints? I tried another batch and tried to put more twist in my plying, but I think it just ended up being overplied.

Also when you are spinning away, especially on a thinner single, and you need to stop because the phone rings, your kids are fighting, or your newly potty-trained 3 year old need to go NOW what do you do with your end so you don't lose your twist?

Michelle

[ctmax]

Also when you are spinning away, especially on a thinner single, and you need to stop because the phone rings, your kids are fighting, or your newly potty-trained 3 year old need to go NOW what do you do with your end so you don't lose your twist?

Michelle

I just wrap the yarn and roving around my band brake and it doesn't unravel at all

[mullerslanefarm]

Ditto, I wrap my loose end around the brake knob.
Just relax and resign yourself to your kids though. My youngest is 15 and I don't know where the last 12 years went!! There is time to spin consistant thin singles

[Leah22b]

I tend to have that same problem. Lately when I break the yarn or I lose the end I twist it back when I pull it back out. I've found when it gets away from you it untwists and by adding a little twist back in by hand it helps get it back where it was before and will join better with out falling apart.
Also when you stop just wrap the end around the top of the maiden. It holds it quite nicely.
Good luck!

[midnightskyfibers]

Re breaking:

Can you adjust your wheel so it is not pulling the yarn in as hard/fast? Too much twist in the thinner spots will also make your yarn more likely to break as all of the twist gathers there rather than in the slightly thicker spots.

Try really drafting out your fiber so all you have to do is add a bit of twist to it, and aim to just get it on the wheel for the time being- you can go back through the bobbin with additional treadling after it is full if need be to add more twist later. My guess is that when you are rejoining you are treadling? Instead, allow the twist from the single on the wheel to travel to the one you are trying to join- you may have to pull a bit off the bobbin in order to have enough twist if the area leading up didn't have much twist to it.