STARTSPINNING

Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn

MaGGIE�CaSEY
 Chapter six

Spinning Yarn on a Wheel

When you’re comfortable with treadling

your wheel and adjusting the tension,
you’re ready to start making yarn! You’ll
notice that the basic elements—adding
twist, drafting out fiber—are the same as
for spinning on a drop spindle.
 StartSpinning

Easy as One, Two, Three: Start to Spin on the Wheel

Start with some of the carded fiber you pre-drafted. Fluff out the
Spinning on a wheel may feel end of your leader with your fingers, place the leader on the fiber,
and hold them together with the thumb and index finger of your
complicated and awkward at back hand or fiber hand. Slowly treadle clockwise and watch the
first. It takes some time and twist come up the leader and grab the fibers in your hand. After the
twist has built up a little bit, use your other hand (the front hand or
practice to feel natural. twist hand) to pinch the leader below the join to control the twist.
Now gently draft the fibers out by pulling backward with your fiber
While you’re learning, keep hand. When you open your front hand, the twist will run up, grab
the loose fibers, and turn them into yarn. Relax your back hand and
repeating the sequence:
give the yarn to the wheel. Just as on a spindle, the yarn is created
Pinch, draw back, in the drafting triangle.
Now start the spinning process over again. The front hand con-
relax, wind on. trols the twist by pinching, and the back hand drafts the fiber out.
You determine the size of the yarn by how much fiber you draft out;
a few fibers make a fine yarn, while many fibers add bulk.
Spinning on a wheel may feel complicated and awkward at first.
It takes some time and practice to feel natural. While you’re learn-
ing, keep repeating the sequence: Pinch, draw back, relax, wind on.
You are stronger than the wheel, so you must remember to relax
your back hand and let the yarn wind onto the wheel. If you don’t, too
much twist will accumulate and the yarn won’t wind on. Tighten the
tension a little if necessary to pull the yarn onto the wheel.

Short Forward Draft

If you are getting frustrated with too much twist (or very uneven
twist) as you draft backward, try another drafting method. Instead
of drafting backward with your fiber hand, pull the fiber toward the
wheel with your twist hand: Pinch down a little with your twist hand
and feed the yarn to the wheel. Then relax your twist hand and move
it back to where it started and pull forward another section of fiber.
Pull forward, move back. This drafting technique gets the yarn onto
the bobbin faster and doesn’t allow as much twist to build up.
 Start to Spin the Wheel Practice, Practice, Practice

1. Hold the leader and fiber together 1. Pinch with the front hand to control the twist.

2. Pinch the leader in front of the twist 2. Draft the fibers out with the back hand.

3. Pull back with your fiber hand to begin drafting 3. Release the pinch, watch the twist run up, and let the yarn
wind on.
 Short Forward Draft

1. Pinch the yarn with your twist hand.

2. Pull the yarn forward with your twist hand.

3. Release the pinch, move the twist hand back, and pinch again.
 Spinning Yarn on a Wheel

More of a Good Thing: Adding More Fiber

Soon you will run out of fiber and have to make a join. This is very
much like joining the leader to the fiber when you began to spin, but
it requires a little more care to make a strong, smooth join that won’t
leave a lump or fray when it is rubbed. With a little practice, though,
you’ll be able to make joins that don’t show at all.
When you are coming to the end of your fiber source, don’t spin
to the absolute end before you make a join—you need a little unspun
fiber on the end to merge with your new batch. Leave almost a full
staple length of your fiber and fluff out the ends. Pinch your old and
new fiber together with the thumb and index finger of your fiber
hand, treadle to let some twist run into the fibers, then gently draft 1. Hold the fluffed-out end of your yarn in the
the old and new fibers together. If you have drafted the fibers well, new fiber.
there shouldn’t be a lump and you should be able to run your fingers
over the join and not disturb the fibers. Don’t just wrap the new fibers
around the old ones—they need to be drafted together for strength.
If your yarn has broken, leaving a skinny, tightly twisted end, you
probably won’t be able to fluff the ends enough to make a strong
join. Instead look farther along the yarn, maybe even on the bobbin,
to find a fatter and less twisted area in your yarn. Break the yarn
there, fluff out the fibers, and then make a join. Take some time to
just practice making joins and then testing them for strength.

Move the Yarn to Fill the Bobbin

2. Let the twist run up from the old yarn into the
Each time you start a new rolag or handful of fiber, move your yarn new fiber.
to a different hook on your flyer or move the sliding yarn guide. You
want the yarn to fill the bobbin evenly without any great hills or val-
leys of yarn. Repeat this process over and over again until the bobbin
is full. If you have a buildup in one area of the bobbin, it can ava-
lanche and the old yarn can cover your newer yarn. This becomes a
problem when it is time to take the yarn off the bobbin.

As your bobbin fills, you may notice the yarn is not winding on as
easily as it was at the beginning. Adjust this by tightening the ten-
sion on the brake band (or drive band if you have a double-drive
wheel)—just an eighth of a turn is usually enough.
 STARTSPINNING
Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn

Make the yarn of taBLe OF CONteNts

your dreams! Why Spin?

Chapter 1
You can buy yarn anywhere, but spinners know Start with Wool
that the best yarn is the kind you make yourself. Chapter 2
Start Spinning takes you from loose fluff to yarn Things to Know Before You Spin
made on a spindle and spinning wheel, with Chapter 3
friendly advice and a sure hand at every step. Spinning Yarn on a Spindle
Developed over two decades of teaching beginners, Chapter 4
Maggie Casey’s techniques and tips will have you Spinning Wheels 101
creating delightful yarns to knit, crochet, weave, Chapter 5
and admire. Getting Acquainted with Your Wheel
Chapter 6
discover the joys of creating Spinning Yarn on a Wheel
Chapter 7
beautiful yarn with your own hands!
Plying
Chapter 8
Beginning with an overview of fiber and tools and
Finishing Yarn
progressing to simple instructions, Start Spinning
Chapter 9
offers clear explanations and step-by-step pho-
Know Your Spun Yarn
tographs to guide you through every step of the
Chapter 10
spinning process. From setting up a spindle and
Drafting In Depth
wheel to drafting and plying, readers learn all the
Chapter 11
basics of spinning yarns plus lots of troubleshoot-
Using Your Handspun Yarn
ing tips. Chapters on choosing and maintaining
a spinning wheel, choosing and preparing fleece,
Appendices
and measuring yardage and wraps per inch pro-
From Sheep to Spinning
vide spinners at any level with an indispensable
Spinning Wheel Maintenance
reference.
Glossary
abOUT ThE aUThOr Bibliography
Maggie Casey teaches spinning across the
country and at her yarn shop shuttles, spindles &
skeins, which she co-owns. she holds part i of the
handweavers Guild of america’s Certificate of Paperbound, 8½ x 9, 120 pages
Excellence in handspinning. she has contributed
articles to spin-Off and Knitter’s review and has 125 photographs, 5 illustrations
served as judge at spinning competitions. she lives ISBN 978-1-59668-065-4
in boulder, Colorado.
$21.95

Interweave Press LLC is distributed to the book trade in the U.S. and Canada by Independent Publishers Group, in the UK and Europe
April 2008
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