Endlessly Spinning

I started a new bobbin last night.  It's taking forever to fill even one layer, possibly bc I have to cross lace the thing 3 or 4 times to decrease the tension.

I need a faster ratio!  Whine whine whine!

Measuring Angle of Twist

The linen tester came in the mail today.  I "think" the angle of twist is 30 degrees for the single ply and 150 degrees for the double ply.

All I know for sure is I have a headache, and that when my hair fell under the lens it looked coarser than the string.

Picture taken through linen tester.

When I stuck the protractor to the screen it looks closer to a 45 degree angle, but it's hard to tell if it's because the camera was at an angle or if the treadling to wind on the thread introduced additional twist.

The bobbin is slowly filling.  The width of the thread shown in the picture is about what is is in "real" life.

Fiber Jargon According to Michele

So people have mentioned that I'm using a lot of jargon and acronyms.  So I figured I'd try to put together a little cheat sheet.

Angle of Twist: the angle of the twist or the slant of the fibers in the yarn.

Batts: drum carded fiber

Dent: The metal "teeth" in the reed.

DPI: Dents Per Inch, the number of "teeth" per inch.

Draft: The usually a chart that represents the pattern of the weaving or how the loom is threaded.

EPI: Ends Per Inch is the number of warp ends per inch.

Harnesses or Shafts: These hold the heddles and are lifted or lowered depending on the loom to create sheds.  The threading of these determine the pattern of the fabric.

Heddles: it lifts the warp threads and determines the pattern.  Usually long metal wire or strips with holes/eyes in the center that are suspended from the shafts or harnesses.

Merino: A breed of fine wool sheep.  Merino wool is know for it's softness, but not it's luster.  It's probably the most common fiber available commercially to handspinners.  I tend to find it boring to spin.

Micron count: usually refers to the diameter of the fiber. So a 19.5 micron fiber means that the average fiber diameter is 19.5 microns wide.

Reed: the thing that looks like the teeth of a baleen whale on a loom.  It spaces the warp.

Ply: 2-ply is yarn made of 2 strands of string.  Balanced plying means the twist is equalized, and does not contort when relaxed but lies flat.

PPI: Picks Per Inch is the number of weft threads per inch.

Sett: EPI

Silk hankies or Mawata:  They are made from stretching cocoons on a square frame and drying them.

Singles: yarn made up of one strand of string.

Top:  Fiber preparation that is combed.  The fibers are all aligned parallel to each other and tend to be uniform in length.

TPI: Twist Per Inch is the number of revolutions the string makes in an inch.  And no I have attempted to measure this.

YPP: Yards Per Pound the number of yards of yarn per pound of yarn.  It's like yarn density.

Weft: the usually horizontal threads. This gets passed woven through the warp.  In older works this is also called the woof.

Warp: the usually vertical threads on a loom.  It's the framework on which the rest of the textile is woven.

Woolen: in this instance spinning woolen.  A method of spinning that creates a lofty fluffy yarn.

Worsted: in this instance spinning worsted. A very controlled spinning method that squeezes the air out of the yarn to create a tightly twisted, smooth yarn.

WPI: Wraps Per Inch is when you take a piece of yarn and warp it around an inch gauge or ruler and count the number of times you can wrap the yarn around the ruler to cover one inch.

Well that's all I can think of for now.  I'll add more as I think of it.

Attempting to Measure Angle of Twist

So Thora said I should measure angle of twist for the single.  Due to the color and width of the yarn I can't SEE the twist even with a magnifying glass. So I pull out my microscope.  I can see the twist, but I measure it with a protractor.  This is of course when I drop the silly thing and take out the light.  While I was attempting to take the microscope apart in the hopes of jiggling the light to make it light up the little switch popped off and now I can't find it.  Microscope broken. :( Oh well.  I just ordered a new one from Amazon along with a linen tester.  Hopefully, I will be more successful in a second attempt.

Just out of curiosity I did some math based on the Bellwether's estimates.  So a 66 wpi 2 ply * 3/2 is approximately a 99 wpi 1 ply.  Aside from the fact that I'm blind. No wonder I can't see anything besides look! I haz string.

However, I am counting my treadlings.  So for each draft I'm treadling 10x.  Yes it's nuts, but when I check the plied yarn it matches my sample.

I have decided that I'm really not a technical spinner.  This need for consistency and attention to detail is really frustrating.  I just want to spin yarn.

On a happier note, I'm more than halfway done with the second batt.  Once I'm done with this batt I'm going to switch bobbins to make the plying easier.  I really don't think I can or should try to make a center pull ball out of something this fine and prone to tangling and sticking together.  I'm hoping that I can have the sample warped by the end of the month.  But Murphy will have his fun, so somehow I doubt that will happen.

Silk Merino Dress: Thoughts and Observations on the Process

When I first started this project, l realized that with such a multi step project I needed a way organizing and keeping track of not just the individual steps in the process, but also my notes,  calculations (so I didn't end up running the same numbers over an over again because I was scribbling on loose scraps of paper and napkins), and samples.  So first I started with a general outline which has since been converted into a multi spreadsheet workbook where I take notes, make calculations and plan out my next steps.

I started blogging bc it's a good place to incorporate not only the notes but pictures of the steps and because I was trying to update too many different people.  So now I take the lazy way and just send my friends  here when they ask for updates.  :)  It's nice too because it's an easy reference point for when I need to ask questions and advice.  I don't need to constantly repeat myself.  I can just point to a specific picture or post and ask what went wrong there or what should I have done differently.  But mostly it's because I know my friends are following crazy project o DOOM and it keeps me chugging along!  Thanks guys for supporting the crazy!

So back to the actual project.
Some things I've noticed:
In general, most experienced spinners have said their handspun is stronger and tighter spun than a comparable commercial warp.  This goes against just about everything I was taught/told when I first started spinning.  I was told...  You can't used handspun for warp.  It'll snap.  From my own observations, I know you can use handspun as warp.  My later handspun which is smoother and more evenly twisted works better especially if I'm spinning with the intention of warping.  I think that if you have the skill set, and it's really not that difficult to learn.  Handspun warp probably is "better" than commercial if for no other reason than there is a thinking brain controlling the hands that are making the thread for a specific purpose while commercial yarn usually more generalized.  Sort of like why custom shoes are more comfortable. 

If you're going to use handspun as warp you should only use spindle spun.  Well,  it is easier to test the strength of spindle spun yarn.  I mean it HAS to support the weight of the spindle.  However, with modern flyer bobbin spinning wheels where you can adjust the take up, I don't see it being as great a concern.  If however, I notice yourself spacing out and starting to spin long draw one handed.  I HAVE to make sure that the yarn has enough twist by plying back on itself.  Again, I don't see it as a big issue because after about 2 wraps around the bobbin the yarn disintegrated and I'm left fishing for the end to rethread the orifice and going back to carefully spinning a smooth worsted thread.

Fiber prep. 
I think for fiber prep doesn't get as much credit as it deserves.  I think garbage in garbage out is totally true.

I am able to spin a smoother thread using the batts that I am stripping and spinning parallel to the fibers than I can just using the straight top.  Also from the hand carded samples.  The drum carder didn't make the original tops that much more disorganized and it fluffed them up a lot more so I have to fight the fibers less when spinning which is important when I'm practically trying to count the fibers I'm letting to the drafting triangle to spin a consistently fine thread.

These are some of the things I'm noticing and learning as I'm spinning.  I'll be back later with more comments and observations.

It's that time of year! Shearing season.

So I figured it was my turn.

Trying to figure out what to do with it.  I was thinking about braiding it into rope...