More spinning

I recently learned a new spinning technique called "ply on the fly" essentially you spin a length of singles, then Navajo ply it all at once before winding it onto the spindle. If you are interested there's a video here that shows how to do it.

I really like it because plying this way is (to me) about 10000 times easier than doing it the traditional way of winding the singles into a ball from the spindle and then trying to ply it from there.

When some beautiful grey roving came my way from one of the teachers of my spinning class I saw it as the perfect opportunity to practice my 'ply on the fly' skills.



The original bump of roving was about 3 oz. This skein is only about half of that. I decided to save the rest to practice my wheel spinning tomorrow when I go to the museum for spinning and weaving day. (Every Wednesday, a bunch of ladies get together to weave and spin)


( I love this picture, I made it my new desktop for a while.)

stats:
unlabeled roving from Upper Canada Village it’s very crimpy and there was still a lot of grease left in it, but it spun very easily, and while not amazingly soft, made a nice yarn.

Spun on my big spindle, using "ply on the fly" technique.

Fingering.dk weight, about 48 yards.

My spinning skills are getting much better lately, not only was I trying out a new technique, but this was the most even and most balanced skein I've spun so far.


And while we are on the topic of spinning...

I've wanted a takli or support spindle for a while. Then I found a group on ravely called DIY tools and got inspired:



It's made from a heavy lampwork glass heart, and two metal beads from my beading stash. Glued onto a US #1 DPN.
The hardest part was bending the hook on the end. And then I had to file it down a bit to smooth it out.

It spins pretty well. I'm still getting used to the whole supported spindle thing. But so far so good.



The fiber on it in the picture is Chiengora from the resident fiber dog Cayenne, 'carded' using a pair of dog brushes.

After a while I Navajo plied it up on my golding tsunami, and the resulting yarn is some of the softest and finest I've spun for cayenne's fun yet.