How to Spin Plied Yarn

No matter what kind of spinning tool that you have handy it's easy to take two separate yarns and spin them together. The possibilities are endless with this technique. You can take two hand spun singles or use manufactured yarns to create new combinations. Not only does this technique give you more possibilities but also increases the total strength of the yarn itself.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Two bobbins or balls of yarn
• Drop spindle or Spinning wheel

1. Tie the two ends of the yarn together. The two yarns don't need to be the same weight or color.
2. Attach the knotted yarn to the drop spindle or spinning wheel.
3. Hold the two yarns even and pull a length of both from the ball or bobbin.
4. Begin spinning. You will need to spin the two yarn in the opposite direction from which they were spun originally. This means that if the yarn was spun with an S twist, a Z twist will need to be created in order to make sure that the yarn doesn't become over spun. This also helps create a more balanced finished yarn.
5. Pull equal length of yarn from each ball or bobbin and allow the twist to travel up to your hand and repeat.
6. Remove it from the bobbin or spindle once you have spun all the yarn. Doing this technique once with a single spun yarn creates a 2-ply spun yarn. Plying can be repeated as many times as it's desired to create as many plies as necessary.
7. Wrap the newly spun plied yarn into a skein and secure the skein. Then soak the new skein in water. Gently squeeze the water out of the yarn and hang it to dry. This sets the twist of the new yarn.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're plying from bobbins you can place the two bobbins in a lazy kate to ensure they don't move. If you're plying from balls, place the balls in bowls to ensure that they don't roll around while you're plying.