Hi I have a spinning problem! I’ve been spinning for a while now and I wanted to try to make my own spindles. But whenever I do, I notice the yarn is dramatically different. The spindles themselves spin really well and I don’t see any difference at all. But the yarn I make is very curly and messed up when I go to ply them! The more I try to distribute the twist, the more messed up it gets! And I try not to overtwist. I’m only spinning to the point where it won’t fall apart and it feels sturdy. I also wanted to mention that I spin in z twist, then ply them together s twist. I have no idea what the problem is because they act the same as a spindle I would have bought but the yarn is so dang different! And I can normally spin on a drop spindle no problem. Anyone have any tips as to what I could be doing wrong? There’s a picture for comparison of that I normally spin. Thanks!
Spinning Disaster!
Hi @Bunny7, How does the weight of the new spindle compare to the weight of spindles you’ve used in the past? That can make a difference in how it spins.
When spinning to ply, you want the yarn to be a little energized since plying removes some of the twist. The yarn should have ‘pig tails’ that will be removed when plying, Your first picture shows that too much of the twist has been removed when plying.
In your 2nd picture, the yarn on the left has too much energy (twist) since it still pig tails. The yarn on the right is a balanced yarn.
Each spindle is different, just as every wheel (even the same make/model) spins differently. All I can recommend is practice, practice, practice! (And have fun while you’re practicing!!)
Thank you so much!