Beginner’s Info: Part 7
There are two different things meant by “drafting.”
“Pre-drafting” is loosening up the fibers before you spin so you’ll get a nice, airy, easy-to-work-with yarn. Here is a good video on fluffing up the fibers in a roving.
Regular “drafting” refers to how you handle the fibers that are being spun.
Drafting While Spinning
Here is a great text/image rundown on the main types of drafting while spinning. There are also videos down the side, but it’s kind of hard to see what she’s doing.
I also found these videos for long draw and short draw on wheel. Short draw is easier, in my opinion, although I love long draw. The short draw video doesn’t have any audio besides the background music, so you can mute it if you wish. The text gives a pretty good explanation, but I want to give another here.
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I made a ton of progress on the Jester batt yesterday. In fact, it’s all spun into singles and almost half of it is plyed. I just love the brown and copper look of the finished product.
Coppery
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I have almost given up on finding a name for this yarn.
Smooshie Yarn
It’s spun from the three colors of fleece, and it’s a very lumpy, funky, bumpy yarn. (My first stab at one ply thick and one ply thin.) I thought about calling it “Mariposa,” but I’ve never seen a butterfly in those colors. The normal thing to do would be some sort of “Under the Sea,” or “Wave Fantasy,” but I was hoping to come up with something a little more original. As it is, it’s taking a lot longer to spin this yarn than I thought.
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Or, sort of merrily. The carding is fun. And, unless I’m doing something drastically wrong, it’s very easy.
Freshly Carded Wool
The hard part comes when I try to spin what I’ve carded. I haven’t learned how to spin from a batt, and the “rolag” that some tutorials have you make from the carded wool is very close to a batt. I wonder if you’re supposed to unroll it later. Hmm. Anyway, I’ve taken to leaving the carded rectangle flat, then removing chunks of fluffiness in three to four inch sections.
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That was the question. Thankfully I figured it out. Throwing caution, a lack of a lazy kate, and normal procedures to the wind, I charged ahead into the unknown world of two ply. Here is the finished yarn I made from the teal/cream/brown variagated Romney roving. (Romney Jackpot)
Spun 2-ply
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