Intermediate Spinning

Re: Spinning 2ply laceweight: questions about fiber prep, wheel adjustment

Val — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:31:50 GMT

Hi Joyce, having read about the design of the Louet S10, I learned that the wheel is built to have a strong draw. It can be mitigated somewhat but not a lot. I haveabandoned the S10 entirely and switched to a drop spindle and am enjoying the project a lot more. My productivity is much higher than when working with the wheel, which is the opposite of what I had expected but then I was fighting the wheel all the time and having to deal with broken yarn constantly. the drop spindle is a pleasure. Hope this helps.

Re: Spinning 2ply laceweight: questions about fiber prep, wheel adjustment

osandypoint — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:36:00 GMT

I don't have any answers for you but if you get any please pass it along. I am having the same problems and I would like to spinn laceweight. I also have a S10 Louet. SO if you have figured it out in the last couple of months please let mee know.

Thanks for your time.

Joyce

Spinning 2ply laceweight: questions about fiber prep, wheel adjustment

Val — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:35:18 GMT

Hello,

I have 3 lovely lbs of grey Shetland fiber, newly carded into 2 impressively large batts. My goal is to spin it into 2ply laceweight yarn to knit Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Snowdrop Shawl.

Right now I am sampling, trying out techniques for prep and spinning to get the yarn I want. So far I've gotten the best results by pre-drafting the fiber very very fine, practically the same amount of fiber I end up with in the finished single. That's fine if that's what I have to do but I am wondering if there is another way to prep the fiber to get the same result. I haven't played around yet but am willing to try most anything; that's half the point of this project is to try new things and learn.

My second challenge is the dang wheel: it just wants to yank that yarn out of my hand. It's a Louet S10; I've got the bobbin on the high speed end, I've done the cat's cradle across the flyer hooks to reduce drag, and I've taken off the brake entirely. I watched Interweave's Margaret Stove video on spinning laceweight; she can capture and control the twist with one finger under the yarn. That would not be possible with my current set up, there's too much draw. Any suggestions for adjustments or tinkering?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, i appreciate your time and cumulative expertise.

Regards,

Val