# First yarn complete!



## MamaRed (Dec 18, 2013)

Spun, plied, washed, thwacked (I'm not sure why I thwacked, or what thwacking does, but it was fun), and drying! I don't know what I'll do with it yet, but I sure had fun making it and learning. I bought two 10 oz bags of roving from the Woolery. This is one bag, and I've started on the second. It's already going faster, it's not as overtwisted, and I haven't had a single break.:nanner:


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

:nanner::nanner::nanner:
Fantastic job!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

:banana: :rock: Great Job!!!!! 

Thwacking it brings out the fuzziness of the yarn, makes it kind of poof and plump!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Awesome!!!! You're rockin' right along!!


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Look at that! Its so darn pretty! Well done


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Looks really good and it sounds like you are having a lot of fun!!


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Great follow-through. I thought that thwacking was the sound that my dad used to make when he was shaping me.


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## MamaRed (Dec 18, 2013)

As it dries it's getting poofier. Makes some of the funkier areas disappear. Thwack magic!


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Very nice work!!! :rock:


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

congrats on that first yarn. Ya done good. :grin:

A couple of observations- it is good to get in the habit of tying your yarn off in MORE than just two places. Depending on the fiber and the energy in it, I might tie it off in as many as 8 places.

Some people thwack because they think that this will help "move" the overtwisted spots to the undertwisted spots and your overall yarn will be more balanced. :shrug: I think THAT is accomplished when I "snap the yarn" - by placing my wrists inside the washed skein and pulling my wrists quickly out to the sides, popping the skein across my body, then rotating the skein a quarter turn, repeat, quarter turn, repeat)

But the main purpose of thwacking is to help shorter fiber ends trapped inside the spun and plied yarn to move to outer surface of the yarn which opens up the yarn surface and make it more "fuzzy" as opposed to smooth and dense.

You CAN do this with any yarn but it is MOSTLY used in "woolen" spun yarns for a "woolen finish".

There are some yarns you WOULD NOT thwack and that would incude fine and tender lace yarns or artyarns with well-defined coils, cocoons, etc. Those you finish tenderly. 

Other finishing includes shocking, and plungering. 


but my advise is to try and find out WHY you are doing what you are doing before you do it or else you might be expending precious energy doing something that is not appropraite for the yarn you have spun. 

Great job on the spinning.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Looks GREAT !!! Good job !!! !


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

What are you going to make with it Mamared? When I was starting out, every time I finished a skein, I rushed to Ravelry after I got it measured out and saw what patterns I could do with what I had. It was usually small skeins, but still..it was so fun and still is today. I showed your skein to a lady here that's wanting to learn to spin. She said if her yarn was like yours, she'd be happy as a clam! :happy2:


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## MamaRed (Dec 18, 2013)

Thanks, WIHH. I actually have it tied in 4 places, but I think next time I'll do more. I had seen different posts about thwacking, and figured it wouldn't hurt. I like your snapping method and will try that next time. The thwacking did make the yarn nice and poofy, though.:happy2:


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## MamaRed (Dec 18, 2013)

Raccoon Breath, I'll have to do that with Ravelry! I don't have any idea what I'll make. It's still a bit damp - takes a long time for things to dry up here in Washington - but I should be able to measure it and find a pattern tomorrow. I used lots of different fibers that people had given me to practice with. It was much easier once I got a full pack of pre-processed fiber.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I think that's fantastic yarn! When I started this art, everyone told me to remember how I did that fantastic yarn because I'd forget. I doubted I'd ever get a nice smooth yarn. Now I can! And yes, I wish I could make that bumpy stuff again! LOL!! Keep a piece of this yarn FOREVER! It's history. I predict you will love referring back to it over and over again as you continue to learn to spin. It will be beautiful to you! Congratulations.


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