# Spinning question-How do you decide



## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

I just bought a box of fiber for spinning; someone on Ravelry was destashing and I got 40+ ounces of fiber for $80. :banana: There are some wonderful braids in great colors and I've been reluctant to put them away in my own stash. It's so much fun to smoosh!

Here's my question-- how do you decide how to spin hand-dyed braids? Do you strip down the length of the braid? Pull off sections and spin back and forth across the end like an old typewriter? And plying--two ply, Navajo, something else? 

I know I should decide first what I want to knit/crochet with the finished yarn, but I don't have plans for most of this. I confess. I just want to make pretty yarn. 

I would love to know how you all go about deciding how to spin yummy fiber.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

First you have to * TRY * all the different ways of dividing and spinning it.
Otherwise, how would you *know* which you prefer?

This seems perfectly reasonable to me. :shrug: :teehee:

Another thing I have really found helpful is a feature on knitty called the Fiber Fiesta.
Several different spinners use the same fiber and spin it different ways.
It is neat to see how they all approach it and get various effects.

Here is the newest article. http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEw13/FEATw13FF.php


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

If I am spindle spinning (a favorite way to enjoy luscious fibre) I spin from the fold. If its a gradient, this preserves the colours nicely. I usually ply with something that coordinates.. Solid black with jewel tones is fantastic, or I'll pick one of the shades and do a solid of that to ply with. Sometimes I chain ply, but only if I really want to preserve the gradient.

At the wheel, I generally spin from chunks ... Holding a long length of rovings frustrates me. I willl split it if it is unwieldy, but most of the time I just wanna see what happens so I just spin what comes to hand.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Frequently, when there is new fiber to spin, I'll just make some samples. Spin a bit, then overspin a bit and pull a couple feet off and let it twist up on itself. That will give you a nice sample of two ply. Or pull out a bit three times and let them twist around themselves for a three ply. Sample from thin to thick and anything else you think you may want to spin with the fiber. Once you have a hand full of samples, then it will probably be easy to decide how to spin it and what to make.


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

Thanks for sharing your expertise! I'm not generally a spontaneous kind of person, as in "I can be spontaneous, just let me know when". But when it comes to spinning, I turn into a high stakes gambler. I tend to just start spinning, without even the first sample. 

Hotzcatz, I need to take your advice and do lots of samples.

GAM, thanks for that link. That's exactly what I need to help visualize how colors can look with different techniques.

Frazzlehead, do you ply with handspun solids or commercial ones? I like the idea of a coordinating color.


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

when I have a delicious braid - I try to remember to do one thing FIRST- I _try _to remember to split in into three strips lengthwise- for three bobbins - just in case I decide to do a three-ply which is my default yarn. If I choose, I can still do a navajo ply. 

Then, I can decide to spin it across to preserve the long color changes, or I can continue to strip it and spin it that way. 

I rarely ply anything with anything else - but right now I am spinning for over 1000 yards of green braids and I will end up plying them all together to mix the various shade of greens.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I usually ply handspun with handspun, although I recently found a bunch of Malabrigo Lace in my stash and it is FANTASTIC as something to ply against! It's really inexpensive, too, for the yardage you get. Very soft, comes in lotsa colours, yep, it worked great.

But usually I spin two 'related somethings' and ply them together. I have a ball of singles here from a staggeringly beautiful braid someone gave me it's a blue gradient. I will be plying it against some of my favourite spinner candy (Ashford Merino Silk) in a variegated blue, so the gradient will still be a gradient, but it'll be plyed with a slightly mottled blue instead of a solid. I think it should be very interesting. And it's gonna be soooooooo soft.


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