# Letting singles rest?



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

So, I keep seeing vague references to letting newly spun singles rest on the bobbins before plying them.
Is that because the fibers will relax into eachother and be easier to ply? Or why? Does it really matter? How long to leave them? 

Will it affect the yarn in some way to just spin the singles and ply them instantly?

I only have 3 bobbins (so far), so could I wind those singles off with the ballwinder, or is that a silly waste of time?

I have been plying it pretty much right away after spinning the singles, but now I am going to try navajo plying and it seems more important for the singles to be 'rested'. 
I guess because you are asking them to fold in half, not just twist together? Is that right? 

What do you do? (& yeah, I NEED more bobbins...).
All and varied opinions welcome. :grin:


----------



## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

Since you're asking for opinions (your fault, gam) and someone will probably think I'm wrong ... I'll tell you anyway. Sometimes I spin a bobbin full and can't stand to wait to ply it, so I ply it right away. Gotta see what it looks like, you know. Like some on here, I often wind a ball and ply inside/outside and I don't see any difference in the end result from plying from multiple bobbins. I also Navajo ply and I don't know if the energy in the yarn is that much different if the singles rest or not. I just think of it as a plied chain stitch and it's true that one ply is the opposite direction of the other, but it ends up a lovely yarn. I have read so many different (and often adamant) opinions of all things regarding spinning that I often just try the "forbidden" to see if it makes a difference. 

And yes, we all need more bobbins.

Ann


----------



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

Oh, and for kicks here is my current project. 

Pakalana sent me this roving. It reminds me of the Earth, in this pic.


----------



## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> I have six - and last night my espousa told me he thought I needed more. :grin:


Ummm... is there a gun show coming up or something???  Just kidding CF... no reason to get your bowels in an uproar. :gaptooth:

GAM, that roving is delicious looking!!!!


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

i'm absolutely new to spinning, matter of act, i started with a drop spindle. it will not be too long ( tonight?) until the first third of my sock yarn is done. if i have to let it sit on there, for how long? or do i need bobbins to park until i'm ready to ply? or do different rules apply if spinning with a drop spindle?


----------



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

susanne, I was spindling for a few months before I got this new wheel. I never let those singles rest. I did ply them off onto a bigger spindle. I had 2 little ones and 1 bigger. 
Keep at it, I know it takes some time to spindle enough yarn to make socks. BTDT.  

We want to see pictures too!


----------



## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I usually let the singles sit at least overnight before I ply. I haven't really done a 'scientific test' to see if it makes a difference, but I feel like it does. When I ply immediately, the yarn doesn't seem to ply as evenly. 
That said, I have spun and plyed the same day if I'm in a rush to finish a project and find myself short of yarn...or if-like today-I'm in hurry to see a sample of the yarn from a new fleece. (I spun in the grease, three plyed, washed the skien, got it dry and knitted up a little bitty sample already...it didn't turn out the color I'd hoped for, but it is sooo soft and knitted up niciely)
I should do an experiement with all the spinning I've got planned for the summer-just to see if what I 'feel' is 'real'.
betty


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

thank you.
i'm planning to take pics as i'm going along. here is the first one, just the roving


----------



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

Lovely roving! Good dark neutrals for socks.


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

i think you have a lot of patience :grin:
i guess it takes me at least five times as long to get the yarn spun before i can knit and don't need to worry about how long it *needs* to sit on the spindle before plying: o

i did not finish the first third yesterday but will today and make pictures all the way along for my very first hand spun socks  .


----------



## offGridNorthern (Jan 1, 2006)

OK.... I have to know.... what is a single? (remember -- I failed spinning 101)


----------



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

offGridNorthern said:


> OK.... I have to know.... what is a single? (remember -- I failed spinning 101)


A single is the first skinny strand of yarn you make when you spin. You take (usually) 2 or more of them and twist them together to make a thicker yarn.


----------



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

Wind in Her Hair said:


> to me - that PROVES that the singles on the bobbin "relaxed" overnite.
> 
> What do you think?


Could be. Also could be that YOU relaxed overnight too.


----------



## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Could be. Also could be that YOU relaxed overnight too.


:hysterical: (laughing at the reply, not the dilemma)


----------



## luvzmybabz (Sep 8, 2008)

I have had this happen a few times after the first time I searched raverly and found my saving grace... masking tape or a lint roller it takes hubby about 2 mintutes to find the end this way.

As for the waiting I have 8 bobbins and 7 are all full right now with different projects going waiting for fleece to dry then dye the locks etc can be time consuming (thought I had enough). 



Wind in Her Hair said:


> OH! and for what its worth -day before yesterday I was spinning merrily along and got to the end of the fiber and was looking off into the clouds when my Patience SUCKED up the end of my fiber and wound it up onto the bobbin before I could even look down!!!
> 
> This is kind of "hairy" roving - Wool, Mohair, Alpaca and Irish Linen  - and that rascal end was nowwhere to be found ! :shocked:
> 
> ...


----------



## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Could be. Also could be that YOU relaxed overnight too.


Heheheheh... You said what I was thinking. 

I have a question... what is the Clothes pin for again?


----------



## offGridNorthern (Jan 1, 2006)

Thank you for explaining GAM --- Here I was thinking spinning was a 1-step process.


----------



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

I did it! I navajo plyed! :dance:

It was awkward at first, but then I got the hang of it. 
107 yards of what really seems like worsted weight yarn. 










The tape is just on the end so I can find it easy. 
I didn't ply this whole skein super EVENLY,but that's okay.
The singles sat overnight, that is all the rest I let them have.

I did it. Yay. A lot of the videos made it seem harder than it is, I think.

PollySC, keep your advice coming. I like how you think. 

betty modin, I think I am going to have to do some more experiments too.

I am having so much fun.


----------



## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

that looks very nice :goodjob:


----------



## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

gam, beautiful! It looks quite even to me. Isn't it fun when it "clicks"? I kind of think it's like playing the old cat's cradle string game while dancing a jig (my wheel is double treadle).

Ann


----------

