So, since we last visited, I’ve been spinning up some of those little wool muffins (lots of them, actually), and I finally have something to show for it-
It’s a three ply, so it’s a little more labor-intensive, but I am really happy with how it’s turning out. (As an aside:Whenever I do a three-ply, I am reminded that you can never have too many bobbins. I thought 5 was enough. I was wrong.)
This is how Denise does three-ply:
It’s really easy and surprisingly effective. Knitting needles (long, metal ones) and a shoebox. If you lay the box down on it’s back, the bobbins spin freely, but if you can stand it up at an angle (on the ends of the knitting needles) then the bobbins rubbing against the side of the box are kind of self-tensioning. Brilliant in it’s simplicity, eh?
Anyway, this is the yarn straight off the bobbin, before it got it’s spa steam treatment:
It was actually pretty well balanced, so he difference between this photo and the finished product isn’t all that dramatic, but steaming really does a nice job of setting the twist and kind of “plumping” the yarn. (and you don’t have to wait for it to dry like you would if you soaked it!)
The other tool in in the photo is my niddy noddy. It’s made of PVC. Totally cheap and easy. There are a lot of places on the web with instructions on how to make one- like here and here and here .
I used somewhat heavier PVC than these directions specify, and it works great. Very sturdy, slightly flexible, and super low-cost. With the money you save, you can go buy yourself another fleece. 🙂