Index

bold = chart

A

Alexander, Kathryn, 124

alpaca, 36–37, 42

Andean ply, 88–89

angora, 42

goat, 36–38

rabbit, 35–36

Atherley, Kate, 173, 233

attenuating fiber, 56, 61–63, 107, 112

B

balanced yarn, 78–79, 80

bamboo fibers, 39

batts, 44–45

why prep matters, 95

working with striped colors, 111–15

bison, 36–38

Bizilia, Adrian, 211, 233

Bluefaced Leicester (BFL), 31–33, 94, 120, 142

blend, 72, 109, 185

characteristics, 35

project with, 199

Boggs, Jacey, 10, 233

bombyx silk, 37–39, 72, 92

braids

braided top (worsted preparation), 42

fiber preparations from braids, 40, 95

maintaining color sequence, 98

mixing up the colors, 101–6

one braid spun five ways, 17

packaged and unbraided, 60

Bump in the Night, 178–81

stitch chart, 180

C

camel, 36, 42, 45

project with, 159

Camelids, 36

alpaca, 36–37, 42

camel, 36, 42, 45, 159–60

llama, 36

carding machines, 43–44

casein fibers, 39

cashgora, 38

cashmere, 36–38, 42, 45, 56

finishing, 119

center-pull ball, 79, 88

centripetal force, 118–19, 121, 123

chain plying

for color consistency, 99

how-to, 86–87

chunking from striped batts, 114–15

cloud, 43, 45, 47

color. See also variegated yarn

blending two different colors while drafting, 107

chain plying for consistency, 99

core spinning to match colors, 101

effect of drafting, 95

effect of number of plies, 97

effect of yarn size, 96

how dyers dye, 91

maintaining braid color sequence, 98

marling, how to avoid, 100

plying to match colors, 100–101

why prep matters, 95

working with striped batts, 111–15

color mixing in braids

chunk removal, 105

combining and drafting together, 105–6

create confetti, 105

doing a flip, 102

fractal fun, 102–3

pure progression, 103–4

color wheel, 93

Columbia wool, 35

combing, 35, 38–39, 41–43

commercially processed fiber, 15–16, 32, 49

control

controlling yarn size while drafting, 59

options when spinning, 16–19

spinning from the fold, 57, 59

worsted drafting, 50

control card, 77, 98–99, 131, 144

core spinning to match colors, 101

Cormo, 143

characteristics, 32, 35

Corriedale, 35, 92, 94, 120, 142

project with, 211

staple lengths, 56

swatches, 52, 55, 122

counting treadles, 67–68, 79

crimp, 32, 35–36

D

double-drive system, 64–67

drafting. See also predrafting

consistency, 68

controlling yarn size, 59

effect of drafting on color, 91

fiber blends, 56

spinning from the fold, 57

triangle, 50

against type, 55

woolen style, 53

worsted style, 50–51

drive systems, 64–67

Dye Goddess Pullover, 216–21

schematic, 221

dyeing. See also handdyed fibers and yarn

different fibers, 92, 94

how dyers dye, 91

silk, 92

why prep matters, 95

E

elasticity, 32

spinning from the fold to add elasticity, 57

estimating fiber needs, 129–30

F

Falkland wool, 35

Farwell-Clay, Julia, 128, 183, 185

fauxlags, 45, 111

creating from striped batts, 114–15

fiber festivals, 15, 31, 217

finishing

centripetal force, 118–19, 121

fulling, 119, 121

knitted samples from different finishes, 122–23

menacing, 119, 121

snapping, 118, 120

soaking, 117–18, 120

steaming, 117, 120

weight, why not to use, 124–25

whacking, 119, 121

fluffing, 56, 61–62

fulling, 119, 121, 123

G

gauge

homemade twist-angle, 134

knitting, 128–29, 130, 133

wpi, 131

goat

angora, 36–38, 42

cashgora, 38

cashmere, 36–38, 42, 45, 56, 119

pygora, 37–38, 45

grist (ypp), 130, 137–40

altering, 143

the gist of grist, 141

how to adjust and correct, 143

how to measure, 139–40

keeping track, 26

what influences grist, 142

H

handdyed fibers and yarn, 15

color and handspun yarn, 128

how dyers dye, 91

questions to ask, 19

handspun yarn

combining with mill-spun, 128–29

gauge, 133

measuring, 130, 130–32

vs. mill-spun, 128

why to knit with, 16–17

HansenCrafts, 66

Hill, Rosemary (Romi), 167, 233

Hive Mind, 210–15

stitch charts, 214–15

how much fiber do you need?, 129–30

I

Irish tension, 64–67

Ivy, Bristol, 203, 233

J

Jillian Shawl, 166–71

stitch chart, 171

joining

woolen-style, 54

worsted-style, 52

K

Kapur, Kirsten, 159, 233

keeping track

when you knit, 144

of your spinning, 26

King, Amy, 179, 191, 222, 233

knitting

how ply affects knitting, 81

how twist affects knitting, 79–80, 146

Knox, Carol, 160, 174, 196, 233

L

La Cuerda, 194–97

lazy kate, 77–78, 88

leaders, 50

Lendrum spinning wheel, 66

Lina Toe-Up Socks, 172–77

llama, 36

Louet spinning wheel, 66

M

marling

combining variegated colors, 109–10

how to avoid, 100

plying yarn, 99

spinning variegated yarn, 83

Maya Cardigan, 158–65

schematic, 165

measuring handspun yarn, 130, 130–32

how to check grist, 137–40

how to figure length of mystery or partial skein, 137

how to measure length, 136–37

how to weight, 137

menacing, 119, 121, 123

Merino, 31, 120, 122

blends, 39, 72–73, 109, 142

characteristics, 32–33, 35

projects with, 151, 195, 199, 217

staple lengths, 56

superwash, 97

mill-spun yarns, 16, 28, 127–29

MiniSpinner, 66

Moreno, Jillian, 199, 217

motivation, 27–28

musk ox, 36–37

N

Nelkin, Laura, 195, 233

nylon, 35, 39, 53

P

Parkes, Clara, 6, 13, 16, 222, 233

pilling

fiber characteristics, 32, 35

finishing methods, 119

plied yarns, 72, 84

singles, 81

woolen-style drafting, 53

worsted-style drafting, 50

planning knitting projects, 145–46

ply and plying. See also singles

Andean ply, 88–89

chain ply how-to, 86–87

equipment needed, 76–77

how ply affects knitting, 81

how to ply, 77–79

mistakes, how to fix, 87–89

sampling 2-ply yarns, 82–83

sampling 3-ply yarns, 84–84

spit splice, 87

templates, 77

what it is and what it does, 71–74

ply-back sample, 99

how to make one, 69

ply-back to check for twist, 135–36

Polwarth, 32, 56

project with, 179

predrafting, 60–63

attenuating, 62–63

fluffing, 61

stripping, 62

preparations

batts, 44

cloud, 45

commercial vs. hand-prepared, 41

fauxlags, 45

fiber preparations from braids, 40, 95

puni, 45

rolags, 45

roving, 44

silk, 47

sliver, 43

wool locks, 46–47

woolen vs. worsted, 41–42

worsted top, 42–43

pulleys (whorls), 59, 63–64

puni, 43, 45

pygora, 37–38, 45

Q

qiviut, 37–38

R

Rambouillet

characteristics, 32, 35

project with, 203

ratios, 63–64

rayon fibers, 39, 42

Rigby Cardigan, 202–209

schematic, 23, 209

Robson, Deborah, 16, 222, 233

rolags, 40, 45, 95

Romney, 35, 56

project with, 183

S

sample yarn and index cards, 131

sampling, 22, 26, 28–29, 144

control cards, 98–99

for drafting consistency, 68

ply-back sample, 69, 135–36

sampling 2-ply yarns, 82–83

sampling 3-ply yarns, 84–84

sampling singles, 81

sampling twist in plied yarns, 80

scale for weighing yarn, 137, 139

Schacht spinning wheel, 66

schematic example, 23

Scotch tension, 64–67

semi-worsted or semi-woolen, 68

shine, 32, 36, 39, 44, 57

silk, 31, 35–36, 38–39

blends, 53, 56, 72–74

bombyx, 37–39, 72, 92

dyeing, 92

hankies, 38, 47

preparations, 47

preserving shine, 57

projects with, 151, 159, 167, 199, 217

tussah, 39, 120, 122

singles

compared to plied, 71–72, 75

for knitting, 98

resting and rewinding, 79

singles to stay singles, 75

sliver, 43–44

Smith, Beth, 16, 183, 185, 222, 233, 240

snapping, 118, 120, 123

soaking, 117–18, 120, 122

soy fibers, 39

spinner’s control card, 131

spinning from the fold, 57, 59

silk, 39

spit splice, 87

stacking colors from a bat, 112–13, 115

staple length, 32, 56–57

stash, digging into your, 98–99

steaming, 117, 120, 122

stripping, 60, 62, 96

superwash yarn, 87, 97, 119

Sweet Omega Möbius, 150–57

stitch chart, 154

T

Targhee, 33

Teeswater, 32, 35, 56

Tencel, 39, 42

blends, 72–73, 109, 142

Tetris Pullover, 182–89

schematic, 189

treadling speed, 54, 59, 63, 66–67

counting treadles, 67–68, 79

tussah silk, 39, 120, 122

projects with, 151

twist, 49

angle, 26, 133–34

controlling thickness, 59

direction, 26

how twist affects knitting, 79–80, 146–47

per inch (tpi), 26, 135

ratios and whorls, 63–64

sampling twist in plied yarns, 80

tension, 67

woolen-style drafting, 53–54

worsted-style drafting, 51

Tyvek wristbands, 26

V

variegated yarn

braids, 98, 101, 103

chain-plying, 86–87

combining variegated colors, 109–10

how dyers dye, 91

how ply affects knitting, 81, 83, 85

how yarn size affects color, 96

maintaining color sequence, 98–99

plied samples, 73

stripping to control color, 62

working with striped batts, 111–15

vocabulary, 26

Vogel, Lynne, 151, 222, 233

W

Wenny Shawl, 190–93

stitch chart, 192

Wensleydale, 35, 56, 94, 130

project with, 191

whacking, 119, 121, 123

wheels

double-drive system, 64–67

evaluating your wheel, 27

Irish tension, 64–67

MiniSpinner, 66

Scotch tension, 64–67

working together, 60

whorls (pulleys), 59, 63–64

why spin?, 25

Winter Library Shawl, 198–201

wool. See also wools by breed name

backbone of spinning, 31–32

characteristics of fiber, 32

fine wools, 32, 35

longwools, 35

medium wools, 35

woolen preparations

batts, 44

cloud, 45, 47

fauxlags, 45

puni, 45

rolags, 45

sliver, 44

wool locks, 46–47

vs. worsted, 41–42

woolen style

drafting, 53

joining, 54

worsted style

drafting, 50

joining, 50

preparations, 42–43

vs. woolen, 41–42

wraps per inch (wpi), 26–27, 128–32

A Cautionary Tale, 132

gauges, 131

how to measure, 130–31

Y

yak, 36–38, 42, 45

project with, 195

staple length, 56

yards per pound (ypp). See grist

yarn balance, 139–40

Z

zip-top bags, 26, 144