Plying

2-ply, wool single plied with silk single

It's been over a year now since I got my spinning wheel and I've spun quite a bit, but I still feel like an absolute beginner at times.  One step forward and another step back, and definitely learning something new all the time from my own experiences at the wheel and from other spinners.

One of the things I'm working on is my plying.  I've noticed that I'm not always consistent with the level of twist when plying, mostly with not putting in enough twist.

In any case, I like the effect of my latest spinning efforts involving plying wool singles with silk singles.

3-ply, wool singles plied silk single

Notice how the silk pops, almost like it's been spun with gold.

2-ply wool and silk blend

Compare the first two skeins with this last one where I spun and plied a wool/silk blend fiber.  There's an overall shimmer to the yarn rather than the silk standing out.  I find the differences fascinating and I like both results.

I also realized that there's more twist in this last skein.  Interesting, because I spun the first two skeins after this last one.   I'm going to keep at it.