Spinning Terms

General Spinning Terms

default yarn: the yarn you most often make, usually when you're not deliberately trying to make a specific yarn—what your hands default to as they draft from the fiber supply and release onto the bobbin.

drafting: pulling out (attenuating) the desired amount of fiber from the fiber supply before the twist enters the yarn.

drafting triangle: the pointed area of your fiber supply where the fiber starts to receive twist—the transition between unspun fiber and yarn.

fiber supply: the unspun fiber held in your fiber hand.

lazy kate: a tool that holds bobbins of spun yarn for plying; tensioned kates have a spring and string or some other way to slow down bobbin rotation.

ply/plied: two or more yarns that have been twisted around each other in the opposite direction from the singles. In other words, if you spun the singles clockwise (Z twist), you would ply them counterclockwise (S twist).

plyback sample: a small length of spun yarn, removed from the bobbin or spindle shaft and allowed to ply back on itself—you can see the amount of twist.

setting the twist/finishing: soaking a skein of handspun, then allowing it to dry, will even out twist. You can also affect the texture by fulling the yarn or fuzzing up the skein. Books on handspinning usually describe many finishing methods for handspun yarn.

singles: yarn that hasn't been plied, usually spun in clockwise direction (Z twist).

staple length: the average length of the fibers you're spinning, which determines how far apart you'll hold your hands as you draft.

twist: the "glue" that holds fibers together as yarn. If the spindle or flyer turns clockwise, it's Z twist. If the spindle or flyer turns counterclockwise, it's S twist.

woollen and worsted: drafting methods that produce yarn with different characteristics. Worsted-spun yarns tend to have more drape and less pilling; twist does not enter the drafting triangle. Woollen yarns tend to have more bounce and will insulate better, because air has been trapped between the fibers; twist enters the drafting triangle as the spinner drafts out fiber.

For Spinning Wheels

drive ratio: how many times the flyer spins for every revolution of the drive wheel, expressed as XX:1. The groove on the whorl determines the flyer's revolutions. A larger groove on a whorl, or a larger whorl, will slow down the flyer speed. When you slow the flyer, you have to turn the drive wheel more often (by treadling more often) to add the same amount of twist to a yarn.

take-up/tension/draw-in: how quickly the yarn draws onto the spinning wheel bobbin. With higher take-up, the yarn will draw onto the bobbin more quickly, giving you less time to draft and less time for twist to build up in the yarn. With lower take-up, you have more time to draft and add more twist to the yarn.

tensioning system: the way a spinning wheel adds twist to fiber. Adjusting the speed of the flyer versus the speed of the bobbin allows the yarn to take up onto the bobbin.

Beginners usually learn a single drive tensioning style:

• Scotch tension (flyer lead) works well for beginners, as it's easy to adjust. The speeds of the flyer and the bobbin are independent of each other. A single drive band goes over a whorl (pulley) on the flyer, and the spring and string brake goes over the the large end of the bobbin on Schacht wheels. Turn the Scotch tension knob to stretch out the spring for more take-up or compress the spring for less take-up. Ideal for any yarn weight from fine to super bulky, for any low-twist yarn, or for art yarns. 
• Irish tension (bobbin lead) is also simple to adjust. It's the opposite of Scotch tension: the drive band goes over the large end of a Schacht bobbin and the spring and string brake goes over the whorl. Adjust by turning the Scotch tension peg for more or less take-up: stretch the spring for more and compress it for less. Frequently used for bulky and art yarns.

Double drive tension has more of a learning curve. It's generally used for very fine to fine yarns that require a lot of twist. You'll use a very long drive band that loops once around the drive wheel and flyer whorl, then once around the drive wheel and the bobbin (the small end of the bobbin on Schacht wheels). The drive wheel will look as though it has two drive bands on it, hence the name.

The difference in size between these loops acts as the brake on the bobbin. Make the loop on the flyer longer, and the loop on the bobbin automatically gets shorter, increasing the take-up. Make the loop on the flyer shorter, and the loop on the bobbin gets longer, decreasing the take-up. Wheels that can spin in double drive always have a way to adjust this difference.

Schacht wheels that can spin in double drive—Flatiron, Ladybug, Matchless, Schacht-Reeves—are shipped with one or more cotton drive bands. You may need a high speed bobbin if you are using the high speed whorl or super high speed whorl. Set up the bobbin with its small end at the back of the flyer. Tie your drive band (see the video below). Then adjust take-up on your wheel:

• The Matchless has a drive band tension knob (the mushroom knob) that moves the flyer up and down: raise the flyer for more take-up or lower it for less take-up.
• On the Flatiron, move the flyer away from the drive wheel for more take-up or towards the drive wheel for less take-up.
• On the Ladybug, raise the tensioner pulley for more take-up or lower it for less.
• The Sidekick cannot spin in double drive mode.