Transcript for

Episode 83:

Spinning a (Deliberately) Thick and Thin Yarn

Hello there, my darling Sheepspotters! Welcome to episode 83 of The Sheepspot Podcast. 

I am so excited to tell you exactly how to make a (deliberately) thick and thin yarn. Thick and thin yarns are a wonderful way to get started with textured- or art-yarn techniques. But even if you are not at all interested in art yarns, you should try to make some thick and thin yarns because you will learn so much! These yarns will teach you a ton about twist and diameter control, so give them a try. 

In this episode I’m going to explain how these yarns work, what fiber to use, and exactly how to make them, step by step. There is also a free video lesson that accompanies this episode, which you will find in the post for this episode in your activity feed in The Flock. What is The Flock, you ask? Why, it's Sheespot’s free online community for intrepid handspinners, of course! You can find it at theflock.sheepspot.com. When you’re signed in, just search for episode 83 in the search bar at the top of your home window and you’ll find the video. 

What is a (deliberately) thick and thin yarn? A thick and thin yarn is a singles yarn with evenly-sized and regularly-spaced slubs that alternate with thinner sections. They can be left as singles or plied. They seem delicate, because there’s very little twist in the slubs themselves, but when spun well they are actually very stable. 

These yarns work because twist always wants to go to the thinnest part of your yarn. Thin spots in your yarns are literally the points where the twist encounters the least resistance. We can use this principle of physics by alternating thick and thin sections. When we deliberately make a slub, the twist jumps over the slub and collects in the next thin section of the yarn. 

But, you may be wondering, if there’s so little twist in the slubs, how do they stay together? I’m so glad you asked. The slubs stay together because they are the length of one staple of fiber.  Picture this: you’re spinning a narrow singles, and you deliberately create a slub that is as long as the staple. The twist grabs the ends of the staple nearest the orifice, then hops over the slub and grabs the other end of the staple. The slubs stay in place because they are held in place by the twist at each end. 

Fiber selection and preparation. You’ll need some commercial combed top for this technique, because it really relies on the fibers being aligned. Don’t try this with roving. Don’t try it with hand-combed top; it’s not dense enough. And start with wool if you’ve never done this before. 

You also want the staple length in your commercial combed top to be as short as possible, so check your stash, see which combed top has the shortest staple, and use that. 

Once you’ve found your short-stapled commercially-combed wool top, I want you to strip it down lengthwise into thumb-width strips, so you’re dealing with less fiber in your fiber supply. Once your fiber is ready, it’s time to set up your wheel.

Wheel set-up. Since your hands will be busy doing new things, you likely want to start on a medium to large whorl until you get the hang of the hand movements, so you don’t accumulate too much twist in your thin sections. Once you’re comfortable, you may want to move to a small whorl. 

You’ll need, as well, to set up your wheel for moderate take-up. You want the yarn to move expeditiously onto the bobbin, but you do not want to be fighting with your wheel to hold onto the fiber. 

The technique. You’re going to begin by spinning a regular old worsted singles for a yard or two, using either a short-forward or a short-backward draft and keeping the twist in front of your hands. When you want to make a slub, you’re going to slide your fingers a bit further back into the drafting triangle, so you're grabbing more fiber. 

Then, rotate your drafting hand slightly, bringing the heel of your hand toward the orifice, as though you want to separate the fiber you’re holding from the rest of your fiber supply. At the same time, draft backward as you would in short backward draft. You should see your fiber supply thin out, indicating the end of the staple. 

Now you’re going to bring your drafting hand back, smoothing out the slub and pressing the air out of it. I like to do this fairly firmly, because you may find that there are some fibers that haven’t quite gotten caught in the twist, and by smoothing them back you’ll keep your slub a bit tidier. Cut the confetti: you’ve now made your first slub! Now you’re going to create a bit of space between that slub and the next one. How much is up to you. I usually do three short backwards drafts, then make my next slub. 

Troubleshooting. If you find your slubs aren’t holding together, either you’re trying to make them too long, or you need to move to a faster whorl. If the front of your slub looks messy, you might want to add an extra treadle just before the slub. If you want to make your slubs bigger, slide your fingers further back into the fiber supply before you do the wrist twist. If you find too much twist accumulating in your thin spots, turn up your tension a bit. 

Darlings, don’t forget to check out the free video demo that goes with this episode in The Flock, and if you decide to give this yarn a try I would love to see pictures! You can post them right in The Flock!

That’s it for me this time. I really hope this episode has been useful. I’ll be back next time with some thoughts about twist angle, including how, when, and why measure it. I’m also going to tell you where to find my favorite twist angle gauge, which makes it really easy to check your twist angle. In the meantime, be well. I will see you next time.