Skein #36: Two-ply Yarn of Consistent Quality with Different Twist Directions in the Singles

Image 1: Fiber Sample Image 2: Yarn Skein Image 3: Yarn Detail

Fiber

Wool and lyocell

Type

Blue-faced Leicester and lyocell tops

Reason for choice of this sample:

This commercial wool top makes a dense thick single, and the lyocell requires little twist to form a stable yarn.

Source

Preparation for spinning

Divided and loosened the very dense lyocell top. No preparation was required for the wool

Equipment Used

Flyer spinning wheel, large drop spindle.

Type of spinning

Short forward draft

Direction of Twist

Z,S/S

Number of plies

2

Finishing

Wet blocked

Suggested uses

This yarn can be used for knitted hats and scarves for occasional use or as an accent weft. Two-ply yarn with different twist directions can never be balanced in the normal way, but this yarn is twist stable because the high twist wool ply overpowers the low twist lyocell single to hold it in place. Knitted items will not bias.

Notes

Maximum 54 points

Examiner 1: 54

Examiner 2: 54

I don't like this yarn. It's not that I hate it, it's ok yarn as those things go, but I don't get the point. If a yarn is going to have different twist in the singles and still be balanced, the only way to do it is so one ply overpowers the other to hold it in place. The outcome is a fluffy thick ply wrapped with a tight binder. My choice of fiber here meant I could make a smaller yarn: because the lyocell can form a stable single with relatively low twist, there is plenty of room for it to take more in the plying. If it were done in all wool, the thick ply would have to be thicker and the thin one thinner for it to come out stable. I find it structurally interesting, but my interests haven't particularly been considered an asset for this project. Between "consistent quality" and "two-ply," there isn't a lot of room for design here.