Half day class, offered once

Thursday, April 20th – 2pm-5pm

The most popular weight of knitting yarns for knitters today is fingering. For spinners producing finer yarns for socks, shawls, or lace, we need consistent, fine singles.

With fine yarns, though, one size does not fit all. Fine yarns can be tightly-spun worsted, softly-spun woolen, or anywhere in between, but with a little experimentation and thoughtfully choosing your fiber and preparation, you can spin perfectly consistent, fine singles.

This class will explore techniques for successfully spinning fine yarns. We will discuss basic wheel adjustments, techniques for diameter control and spinning consistent singles, evaluating the twist in your singles, and techniques for plying and finishing. We will also discuss spinning fine yarns from luxury fibers like mohair, cashmere, yak and silk blends, and practice with a variety of different fibers and preparations.

Skills you will learn:

• Identifying properties of a fiber (micron count, staple length, crimp, and preparation) and how those will influence your spinning choices
• How to spin with more consistent diameter and singles twist (both worsted and woolen)
• Plying choices for worsted and woolen spun yarns
• Consistency in spinning shorter-stapled fibers (e.g., camelids)

Materials fee: $20

Level: Students should have a good working relationship with their wheel and be capable of spinning a stable, consistent single.