Transformations
A while back I mentioned not being quite sure how to start with the large and lovely mass of teal fiber that I purchased from Spinner's Hill while at MS&W. I'm not sure if being uncertain how to proceed kept me from just trying some on my wheel, or whether it was because I find myself sorely lacking a lazy kate and wasn't sure how I was going to ply anything or whether my spinning muse had decided to take a holiday Iceland. I just didn't feel drawn to the wheel. Which is a bit sad when I have half a pound of fiber (of a most remarkable blend -- alpaca, silk and wool) in my absolute most favorite color out of which I could make something absolutly lovely for myself while facing predictions of "the coldest winter since 1976".
On Sunday, something grabbed me and I boldly ripped a few narrow pieces off the mass, pre-drafted a bit to make it move easier as I spun and just joined it up to the bobbin on my wheel and got spinning. I didn't spin up too much -- I just wanted to see what it felt like to spin with something prepared differently than the top I'm used to, find out how it would look in a two ply (I'm still not good at spinning thicker singles) and give myself enough to do a little swatching.
One thing is clear -- unless I find a way to comb this stuff a bit, the yarn is going to have a little bit of a rustic quality to it. But I don't think that is going to bother me all that much, since I'll probably be lucky to get a sport weight yarn out of this stuff, even as a two ply. Another thing that surprised me completely -- this fiber seems like it is even softer as a yarn than it was as just fiber, which I didn't think was possible. I was just amazed with it's texture as I was winding it onto my niddy noddy. Granted, I didn't get too agressive with the amount of twist I put into it, but it has a pretty decent amount of tensile strength. Finally, I didn't get bored spinning something that is basically a solid color -- and I love the idea of working with some handspun that doesn't spontaneously burst into stripes.
I'll probably ply this with one of my spindles -- this is an amount that I can easily manage with a center pull ball and I think that would be hard to control with the wheel.
Every time I spin a little bit on my wheel, I feel like I learn a little more about what I like and don't like about my wheel. For instance, I really love how my wheel spins -- it is pretty easy for me to control right now while I'm learning. But I'm not so excited about the tensioning for the bobbin (is this the Scotch tensioning? I'm still not so good with the technical spinning terms) -- the Ashford traditional has a little peg around which the fiberglass line is wound. This peg is twisted and untwisted to control the tensioning on the bobbin. But I find that this peg slips a bit (probably because I don't push it in tightly enough) and midway through spinning I have to stop and tighten it to keep the yarn drawing onto the bobbin. I find this a bit frustrating, but I can't tell yet whether this is just because I am a spinning wheel newbie who hasn't completely internalized all the motions yet or because I ultimately won't like this kind of wheel. I guess it will give me something to explore when I start trying to find my next wheel.
If anyone has any opinions about different tensioning systems, I'd love to hear more from folks with more experience than me.
I bought an Ashford Joy as my first wheel this past summer. I took a first lesson on the wheel when I first picked it up. I then went home, and got very frustrated with the tension thing - couldn't get it to take up the spun fiber, things were loosening and coming undone.
About a week later, I returned, originally for a lesson in fiber prep, but wound up condensing that lesson & getting a remedial lesson in basic spinning. Since then, I haven't had any problems at all with the wheel.
So, (sorry, this was a long way to get to what I am about to say) I would recommend taking another lesson with the wheel from the place from which you purchased it. I think you will have great luck by doing so.
I just got a new wheel - a lendrum - and it also has the turning knob to adjust the tension. Mine is attached to a string that goes over the bobbin and then the string is attached to a rubber band. It seems kind of low tech, and I have a hard time adjusting the tension so its just the way I want it. It seems to either pull in too hard, or not pull enough. Let me know if you learn any secrets about this.
Lovely yarn. I have to adjust the tension frequently on my traditional.
Simple physics, you increase the mass of the bobbin significantly when you add yarn, so you need to change tension on the brakeband. Some newer wheels are fancier, but the ashford is low tech...
My ashford has a small hair elastic/rubber band instead of the tension spring. Marking the position for start tension etc on nylon line may help.
I have a Joy and Majacraft Susie with similar brake band tensioning. On the Joy I really have to Push the wooden peg in tightly for it to stay put. I change it maybe once a year or so and don't really need to mess with it much. On the Traveller however, I was forever messing with the Brake band to get the wheel to turn the bobbin, so it may be that the style of the wheel is causing you frustration rather than the mechanics. I actually got rid of my Traveller for that reason. I couldn't get it to consistently spin according to my spinning style. I tend to actually slightly pause during both my spinning and plying so the Traveller and I did not get along. I couldn't get the wheel started again once I paused slightly. Again, this is my failing, not the wheel's but I'm not sure how much this will help you Theresa.
And plying on the wheel I find is most effective if you use 1 ratio faster than you spun the fiber on to begin with. For me, a balanced ply tends to be 3 treadles per section. (This is why I briefly sort of pause while plying. I look at each section as I ply it to get a feel for if it is balanced.)
I also find that putting a little bit of overtwist in your singles that will be plied is helpful since you are untwisting the singles as you ply.
I hope some of this makes sense!
I have a Lendrum and I adjust the tension on the brake band pretty regularly while spinning.
I do have to shove the peg into the hole fairly tightly otherwise my flyer hits the brake band -- after I got my wheel it took me a while to realize that the reason I was having a hard time spinning was because I wasn't pushing the peg into the hole tightly enough. But it's loose enough that I can put the peg into the hole and then twist the peg to adjust my tension in very small increments.
One of the best things I realized when I thought about it was that as the bobbin gains weight, I need to change the tension on the brake band if I expect to keep it consistent (once it gets harder for me to spin up at the same rate, then I know it's time to change).
I always want a scientific method to determine at what point I need to start out my tension when I start spinning a new fiber at a certain ratio, but I pretty much pick a tension on my brake band and use my leader on my bobbin to test pickup.
Is there a reason why you don't put the peg into the hole more tightly? :) It might save you a little frustration if that's part of the issue.
I'm sure you know this, but you can always Andean ply on the wheel. You won't be able to ply as much at one time, but it still works nicely. You (and other bloggers) have inspired me to learn to spin, and I bought a schacht matchless double-treadle wheel a couple of weeks ago after spending nearly four hours sampling wheels at my local spinning/yarn store. It is much easier to ply on a Lazy Kate, and knowing how much you enjoy fibery adventures, it would be worth it to make the investment.
I've got a lazy kate, but hate to use it. I wind my singles on my ball winder and ply from the center and exterior of the ball. Works like a charm and like andean plying, no leftovers!
I ply from a centerpull ball on my wheel all the time. I haven't found it any harder than on a spindle.
The main thing is just doing it. I hate that "p" word, "practice," but it is the truth. And just make some yarn, a decent amount of it so you can make something with it, which will spur you on and also let you know what it is you have to change, after you've used a little bit of it.
I have the Traditional, too, and I had no lessons on it. Nothing seemed to make sense at first, and I used to have issues with that tension knob until I completely loosened up my tension. Apparently I was using TOO MUCH tension before. It's rather strange, but it seems to me that I get my best yarn with what looks to me like NO tension on that little knob. And yes, use the wheel with the center-pull ball. I would never have the patience to use the spindles! Takes too long to get anything! Make some YARN, Theresa!!!!
I'm probably doing EVERYTHING wrong...I shudder in fear thinking of the first time I appear at a spin-along party with experienced spinners watching me and making fun of my crazy movements. And a friend recently asked me (he's also a new spinner) "What drafting method do you use?" I laughed and said, "I haven't a CLUE. I just do what feels natural to me. The name of it, if there even is a name? Not a clue." But I do know that my end product has improved drastically in the few weeks I've been trying to make yarn. And that red stuff I'm knitting with now is pretty good stuff. Yes, it has some lumps and bumps, but for the most part it's pretty even. It's not in the same league yet, but it's not TOO far from the lovely stuff I bought from June of Twosheep.
Having to constantly adjust the tension of the brake band to get adequate pull for the yarn to wind on the bobbin is a known disadvantage of Scotch Tension. The other thing that goes along with that is that as you increase tension on the brake band, it becomes more laborious to pedal your wheel. Check with Alden Amos' book or even the Woodland Woolworks catalog for a good explanation. A tip I've heard, but haven't tried is to rub your drive band with rosin. This increases the grip of the drive band to the drive wheel, which means you need less force to turn the drive wheel which means that you need less brake band tension to draw the yarn in. You'll still need to increase it as the bobbin fills, but it will be less than before. Don't do this for a double drive wheel as you are counting on one of the bands slipping more than the other for uptake.
I think as you use your wheel more, you will get used to it. I have a Traveller with Scotch tension too. I don't really noticed that I have to adjust it much anymore, I just do it. As anal-retentive as I am about everything else, spinning is one thing that I have just learned to feel. The traveller has a built in lazy-kate, but I prefer to ply using a center pull ball for two-ply.
What everyone else said. You do have to periodically increase the brake tension as you spin, to compensate for the increasing weight of the yarn on the bobbin. That said, if it's really the PEG that's slipping and actually releasing the brake band tension, applying chalk to the peg will make it grip its hole better and keep it from slippping. You also won't have to jam it in as hard. You get used to adjusting the brake tension the more you spin. It's just one of those things, like changing hooks.
I just like the yarn (my favorite color, too!). Very pretty! :-)
I have an Ashford Traditional too and I remember having the same frustrations with the scotch tension. When my wheel arrived it had a little instruction packet. The instructions specified that the tension should never pull more than very slightly on the spring coils. This was my saving grace at first. Whenever I sit down at my wheel and do all of my beginning adjustments, I make sure that the tension is just barely pulling on the springs.
But here's what I've really found helpful: after my initial adjustment I just fiddle. The point of the tension is to regulate how quickly and with how much force the spun yarn moves through the orifice and onto the bobbin. How quickly and with how much force are both preference based decisions. If I've pre-drafted my fiber I want more pull; if I'm drafting as I go along I want more time and less pull. And I just adjust accordingly. When I realized that scotch tension was a tool to help me, not something important to set up just right to make the wheel function propperly I had so much more fun with my spinning.
Good luck.
As someone who's just got a new Ashford Kiwi I'm really glad to read all this. I think I finally cracked it this week after an age of fiddling with that peg. I've no advice to give except that it's probably going to come with practice. I've done both andean plying and centre pull ball plying with the wheel, I'm at the stage where I want to see what it looks like plied and I'm making a lot of little balls, each a bit better than the last.
Gosh, I learn alot from your comments!