# Spinning-stuck sort of



## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

Well, I have two jumbo bobbins for my jumbo flyer for my Ashford. I just now finished spinning on the second bobbin. I already spun one braid on the first. Now, I want to ply both together. I don't have a third bobbin. Ugh. Never dawned on me until now. If I start plying on to the smaller bobbins, I will have to break my yarn each time the small bobbin fills which will happen at least 3-4 times or more. Now what? I guess I am tired because I cannot think of how to do this. It isn't like I can even go to the store and get another bobbin.


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## TammyK (Jan 31, 2011)

You could wind one (or both) of your singles off of the jumbo bobbin(s) and onto something else (like an empty toilet paper roll if it the entire length won't fit on one of the smaller bobbins). This would free up the jumbo bobbin(s) to go back onto the spinning wheel for plying. (You may need to wind and then rewind if you are trying to keep a color sequence in order.)


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## Knitted by Nan (Aug 3, 2013)

Cdambro said:


> Well, I have two jumbo bobbins for my jumbo flyer for my Ashford. I just now finished spinning on the second bobbin. I already spun one braid on the first. Now, I want to ply both together. I don't have a third bobbin. Ugh. Never dawned on me until now. If I start plying on to the smaller bobbins, I will have to break my yarn each time the small bobbin fills which will happen at least 3-4 times or more. Now what? I guess I am tired because I cannot think of how to do this. It isn't like I can even go to the store and get another bobbin.


You say that you only have two bobbins but do you also have a lazy kate because you will need one to hold the bobbins whilst you ply, and always remember that you ply in the opposite direction to the way you spun. If you spun with the wheel turning clockwise then the wheel will have to be turning in the anticlockwise direction when you ply.


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## Knitted by Nan (Aug 3, 2013)

TammyK said:


> You could wind one (or both) of your singles off of the jumbo bobbin(s) and onto something else (like an empty toilet paper roll if it the entire length won't fit on one of the smaller bobbins). This would free up the jumbo bobbin(s) to go back onto the spinning wheel for plying. (You may need to wind and then rewind if you are trying to keep a color sequence in order.)


If you would the singles onto an empty toilet paper roll how would it sit on the lazy kate? The hole in the toilet paper roll would be too big and it would not wind off evenly or smoothly.


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## kwharrod (Jul 24, 2012)

If you have a ball winder, you can wind the singles into center pull cakes and ply from the cakes. Just set the cakes into a box or bowl to keep them in place and ply from the center yarns.


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## Knitted by Nan (Aug 3, 2013)

kwharrod said:


> If you have a ball winder, you can wind the singles into center pull cakes and ply from the cakes. Just set the cakes into a box or bowl to keep them in place and ply from the center yarns.


Good suggestion.


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

You have 2 big bobbins, but do you have any small bobbins? I had an Ashford, my first wheel. I bought the jumbo flyer and bobbins, but still had the small bobbins. I would spin my singles onto the small bobbins, then ply onto the large bobbin. 2 small bobbins would ply onto 1 large bobbin. So, in your situation, I would 'spin' from the large bobbin onto the small ones - tighten the scotch tension so it feeds fast onto the bobbin - you'll fill 2 small bobbins. Then ply onto the large bobbin. It's late here. Am I making sense?


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## CoralJ (Feb 25, 2013)

I make storage bobbins from the cardboard tube from a roll of foil - about 3 inches long, but it must be smaller in diameter than the top of the ball winder. I cut two circles from a cereal packet and draw a circle in the middle using the tube to get the right size. Snip from the centre to the drawn line so one circle can be slipped over the end of the tube. Tape or use a rubber band to hold it in place. Wind your yarn onto the ball winder and hold the other end or the tube on the top and slide the ball onto the tube. Push the other circle on top of the ball and use another rubber band to hold this in place. You should now have a bobbin that will fit on your lazy Kate!


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

Knitted by Nan said:


> You say that you only have two bobbins but do you also have a lazy kate because you will need one to hold the bobbins whilst you ply, and always remember that you ply in the opposite direction to the way you spun. If you spun with the wheel turning clockwise then the wheel will have to be turning in the anticlockwise direction when you ply.


I do have a lazy kate so I will be fine with that, thanks. Today I will tackle the other issue.


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

kwharrod said:


> If you have a ball winder, you can wind the singles into center pull cakes and ply from the cakes. Just set the cakes into a box or bowl to keep them in place and ply from the center yarns.


I do have a ball winder so will probably do that. Thanks.


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

BirchPoint said:


> You have 2 big bobbins, but do you have any small bobbins? I had an Ashford, my first wheel. I bought the jumbo flyer and bobbins, but still had the small bobbins. I would spin my singles onto the small bobbins, then ply onto the large bobbin. 2 small bobbins would ply onto 1 large bobbin. So, in your situation, I would 'spin' from the large bobbin onto the small ones - tighten the scotch tension so it feeds fast onto the bobbin - you'll fill 2 small bobbins. Then ply onto the large bobbin. It's late here. Am I making sense?


You are making perfect sense and now I know to use the smaller bobbins for spinning and the larger for plying. This is one of my many learning experiences. Lol


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

CoralJ said:


> I make storage bobbins from the cardboard tube from a roll of foil - about 3 inches long, but it must be smaller in diameter than the top of the ball winder. I cut two circles from a cereal packet and draw a circle in the middle using the tube to get the right size. Snip from the centre to the drawn line so one circle can be slipped over the end of the tube. Tape or use a rubber band to hold it in place. Wind your yarn onto the ball winder and hold the other end or the tube on the top and slide the ball onto the tube. Push the other circle on top of the ball and use another rubber band to hold this in place. You should now have a bobbin that will fit on your lazy Kate!


Thank you....sounds like I will be making bobbins today. Lol


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

I got away from that problem by making cakes and plying using only one center pull cake. You use the outside thread and the center thread and ply them together. Works perfectly. I will look to see if there might be a video for you.


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> I got away from that problem by making cakes and plying using only one center pull cake. You use the outside thread and the center thread and ply them together. Works perfectly. I will look to see if there might be a video for you.


Yes, that would be a good solution for those 2 large bobbins of single ply you have. I have done this quite a lot.


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

There is a video on YouTube it is called spinning-plying from a center pull cake. It is a pretty good video. The only thing I do differently is when I take the cake off of the ball winder I slip my thumb into the center hole and hold the cake in my hand while plying. I find that this keeps the yarn from collapsing in on itself and tangling. It also allows me to have great control over the tension while plying. This is the only way I make 2 ply yarns anymore, it does take a bit of practice to get comfortable with this method but well worth learning. It also helps so that you have no waste or left over yarn on one bobbin after you use up all the yarn on the other bobbin when plying with 2 bobbins.


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

spinlouet said:


> There is a video on YouTube it is called spinning-plying from a center pull cake. It is a pretty good video. The only thing I do differently is when I take the cake off of the ball winder I slip my thumb into the center hole and hold the cake in my hand while plying. I find that this keeps the yarn from collapsing in on itself and tangling. It also allows me to have great control over the tension while plying. This is the only way I make 2 ply yarns anymore, it does take a bit of practice to get comfortable with this method but well worth learning. It also helps so that you have no waste or left over yarn on one bobbin after you use up all the yarn on the other bobbin when plying with 2 bobbins.


Thanks....I will take a look.


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

When I use my ball winder to make a cake to ply onto itself, I will put a toilet paper roll over the winder part. Some brands fit better than others, and I cut them down in height so the are slightly shorter than the winder post. It keeps the cake from collapsing in on itself, and allows me to put the whole works aside if need be.


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

Yes, that is a good thing to do simply because it can happen. I don't do it and sometimes wish I had because there may be times you have interruptions and have to put your cake down. I slip mine over one my maidens if I have to put it down. Normally I don't stop once I start to ply unless it's an emergency. But the toilet paper roll would work great. Thanks for the post as I did forget to mention it in my other post and it is an important thing.

quote=BirchPoint]When I use my ball winder to make a cake to ply onto itself, I will put a toilet paper roll over the winder part. Some brands fit better than others, and I cut them down in height so the are slightly shorter than the winder post. It keeps the cake from collapsing in on itself, and allows me to put the whole works aside if need be.[/quote]


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