# Spinning- New Tool for Me!



## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

I have a spinning wheel I want to sell, but all the bobbins (and I have at least 6 big bobbins) are full of singles that I haven't plied yet. They've been sitting there for a while, so I won't be able to tell from the way the newly plied yarn acts to tell if it's balanced but I need to ply the yarn and get it off the bobbins so I can sell them.

_But,_ if it's balanced, the fibers in the strand of yarn will, when it's plied, seem to be going in exactly the same direction as the length of yarn. So, you can _see_ if the yarn is balanced!

But, of course, the fibers I used are very fine, so they're hard to see.

So, I thought I'd need a magnifier, and immediately started searching on Amazon for a linen tester. Linen testers are little magnifying glasses set on a folding frame with measurements on it. They are called linen testers because they were made to count the number of threads in linen fabric to see how fine it was.

This is what a linen tester looks like: https://smile.amazon.com/Carson-LinenTest-Counting-Magnifier-LT-30/dp/B0011X4722/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487720002&sr=8-3&keywords=linen+tester

Well, that was great, but I kept looking because you never know what you'll find in a product search like that.

And here's what I found: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000VL1YNA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=LOT3O1BOU8QL&coliid=I1D283B1OIYA86&psc=1

It has greater magnification than most linen testers, and has a little snap-on flat piece (reticule), that puts the measuring in the center. In addition to that, it has a little protractor, which doesn't tell you the number of degrees in the angle, but will let you use it to compare the ply angle at various spots along the yarn, which can really tell you a lot.

I've seen some spinner's aids that look a lot like the reticule, so I suspect that this is going to be a really useful tool.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/269997091/the-spinnerzz-gauge?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=spinner%27s%20control%20card&ref=sr_gallery_2

I've seen cards like this with a protractor for twist and ply angle, too, but can't find one right now.

Here's the info you need to measure yarn as you're spinning/plying it to check every so often to see that you're being consistent: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss14/KSFEATss14KS.php

The link above is worth it's weight in gold to any spinner!

My loupe arrives tomorrow, and I'm all excited.


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

That is a super link to knitty article. I read it several months ago and of course forgot about it. Let us know how that loupe works. OK?


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## Woodstockgranny (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks for all the resources!


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## Lillyhooch (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks for information and links. Look forward to hearing about your loupe.


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## Goodshepfarm (Jul 20, 2014)

Lots of info. Nice read, thanks


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## Cdambro (Dec 30, 2013)

Nice read...thank you. Did you get your loupe?


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## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

Well, it arrived. The print on the reticule is blue, not black like in the photo, but blue is my favorite color.

The solid lines on the protractor part are every 10 degrees, with tic marks and the 5 degree points between.

I'm going to try it out later tonight.


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## desireeross (Jun 2, 2013)

Such great info, thank you


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