Pink Lemon Twist: Spinning

I have another sweater quantity spinning project (honestly, there are several in the stash), but I decided to spin a single, 4 ounce braid using double drive as a kind of fibery palette cleanser. The majority of my spinning has been done using Scotch Tension and that is definitely the system I'm most comfortable with. For non spinners, there are three systems of spinning wheel mechanics that determine how the yarn is wound on to the bobbin once the twist is added. Sometimes the bobbin pulls it on (Irish tension), sometimes the flyer wraps it onto the bobbin (Scotch Tension), and then there's double drive which I don't fully understand, but somehow the bobbin gets wound. It could be more spinning magic. I'm sure I've got a book upstairs that explains it, but I'm writing this without the benefit of caffeine (yet - there will definitely be caffeine, I'm just not there this morning), and wheel mechanics might make my head explode.

Anyway, once you get double drive set up properly, you don't have to make any adjustments to it as you fill the bobbin. In Scotch tension, you have to adjust the tension on the brake band as the bobbin fills to counteract the inertia and slow the bobbin so your yarn can wind on. This is one of those physics things - it takes more energy to stop a heavier thing that is in motion than it does to stop a lightweight thing. (Pink Lemon physics lesson before caffeine!). It's not uncommon to have to make several adjustments over the course of filling a bobbin. This isn't a super big deal and most spinners get a feel for their wheel and make the adjustments they need as they spin, but if you're spinning a large quantity of fiber and you want it to be consistent, using double drive can make your life easier. Since I have two wheels that can be set up as double drive and plans for more sweater quantities of spinning, I thought it would be good to learn more about that system. Just another trick in the toolbox.

So I started spinning a braid of 50% Merino/50% Mulberry Silk that was dyed as a gradient (Beesy Bee Fibers in Dark Crysalis). I started with the gray end and there was definitely something off with my take up. There's no brake band in double drive, so adjustments are made by increasing or decreasing tension on the drive band.

After the gray section, I spun the middle section that had gray and some colors. While things are better, it still wasn't winding on with enough pull to avoid some tension issues, although the worst of the little pigtail twists are gone.

Finally, by the time I got into the colored section, I was getting somewhere in my adjustments and wind on was much better. Spinning is moving smoothly now and I'm starting to get a feel for double drive. I don't feel like I'm ready for a big project on double drive yet, but I might keep playing with smaller fiber amounts and get some more double drive practice under my belt. It's definitely been a learning challenge, but I'm enjoying it!