To Ply or not to Ply or even How Many to Ply?

So many choices...

Now depending on how you started your spinning journey, who and where you received your advice from, you may get the impression that the spinning police are waiting for you to do something your own way just so they can nab you.  They will make an example of you on what YOU SHOULD NEVER DO and you will forever feel bad about breaking the so called spinning rules.

Well being the closet rebel that I am ......

THERE ARE NO SPINNING POLICE AND YOU CAN BREAK WHATEVER RULE YOU WANT!!!

Now that's out there (yikes!!)

As Captain Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean) said about the pirates code, "is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules".  The same applies to many things you are told with spinning.

Not all wool needs to be plied.
Not all singles need to be plied only with another single.

Now I am a creature of habit and usually ply two singles.  I just can't bring myself to knit with un plied yarn.  There is nothing wrong with that, its just not my thing.  But after about 5 years of spinning I finally plied three, yes three singles together.  And, they were different fibres.  Alpaca, Border Leicester and Suffolk X.  (A bit out there, <eye roll> but what the heck.)  I recently found out that most commercial yarn is more than two strands plied together so thought I would try it out.  The result was a fuller yarn.  So far I have Tunisian crocheted mittens and want to wash these a couple of times to see how the combination of fibre types go together before I choose my next creation from them.

When you ply your yarn it creates balance and makes your finished product stronger.  Your knitting is less likely to lean to one side and it often seems to even out any lumps and bumps in your singles.  But plying can be used to create something special and unique.  It may be a colour combination that when knitted ends up looking like a tweed.  You may spin fat singles then ply them with something thinner to create particular effects.  You may ply two wool singles and add a cotton metallic thread for shimmer.  The possibilities are endless.  

I have read multiple times Handspun and Intertwined, both by Lexi Boeger.  If you are wanting hints and tips to do something a bit different with your plying (and spinning generally) try to source these from your local library.  Of course if you find you must add them to your collection the usual online book sellers should have them.

The folks at Spinning Daily have produced a how to guide on Plying.  Check it out at http://www.spinningdaily.com/media/p/8590.aspx  And most of all, be daring and experiment.

So if you wonder why you are told to ply your yarn its because that's how it is usually done.  But remember, it is more what you would call a guideline rather than a rule.

Happy Spinning. :-)