Full Spindle? 5 Ways to Unwind Your Singles

As we spin happily along with fiber in one hand and spindle in the other, eventually, we get to the point where we need to stop and wind off the cop of singles. If you plan to ply your singles, there are different ways to either ply directly off the spindle or rewind the singles to prepare for plying. Which method is best? As usual, it depends! Here are five common methods and some of the pros and cons to help you choose.

Spindle Kate

Pro: No rewinding necessary
Con: You need to sit or stand in one place while plying
Likely used when: Plying on a wheel or suspended (drop) spindle

To ply right off the spindle, most spinners use some type of box, basket, or stand that allows the spindles to rotate as the singles are unwound. Some spindlemakers design lazy kates that do just that (for example, Golding Fiber Tools has two types of lazy kates), but you can also adapt a basket or rig something out of recycled materials.

Kate adapted Karen Williams’s simple spindle kate design for her supported spindles.

Karen Williams shared her simple spindle kate design, which allows drop spindles to hang from inexpensive fishing swivels—genius! I like using an adapted design for some of my supported spindles. Often, my supported spindles have turnings or shapes that make[PAYWALL] resting in a horizontal kate tricky. Short spindles can be kept upright with a twisted bit of handspun (as Karen used in her design), or longer spindles can poke out of the box top.

Plying Ball

Pro: No additional tools are needed
Con: Winding takes time
Likely used when: Plying on any type of spindle, but could also be used when plying on a wheel

This classic technique is useful for every spinner to know. Two (or more) singles are held together and wound into a ball. When ready to ply, a length of the paired singles is unwound from the ball, and twist is added—easy! No tools are necessary, but many people start winding the ball around something else, such as a ball of scrap yarn, a rock, or a ping pong ball.

If you want to stay with the classic, low-tool approach, simply hold your spindles of singles between your toes and start winding the ball! Or you can use a spindle kate and keep your socks on. Devin Helmen makes a case for plying balls and shows us a common wrapping pattern.

Plying Stick or Nøstepinne

Pro: Portable and ergonomic plying
Con: Winding takes time
Likely used when: Plying on suspended or supported spindles

Plying sticks use the same principle as a plying ball, but the pairs of singles are wound around a stick instead. I find that winding does take more time, but holding the stick as I ply using a suspended spindle is ergonomic and easy to pick up and set down. A plying stick with singles and a spindle tuck neatly together in a bag, making them easy to take on a hike or trip to the doctor.

Winding onto Bobbins

Pro: Easy to store lots of singles for large skeins
Con: Extra equipment necessary
Likely used when: Plying larger skeins on a wheel

If you are spinning for a large project on spindles, this is a great yarn management approach. As you fill each spindle, simply wind the singles off onto storage bobbins. Then, all the singles can be mixed together when you are ready to ply. This makes consistency in your plied yarns more likely in the end. I’ve posted some tools and techniques for using a bobbin winder for handspun singles.

Because spindles sometimes hold less fiber than you might want to load onto a large storage bobbin, you might want to splice several batches together. For example, I often load the singles from three charkha spindles together onto a storage bobbin. In my charkha storage video, I show how I splice the three together rather than tying knots.

Ply on the Fly

Pro: No additional tools or time needed
Con: Works best with a cross-arm spindle
Likely used when: Creating a gradient chain-plied yarn and amusing oneself by spinning and plying a finished yarn all in one go

After a bit of practice, this technique is sure to wow a crowd. Usually done on a cross-arm (Turkish) spindle, “ply on the fly” allows you to spin several yards of singles, wind them onto your hand, and then immediately chain-ply by turning the spindle in the opposite direction. No rewinding or spindle kates necessary! As you can see on Karen Williams’s spindle here, the cop is chain-plied yarn and several yards of singles are stored and ready to wind off for plying.

Photo by Tim Janneck

There are different ways to hold the singles and manage the spindle and loops as the chain is formed. Shell Feda shared their ply-on-the-fly technique with us.

Which technique is best?

In my own spinning, I use every one of these methods. There isn’t one “correct” technique, but some will be the best fit depending on the singles you are spinning, the size of the project you are creating, and the likelihood you will be plying in the comforts of home or on the go.

Enjoy!
—Kate

Check out our new issue—Spin Off Fall 2024—to learn more about spindles! Our amazing authors have explored suspended spindles, supported spindles, grasped spindles, driven spindles, oh my! Whether you are a new spindle spinner or an experienced hand, we hope to inspire your next project!

Kate Larson, editor of Spin Off, teaches handspinning around the country and spends as many hours as life allows in the barn with her beloved flock of Border Leicesters.