The Hepty: High Whorl Spindle, cherry, 22grams. Henry C. Edwards Plying Stick: Sapele. Alexandra Iosub
and a bit of shameless promotion!
The Hepty: designed and hand made by Henry C. Edwards; Plying Stick: designed and hand made by Alexandra Iosub
Palette Box: Western Red Cedar with birch plywood interior trays designed and built by Henry C. Edwards
The Palette Box:
Its perfection
is clear
even if the photos
are not.
 Removable Trays! |  The lid, upside down.. See the heart? |
The Hepty
Seven Sided
high whorl spindle
1. It won't roll of the table
2. It doesn't need a notch (those facets do the job)
3. It is fast-- a quick roll up a leg and then it flies
4. It goes and goes and goes
Seven Sided
high whorl spindle
1. It won't roll of the table
2. It doesn't need a notch (those facets do the job)
3. It is fast-- a quick roll up a leg and then it flies
4. It goes and goes and goes
5. It is Balanced (straightens with a touch of the knee should it ever wobble).
6. The Shaft is buttery to the touch but with enough friction to really get going.
7. It is sturdy and short enough to spin while sitting in a chair
8. It turns the previous-pair-of-spindles-I-use into a group of three
6. The Shaft is buttery to the touch but with enough friction to really get going.
7. It is sturdy and short enough to spin while sitting in a chair
8. It turns the previous-pair-of-spindles-I-use into a group of three
 A Wooden Boatbuilder by trade, Henry tries out a new paddle | If you are interested in the Hepty, you can contact him at [email protected]  Oak Whorl; 28 grams by Henry C. Edwards |
Plying Stick --
This simple object might be as self-explanatory as a Palette box,
but I'm going to blather a bit nonetheless because mine, at first, looked more like a fragment of a Ponderosa Pine struck by lightning than an essential and life changing tool.
But first, I have to back up a few steps.
Though a spindle spinner long before I touched a wheel,
plying was always a pain in the neck:
two ended balls (or separate balls), endless eyelashes,
too much to juggle and everything twirling in a different direction.
Then I met Ed Franquemont * and ever after
have followed his simple advice:
wind your singles together into a ball-- parallel but not twisted--
THEN add twist in a second step.
The reasons this works are many but I will spare you my diatribe and say only that doing this one "extra" thing has turned plying frustration and eyelash hell
into another pleasant part of the soul-satisfying process of making yarn with a spindle.
*There are endless wonderful things to say about Ed Franquemont and all he shared with the textile community. To learn more, google him, spend time with his marvelous daughter Abby Franquemont and read her book Respect The Spindle
Back to the stick thing.
Winding the parallel strands of singles into a ball works pretty well for a two ply yarn, but a few years ago I wanted a spin-ply-knit-as-you-go project for some upcoming travel and decided a three strand chain ply yarn would be perfect. The stick (pictured below on the left), onto which I wound the chained (but untwisted) singles turned out to be the answer to an unasked question, and has become my go-to tool for all spindle plying no matter the number of strands.
Both the winding and the subsequent unwinding, are easier than ever.
This simple object might be as self-explanatory as a Palette box,
but I'm going to blather a bit nonetheless because mine, at first, looked more like a fragment of a Ponderosa Pine struck by lightning than an essential and life changing tool.
But first, I have to back up a few steps.
Though a spindle spinner long before I touched a wheel,
plying was always a pain in the neck:
two ended balls (or separate balls), endless eyelashes,
too much to juggle and everything twirling in a different direction.
Then I met Ed Franquemont * and ever after
have followed his simple advice:
wind your singles together into a ball-- parallel but not twisted--
THEN add twist in a second step.
The reasons this works are many but I will spare you my diatribe and say only that doing this one "extra" thing has turned plying frustration and eyelash hell
into another pleasant part of the soul-satisfying process of making yarn with a spindle.
*There are endless wonderful things to say about Ed Franquemont and all he shared with the textile community. To learn more, google him, spend time with his marvelous daughter Abby Franquemont and read her book Respect The Spindle
Back to the stick thing.
Winding the parallel strands of singles into a ball works pretty well for a two ply yarn, but a few years ago I wanted a spin-ply-knit-as-you-go project for some upcoming travel and decided a three strand chain ply yarn would be perfect. The stick (pictured below on the left), onto which I wound the chained (but untwisted) singles turned out to be the answer to an unasked question, and has become my go-to tool for all spindle plying no matter the number of strands.
Both the winding and the subsequent unwinding, are easier than ever.
 Plucked off the ground in a moment of winding frustration, this plying stick changed my spindle life for good. |  Alexandra Iosub's elegant interpretation of my rough plying stick |
So that's all it is, actually
a stick for holding yarn while you ply.
Almost silly to say all this stuff about it, except I want to rave about Alexandra Iosub's version
which takes my simple chunk of unburned firewood to a whole new level of plying pleasure. Alex's sticks
-are balanced and lovely to hold while winding
-keep the strands in place
(no accidental sliding off one side)
-unroll in the hand with smooth and sensual pleasure as the spindle twirls toward the ground
-are available in her Etsy store!
a stick for holding yarn while you ply.
Almost silly to say all this stuff about it, except I want to rave about Alexandra Iosub's version
which takes my simple chunk of unburned firewood to a whole new level of plying pleasure. Alex's sticks
-are balanced and lovely to hold while winding
-keep the strands in place
(no accidental sliding off one side)
-unroll in the hand with smooth and sensual pleasure as the spindle twirls toward the ground
-are available in her Etsy store!
A quick overview of chain plying with a spindle
Using the singles straight off of your spindle:
1. fold the end of the singles into a loop,
2. pull another loop of singles through that loop
(length can vary -- I like to make my loops 12 - 18 inches long unless I'm adjusting for color)
3. stick a finger through the new loop and hold the 3 strands taught (two strands of loop + the singles going to the spindle) and wind onto the stick.
4. When your finger holding the loop gets close to teh stick, pull another loop through it.
5. When your spindle is empty and your stick full, start adding twist with the spindle.
Using the singles straight off of your spindle:
1. fold the end of the singles into a loop,
2. pull another loop of singles through that loop
(length can vary -- I like to make my loops 12 - 18 inches long unless I'm adjusting for color)
3. stick a finger through the new loop and hold the 3 strands taught (two strands of loop + the singles going to the spindle) and wind onto the stick.
4. When your finger holding the loop gets close to teh stick, pull another loop through it.
5. When your spindle is empty and your stick full, start adding twist with the spindle.
 Spun on an 11 g turkish spindle, chained onto a plying stick, then twisted and sound back on the spindle |  Chain plied singles provides a means to turn long stripes into short controlled bursts of color/ value |
Do any of you use a plying stick? Have you seen one?
I think it must be what Elizabeth Zimmerman called an 'unvention.'
I think it must be what Elizabeth Zimmerman called an 'unvention.'
Me 'n My Box ©Sarah C. Swett 2016
Oh golly, and one more thing! The Classes are set for the Palouse Fiber Festival
Descriptions will be up soon, and Registration Opens 1 March.
See you next week!
Descriptions will be up soon, and Registration Opens 1 March.
See you next week!
