Heart Hook Homespun

Fiber Spinning Fun

  • About
  • Spinning for Absolute Beginners
  • Fiber
  • Drop Spinning
  • Wheel Spinning
  • Contact

How to Draft Fiber for a More Consistent Yarn

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. See our disclosure policy for more information.

May 8, 2020 Ashlea 1 Comment

2.7K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Reddit
  • Email

If you are learning to spin your own yarn, I am willing to bet that you have gotten frustrated trying to obtain a consistent thickness. There are various factors at play when achieving a consistent handspun yarn, which we will discuss today.

drafting fiber consistently

Drafting Fiber for a More Consistent Yarn

Drafting refers to the pulling apart of fibers so that you can add air and twist, ultimately turning the fiber into yarn. How thick or thin you draft your fiber will determine the weight (fingering/Sport/DK/Worsted) of your single bobbin. How you ply your singles will also effect the finished weight, and gaining consistency in this takes nothing but practice and time. These tips for consistent drafting are sure to help!

1. All Thumbs

Thumbs play a much more important role in consistent spinning than one might think. It is imperative to stop the twist from getting past your thumb and into the fiber source. If this happens, you get a big, twisted, mess that you must then untwist. If this happens, untwist the fiber with your fingers, and pinch again. Note that a death grip is not necessary, just enough to keep the twist from getting past it.

2. Staple length

First and foremost, find the staple length of your fiber, and then divide that number by two. Why, you ask? Because by knowing that my staple length here is between 4 – 5″, I know that if I draft half of that length, I should – theoretically – never get just one end of the fibers (causing a thin spot), or a huge clump in the middle (causing a thick spot known as a slub, see below), meaning that I should always maintain a consistent thickness of fibers in my drafting zone.

handspun yarn slub

Related: How to Fix a Slub

3. Know your drafting triangle

The drafting triangle refers to the literal shape at the end of the fiber as you draft from it. It will form a triangle as the fibers are gently pulled apart. Try to always grasp the fiber from the drafting triangle in the same spot (meaning how far down the triangle you start to pull), as this helps with consistency.

Drafting triangle spinning yarn consistently

The farther down on the triangle you grab the fiber, the thicker your yarn will be.

This takes nothing but practice, and helps to ensure that you are always starting to draft that section using the same amount of fiber.

tips for drafting consistent yarn

Remember the staple length tip above?

I have moved my thumb down, allowing the built up twist to travel down the drafted fiber. Now I am ready to grasp the fiber again – from the same position on the drafting triangle – from which I will pull approximately 2″.

It is also important to note that the twist will always gravitate to the thinnest spot of your fiber. If the yarn gets too thin and has too much twist in it, it can snap. If you find that you have a thin spot, introduce more fiber to that section, and continue spinning as normal.

tips for consistent spinning

I hope these tips to achieving a more consistent yarn are helpful to you!

How to Fix a Slub in Handspun Yarn

Best Spinning Fiber for Beginners

What is Staple Length and Why it Matters

Fiber & Learning to Spin beginner spinning, yarn consistency

Comments

  1. Linda says

    February 23, 2023 at 3:22 am

    What direction is “down”? Do you mean toward the winding bobbin? Or rather toward the source of the fiber?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Ashlea, the fiber enthusiast behind this crazy little yarn spinning blog. I am a fiber loving crochet addict that enjoys a good audio book and long spinning session. Read more about me here.

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SEARCH

Join us!

Join the Heart Hook Homespun Spinners group on Facebook!

© Copyright 2023 Heart·Hook·Home · All Rights Reserved · Site Design Carol Jones Media · All Logos & Trademark Belongs To Their Respective Owners·

2652 shares