Spinners create yarn. While hand spun yarns look very nice arranged in baskets and used as home decorations, we do have to face the fact that there is a limit to the number of decorative yarn arrangements that our homes can handle. There is also a limit to the amount of storage space we may have available for our yarns. Therefore, logic dictates that we plan at least some of our spinning projects with a clear end use in mind for the yarns we create.

When spinning for a purpose, the first step must be to define that purpose. So the starting point is deciding on the end use of the yarn. Once the end use is known then we must figure out how, exactly, we will get from point A to point B, with point A being the selection or designing of a pattern and point B being the completed project. Think of your pattern or design as a road map, it contains much valuable information about reaching your destination.

Once you’ve chosen a pattern, sit down and read through it. Yes, read the whole thing through carefully and completely. Does it call for a technique or a stitch you’re not familiar with? Do you understand any abbreviations or charts used? If the pattern contains instructions you do not understand, this is the time to pull out some old, left over yarns and sample and practice any new techniques or stitches and to figure out what any confusing instructions mean. For example, if you are planning to knit socks and have never done so before, there is no reason whatsoever why you can’t work through those tricky heel turning instructions with acrylic knitting yarn and size 8 needles before spinning up some nice fine Merino fleece for making socks on size 1’s. No need to work a whole sample sock – just cast on the needed stitches, knit a couple row, then move right to the heel flap, turning, and gusset and then end the swatch. While working a sample piece takes time, it saves headaches (and heartaches) and gives confidence.

When you read your pattern, make a note of the information you’ll need to create the yarn. In knitting patterns, this is most often given as a description plus a size number, such as: “Fingering weight (#1 Super Fine)”. Here is a link to my article on Standard Yarn Sizing, which will give you the range of numbers of wraps per inch (wpi) needed to spin different weights of both single and plied yarns: art15510

Consider your spinning skills – can you easily spin the size of yarn needed or will you need to learn new spinning techniques? If you’re working towards developing a new spinning skill, plan to have some extra fiber on hand for sampling.

Check the yardage of yarn needed. Note that some older patterns do not state the yardage necessary for knitting a piece. If your pattern does not include this information, go here:
art9121 to find full instructions for figuring yarn requirements. If you plan to weave your project, don’t forget to add loom waste to the total amount of yarn needed or plan to tie onto a dummy warp to save your hand spun yarn.

Look closely at pictures of the project. If the pattern does not state exactly what the yarn is – the breed or sheep or plant used to spin it and the blend you may want to consider buying a skein of the recommended yarn if you wish to duplicate it exactly. If using wool, think about the qualities of fleeces from different breeds and how the different characteristics might affect the final outcome. For example, if you want a nice warm woolly sweater, then Suffolk fleece would be preferable to, say Lincoln. You may wish to sample different breeds, fibers, blends, and spinning techniques before deciding on the perfect combination for your project.

If your pattern uses colors, consider dyeing your fleece or yarn. This is the time to figure how much fiber you will have to dye to make the amount of yarn needed. You will need to figure the area for each color, not forgetting to allow yarn for any floats or carries, to arrive at the yardage needed. Which means that you will have to spin a sample of the yarn you intend to use for your project and work up a sample swatch in the pattern stitch or weave structure to be used to get your gauge or sett. Measure your swatch both before and after finishing to figure any allowances that need to be made for take-up and shrinkage.

Finally, make a copy of your pattern to keep in your project notebook. Use the copy for making the project to avoid marking up your book or magazine and to keep a permanent record of your work. All of your notes, samples, etc. can also go into your notebook.

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