Welcome to The Spinning Barn!
And welcome to Part 3 of my blog series, Considerations of a Hand Spinner. If you were with me for Parts 1 & 2, where we explored different fibre choices and spinning techniques welcome back! But if you’re just joining me now, don’t worry—I’ll catch you up on how this series came to be and why it’s such an important topic for hand spinners.
Over the past twelve years, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching countless new spinners and welcoming them into the wonderful world of hand spinning. Each of you has brought your own unique touch, and I’ve been continually inspired, intrigued, and proud of your achievements.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting not just on the joy of teaching new spinners, but also on the essential considerations every spinner—whether new or experienced—should keep in mind when embarking on a new project.
That’s why I’ve decided to create a blog series entitled Considerations of a Hand Spinner. In this series, I’ll dive into the different aspects of a spinning project, offering insights that will hopefully inspire you to explore your own spinning practice more deeply. My goal is to help you understand what’s happening at each stage of your project and why, setting you up for success with every spin.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with spinning purely for the joy it brings. I encourage you to do just that! Spinning can be one of the most relaxing and mindful activities, and the more you enjoy it, the more you’ll want to spin. However, by taking a moment to reflect on the areas I’ll be exploring in this blog series, you can unlock a whole new level of precision and fulfillment in your hand spinning journey.
I hope you’ll join me in each instalment as we explore these considerations together. And as we go through this journey, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences along the way!
Up to now, we have covered fibre options and spinning methods. Today, I want to shift the spotlight to comprehending the wheel's tensioning systems and their impact on your hand spinning. Let's delve into some of the factors to consider, knowing that there are likely more than I can address in a brief post.
Hand spinning is a craft where the feel of the process is just as important as the techniques and tools we use. Developing an appreciation for this tactile aspect takes time and experience, and it varies greatly depending on the fibre type and the desired yarn. Even the smallest adjustments in wheel tension can have a big impact on the outcome. Tension plays a crucial role in controlling the smoothness of fibre flow onto the bobbin and the amount of twist in the yarn, ultimately affecting both the ease of spinning and the yarn's quality. Read on to learn how to check and adjust your wheel’s tension, why it matters, and how it influences your spinning projects.
The three main systems are:
Scotch Tension (Single Drive)
The drive band goes around the flyer and a separate brake band controls the bobbin.
Adjustment: You adjust the tension by tightening or loosening the brake band, which increases or decreases the pull on the bobbin.
Double Drive
A single drive band loops around the flyer and the bobbin, usually in a figure-eight configuration.
Adjustment: You adjust tension by tightening or loosening the drive band, which controls both the flyer and the bobbin’s rotation speed simultaneously.
Irish Tension (Bobbin-Lead)
The drive band controls the bobbin, and a separate brake band controls the flyer.
Adjustment: Tension is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the pull on the flyer brake band.
Why Tension is Important
Tension on your spinning wheel controls the amount of pull (or "take-up") that draws the spun yarn onto the bobbin. If the tension is too high or too low, it can affect your ability to spin smoothly and consistently.
High Tension: If the tension is too tight, the yarn will be pulled onto the bobbin too quickly, and you might not have enough time to draft the fibre effectively. This can lead to over-twisted yarn or broken fibre if your drafting speed is uncoordinated.
Low Tension: If the tension is too loose, the yarn won’t be pulled onto the bobbin fast enough. This often results in the yarn just sort of sitting there between the hands and the orifice and gathering twist further compounding the problem as the extra twist can't move past the flyer hooks and onto the bobbin.
How to Check and Adjust the Tension
The goal is to find the "sweet spot" where the yarn is being spun and wound onto the bobbin evenly and comfortably. If you have ever watched me spin you may have noticed that when I am initially checking my tension I tend to sit upright while I am concentrating but at the moment that it feels just right I instantly relax back into my chair. At that point I know I have found that sweet spot and can continue my spinning in a comfortable and relaxed way, just as it should be. When the tension is correct the spun yarn should sit in a straight line between your hands and the orifice and move comfortably straight onto the bobbin. If the yarn kinks up at this point then the tension is too low so a small increase in brake band tension will help. If it feels as though the yarn is being grabbed out of your hands or you have to hold in tightly to the fibre then your tension is too tight, relax it a little bit.
1. Start with a Relaxed Setting
Always start with a low or relaxed tension setting. This allows you to gradually increase the tension as needed.
Spin a small length of yarn and see how it winds onto the bobbin. If the yarn is not being pulled onto the bobbin at all, increase the tension slightly.
2. Increase Tension Gradually
Adjust the tension on the brake band in very small increments. Spin a short length of yarn after each adjustment to feel the effect.
Continue adjusting until the yarn is being taken up smoothly, without pulling too hard or too loosely. If the fibre keeps breaking, the tension might be too tight, so relax that take up a little bit.
3. Check the Feel of the Yarn
If the yarn feels over-twisted or is hard to draft, your tension may be too tight. In this case, reduce the tension so you can draft more easily.
If the yarn feels under-twisted and loose, increase the tension so the wheel pulls the yarn onto the bobbin more quickly.
4. Monitor Tension as You Spin
As the bobbin fills up with yarn, the tension may change slightly due to the added weight of the yarn so keep checking it throughout your spinning session.
Adjust as necessary to maintain an even flow of yarn onto the bobbin.
How Tension Affects Spinning
Tension directly influences three key aspects of spinning: twist, take-up, and drafting.
Twist
Too much tension causes the yarn to be pulled onto the bobbin before enough twist is added, resulting in under-spun yarn.
Too little tension allows too much twist to build up before the yarn is drawn onto the bobbin, leading to over-spun, wiry yarn.
Take-Up
Tension controls how quickly the yarn is taken up onto the bobbin. The balance between spinning and take-up is crucial.
Too much take-up (high tension) makes it difficult to draft because the yarn is pulled away before you can draft enough fibre.
Too little take-up (low tension) can lead to the yarn bunching or curling up as it doesn't wind onto the bobbin quickly enough.
Drafting
The ease with which you draft fibre is impacted by tension. Higher tension can make drafting more challenging as the yarn is pulled away faster.
Lower tension gives you more time to draft, but if it's too low, you’ll struggle to wind the yarn onto the bobbin.
Holding the fibre
The way in which we hold our fibre supply also impacts on how the fibre is drafted and taken onto the bobbin. By holding the fibre as gently as possible not only will you be able to draft more consistently but the easier it will be be for the fibre to move freely towards the bobbin in unison with the tension and our treadling speed.
Common Tension Issues and Fixes
Fibre Keeps Breaking: If your yarn breaks often while spinning, reduce the tension. This gives you more time to draft the fibre and apply twist before it’s pulled onto the bobbin.
Yarn Feels Too Tight and Over-Twisted: This suggests the tension is too loose. Increase the tension to draw the yarn onto the bobbin more quickly, reducing excess twist.
Yarn Doesn’t Wind onto the Bobbin: If the yarn isn’t being pulled onto the bobbin, increase the tension gradually until the take-up starts to work.
An Additional Note
As you can tell from the information so far, the tension greatly influences the amount of twist in our yarns. However, in reality this can also be affected by the gears or ratios that we choose as well as the tension. I shall discuss gears and ratios fully, with a snazzy video in another post as I feel it deserves a highlight all of its own.
I hope that this brief look at tension will help you to achieve that consistent yarn without frustration. Learning to adjust tension based on the fibre, desired yarn characteristics, and spinning style is key to successful hand spinning so why not experiment with a variety of fibres and focus on the changes to the tension that you have to make to achieve that smooth, consistent yarn for each one. This could be a very useful exercise to aid you in your future spinning projects.
As always I would love to hear your thoughts and if you have any comments or suggestions or questions do please get in touch. I am always here to help you on your spinning journey.
Happy spinning.
Bye for now
Theresa
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