Spinning for the Seismic Goddess

I have started on the 8 oz of Roving for the Seismic Goddess.So I'm not positive but I believe this is 2 oz. I don't have a scale but my 8 oz came as two pieces, one of which I split in half~ish. It is two ply and mostly spun from the fold. I only counted a hair over 87 yards which surprised me. Because if it really is a 1/4 of my weight, then I'll end up with less than 350 yards for 8 oz? Does that sound right at all for a laceweight?

Anyway. I love it. Although I under spun it. Again. I can tell because it didn't require enough twist to balance it during plying. in some places it is just barely plied and more like carrying two strands together. I'm correcting this on the rest of the roving by giving it a little extra spin before winding it on the spindle. Hopefully this will give me a plied yarn I'm happier with.

Speaking of the rest of the spinning there was some talk of rolags on Ravelry and I expressed a desire to spin from them but not make them. I didn't want to spend what little free time I have carding. Well lo' and behold the genius of Ravelry brought forth a link to Southern Cross Fiber with a simple way to turn my pretty combed top into rolags in moments. I'm applying that technique to the next 2~ish oz.

Another forum on Ravelry was asking for tips we wish we knew from the start. My response went a little something like this...

I prefer spinning clouds or from the fold or rolags to top.

I do a LOT more pinching when all the fibers are lined up the same way and it was hard on my hands. But when the fibers are all jumbled up they hold themselves together.

Spin with fibers you love touching, not what is cheap. Sure you are learning, but it is so much more fun when you love what you are touching.

Also, add more twist than you think you need in the single. My plied yarns don’t have as much twist in them as I want because I never seem to add enough twist to my single.

Also my preferred methods of plying are with an Andean bracelet or ply on the fly. I’ve learned that if I plan to 2-ply with an andean bracelet that once that bracelet is on my wrist I pretty much have to ply all the way to the end of the single. So maybe I don’t want to spin all four ounces into a single. Maybe. Joining skeins while I’m knitting really isn’t that big of a deal.

I'm still knitting on my Hitchiker on the bus, when I get to tired to spin before bed and while I'm waiting for processes on my computer at work.

Meanwhile, I'm contemplating what I want to knit with my finished Seismic Goddess...