Plying Yarn From Medieval Spindles & Thoughts on Historical Accuracy

[@JillianEve]

The final information on the 3 ply came out to 119 yards, 1.5 oz, 14 WPY/ DK weight and it is so soft and light, not ropey at all! I imagine it could fluff into a worsted after I wash it. Happy spinning friends!

[@nbthor]

Great video! Thanks. As an academic medieval historian I have a couple of thoughts. 1. You approached the question with a great deal of rigor, explained your limitations and the choices you made. That is as much as anyone can ask. 2. Plausibility is as much as any one can hope for without a time machine. 3. Experimental archeology can answer questions, but I think its greatest value lies in the questions we start asking as we try to solve these historical problems. They are questions you would never even think to ask if you didn't try to do the thing. Finally, kudos to you for a video that looks at history and helps with problems people are currently grappling with. That's some grant worthy stuff.

[@JillianEve]

Thank you so much! It means a lot when people recognize the amount of research I put into my videos! 🥰💜🧶😊

[@StephanieMayfieldDIG]

I think it is naive to think everyone in the past did a thing only one way. People are always tinkering and throwing things together. If it is historically possible and it works then I would bet someone has done it that way.

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

That's my htought too. And that's what I want to show when demonstrating pre-historic techniques (with plant fibers). WIth the little that is found it is impossible to tell exactly how they did it, but I can show some possibilities.

[@lauriemumm3407]

I've done historical re-enactment for 26 years and I've done a fair bit of research on spindle spinning. What I find interesting are the historical videos and videos from remote parts of the world where spinning is still an everyday activity. I see quite a few different techniques being used to spin and ply. I also see a lot of differences in construction of the tools. I think there probably wasn't a universal "medieval" spinning style but a lot of different styles depending on the area. I also suspect there are a lot of different solutions to the same problems like plying from a spindle. What I see there with the blocks works beautifully.

[@oddveigvorkinnslien9753]

My grandmother, who was born in 1917, always said: « If you are plying yarn, and your bobbins run out at the exact same time, you will die!» This was probably an old saying to comfort the spinner, beceause this almost never happens, but as a child I found it creepy😳 I got my first dropspindle when I was 9 or 10 years old, but we did’nt have much access to wool, so I did’nt get to learn it that well. It was my facination with the viking culture that made me want a dropspindle in the first place. I am from Norway, so this is very much our cultural heritage. Now I have three dropspindles an an Eel Wheel 6, and I love to spin! Thank you for your educational videos, they are great!

[@Marialla.]

I love the idea of taking a historical person, bringing them into a present day fabric store or wool store, and saying "take your pick and let's see what you would make of this". 100% absolutely they would be overjoyed to use the wealth of colors and textures we have available! I feel like this is the opposite of historybounding. HistoryLeaping, maybe? Instead of taking a historical twist onto modern clothing, it would be putting a modern twist onto historical clothing.

[@JillianEve]

Yes! I love it! Imagine taking great, great...great grandmother to the beading section of a hobby store! 😯😲😍

[@DandySprat]

My whole spinning vibe is working with/re-purposing antique and thrifted tools. So I like to ply from my spindles by winding them onto old commercial weaving spools that I can stick on a mini lazy kate - I call mine Kit Sister - and then ply from there by spindle or wheel. My large DIY country spinner also only has one bobbin, so I've rigged up a way to use the drive band to wind off singles onto antique spools. It's been a fun and wild ride getting my rig set up!

[@deborahspins2909]

Thank you so much! You are just so cute! Your smile makes my day 🤗

[@JillianEve]

😁🧶❤

[@oakstrong1]

I have only one spindle, so when that is full, I wind the yarn around a toilet roll tube. I have two toilet roll holders with a heavy base, so they don't move around (but the toilet roll tube does) that allows me to ply two yarns back to the spindle. The doorknob method was what we did as kids when we needed thicker yarn or string for loops for hanging clothes or towels. I'm sure everyone is familiar with that: tie one end of the yarn to a door knob; twist tightly all the way; tie the other end to the same knob and let it twist around itself while the twist loosens, making sure the twisting is even. The longer the yarn the harder it gets, so it was useful to have someone holding the yarn apart and letting it come slowly closer while the other did the twist smoothing.

[@塩田花野]

First of all, your apprearanse is stunning Eve♡ And those blocks are absolutely cool!! Those are all what I need to ply from spindles so I am going to get a pair and say good bye for basket!!

[@JillianEve]

Yay, thank you! Happy spinning! 🧶😊❤

[@shadowcat5889]

I love the way the apple wood turned out

[@elisacurbelo5594]

I love the medieval music soundtrack as you are plying

[@Gigimamapa5]

Hi Eve, I love the medieval dress. Awesome! I like the plying blocks, also. They work well. It looks authentic enough for me.

[@KristinMoran]

I thought I recognized those soapstone whorls from Hershey Fiber Arts! I love her spinning tools. The spinning blocks look great!

[@Coastalwoolwashing]

Floof noodles! If you ever do merch I want a floof noodle pin!

[@sonjanordahl3158]

So far I've been winding off the spindle and making a ball to ply from.

[@aliciazdavis7674]

I'm new to spindle spinning. In class, I was shown how to make a plying bracelet. It seems to work for now, but I like the idea of the plying blocks.

[@beverlylooper3927]

I can share with you the images I've seen in renaissance portrayals and the stories my parents and grandparents have told me about their earlier days. They actually had more than one person winding yarn and plying yarn, a woman would wrap the yarn around someone else's outstretched hands, then she would begin winding or plying while the other person(s) gently let go of their side of the yarn, and they would work in harmony. According to my dad, whether it was another woman helping or a man or children..it was considered rude to leave a woman without someone to hold the yarn for her, and she would often be sitting on her front porch while doing this (it was sort of a old fashioned way of being sociable) but I've also seen these wooden claws like ]-------[ that some people used,but I don't know how common they were cause I only saw it once, and my dad told me they made it themselves.

[@avionpiscean33]

Oh gods. I had to pause the video when you made that apple comment. I cracked up so hard over that. Just wow. That caught me off gaurd.

[@JillianEve]

🍎😂

[@misspugandpomeranian]

What an amazing video! Thank you so much for all the videos you have made! You are trully an amazing and intelligent lady, not to mention what a great teacher you are! I have learnt to spin because of your videos, thank you so much, the knowledge that you share is priceless 🤗😄😃

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

Magic again !!!

[@kieraoona]

btw love the outfit and the veil and braids you have going on is super cute!

[@Sarah-KateH]

Fabulous…!

[@MajaElise95]

I imagine for plying you could easily end up doing it with help. Imagine doing this as an evening winding down task with the kids. Or just straight up having the kids do this task on their own with one of them holding and the other spinning.

[@nariseconnor7775]

Love this!! I’ve been plying my spindle spun yarn with the two strand ply ball. (Lmao and my espinner)

[@mollywithak1697]

I’ve been spindle spinning for a few months now and have gotten pretty good, I’m at a place where I can do a 2-ply embroidery floss weight yarn that I’m really proud of. But I have only ever plyed with an Andean ply bracelet, it’s worked for what I’ve needed so I’ve never thought to expand. I love your videos though, experimental archaeology for the win!!

[@paulinetravis9994]

Thank you

[@theredtower1334]

Because most of my historical spinning is done using Navajo spindles (similar to Turkish spindles) I have usually used the traditional braided plying method which results in 3-ply strands. But, whether this way or with 2 strands, I've usually used two weighted cardboard boxes in the same way that you used the plying blocks. I think I have a project for my husband. 😄 Love the dress. I had one a similar color, but it was a German style dress from about 900. I miss it. Need to make another, I guess.

[@rosakoko5049]

I love your video!!!💖❤️💖

[@TheOddWad]

Thanks for sharing all of this awesome info with us! I am a complete newbie to all of this.. obsessed and haven't yet spun anything, but I feel so much more prepared to start!

[@SuperSarahbop]

Ian a spinner I have a preference for a ply on the fly technique. I’ll spin a good amount and then wind that onto the palm of my dominant hand . This is a form of Navajo plying or chain ply. So it comes out 3 ply that works well with long color shifts. The best part though is how easy it is to test if the twist is balanced. By letting the yarn create a long u shaped loop if the twist is balanced the played yarn does not twist upon itself.

[@Which-Craft]

As for plying, I don't own a lazy (sorry, Clever) kate. I've wound the singles onto bobbins which I put on a dowel, but lately I prefer to just drop the spindles upside down in individual little baskets and ply from there. Seems also to help even out the twist as I go.

[@bejeweledwalrus]

Really cool video! I always think there's something special about doing the same art form as your ancestors did, it's like making a multigenerational connection with people you've never met. Personally 100% accuracy isn't something I think we need to strive to achieve. I like to think my ancestors are just happy I'm carrying on the art in any form at all.

[@inwhichalex531]

This satisfies all of the nerd in me

[@cherylstraub5970]

I disagree that natural dye can't be bright. They can be very bright in truth. It is all a matter of what you use to dye with, the mordant, and concentration of the dye bath.

[@JillianEve]

They can be bright, but probably not "blue raspberry slush" or "electric lime green" bright. 😊🧶❤

[@dawanariley4183]

I think 🤔 I like historical. I love Viking history

[@CarrieCraftGeek]

Definitely call it Millie! 😂😂😂

[@JillianEve]

You caught that! 😂🎶🎶🎶

[@CarrieCraftGeek]

@@JillianEve I laughed so hard

[@hollylaw8272]

Very nice! I think it is fun to do research and understand the "why" of how the people of the past did things. I really enjoy your historical content! Update on myself... I finished printing my 3D printed sock machine. I'm just waiting on the needles and hope to be able to make a bunch of socks soon. By the way! You look like you are feeling better than before. I'm so glad! Been praying for you!

[@sarahfisher3131]

I learn so much from your historical videos! I'm watching them because I'm actually doing a bit of research on the fabrics of late antiquity. I know that Northern Europe is your own particular specialty, but I particularly appreciate the Anatolian tools you sometimes use (Turkish drop spindle and these plying blocks, for example). Do you have any videos specifically about the spinning techniques of the Mediterranean and the Levant?

[@draughtoflethe]

A term that I've heard used among the historical cosTuber community is "historically adequate," which I think really drives at what you're saying about understanding that "100% historical authenticity" is not actually a realistic goal, even when attempting to use original practice techniques and approximating historically-available materials. I think the most important thing to remember when doing this sort of experimental archaeology (or even just having fun with historical-ish techniques and materials) is that even way back in history, people were people. They were going to do what made their lives easiest and their tasks most efficient with the technologies they had available, and when they could get away with it, they were going to cut corners and make mistakes. So in some ways, trying to be absolutely perfect *isn't* actually period, because the people making these things historically weren't, most of the time, trying to make museum pieces; they were making everyday, serviceable items that were going to get used, get dirty, and not necessarily be seen from all angles. So historical adequacy seems like a fine goal to me. :)

[@8amonas]

I don't know if this is part of a technique?! But I ply my warn by twisting together "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" threads, they just love each other and bind together very nicely. I've made a thing that holds two robins and spins around allowing me to pull the thread and spin it into one, I wind it by hand on a stick and then on bobins

[@resourcedragon]

Regarding the colours: if we look at some of the very brightly coloured illustrations that medieval people left behind, I think you are right that they would have loved to have worn those colours.

[@emilywarner6177]

Plying ball and bowl. Trying a nostepinne for my silk spindles to see how that plys.

[@cosmicgeologist]

i exclusively use turkish spindles so i just leave the ball in a yarn bowl and pull from both ends

[@elineeugenie5224]

Hi folks have you seen this or heard of the Andean ply? There's a channel called Material girl who's done a short showing how to do it. It's basically a way to ply one spindlefull down the middle if that makes sense. I'd put in the link but Yt won't let me

[@abittwisted]

Accuracy can't be achieved because of all the local areas around the world used techniques not known to other people. So it is perfectly fine to have your own nearly accurate because your rendition is just as relevant as theirs. Im working on splicing Yucca and Flax fibers for a rather historically accurate way to make threads then use a simple spindle stick or what ever to ply those into a single thread with splices blended in to make the whole strong yet not really spun in the current sense of the word. Twisted is more like it. No need for true plied thread to be accurate.

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

I use ply balls with clay pots,

[@astralura]

im an absolute maniac who winds their whole cop manually onto a bobbin.......... yeah..... To be fair Im still spinning much smaller amounts. My largest spin to date was just under 100 yards on a Turkish spindle. I also don't have enough spindles to ply straight from the spindle. I only have 3 spindles that are vastly different from each other.

[@agnesvamos4597]

Hi Eve, I have a question. Could you throw some chopped up synthetic yarn onto your blending board and spin that into a new yarn? Just wondering.

[@MsLadyhorse]

Not really applicable to this video, but I have a chain plying question that might apply to both. What do you do if one of your singles breaks while plying? How do you attach it again? Especially in chain ply for me, cuz I just learned how this morning, and am having some untwisting problems. I am using a drop spindle because my wheel is WAY to fast for me to keep up with the chain.

[@JillianEve]

I just tuck it in or sandwich it together with some overlap into the previous loop. Then I keep twisting. It usually evens out when I finish the yarn. 😊🧶

[@MsLadyhorse]

@@JillianEve You don't get a space of 4ply lumpiness where the join is? It doesn't really affect the overall yarn for me, since I'm the only one going to be using it, but if there's a smoother way, I'd like to know, just so I can practice it.

[@MsLadyhorse]

@@JillianEve and thank you so much for replying. That is what I did, I kinda figured that would be part of the solution. You're such a wonderful teacher!!! Now I guess it's just practice to get it not lumpy at the join?

[@JillianEve]

@@MsLadyhorse I don't mind the lump personally. You could do various join techniques but at that point it will be treated more like yarn than pre-spun fiber if that makes sense.

[@katethegrape7074]

Omg you're adorable

[@fakiirification]

I dont give much weight to verified historical accuracy. There is so much information lost that there is no telling how advanced the ancients and even our more recent ancestors were. For instance, the Romans and Greeks had wood and metal and probably stone lathe technology, and the great writers of the day mention it in passing as if its just a normal thing that their audience should know about, the way writers today toss out references about advanced things like cars or airplanes, because EVERYONE knows what that is, right? They knew about gear ratios and mechanical advantage, even knew about the power of steam. The only reason the industrial revolution did not happen in 200 A.D. is because slaves did all the work and there was no shortage of them nor moral dilemma over using and abusing them. So any time you are trying to recreate something historical, but you don't know how they did it, just look at what your trying to do, and ask yourself how you would do it with the tools they had available. any answer you come up with is valid because for all we know, someone somewhere at some time probably did it that way.

[@treelore7266]

Medieval period was way more inventive than people give it credit. e.g. firearms were a medieval invention. We tend to see it as a tolkienesque world where nothing changes for 3000 years. And it also had guilds which kept secrets of the trade very jealously, and probably village women did it too, just as they did with bread recipes. If the general technology of the day allows it and the social complexity as well then it's ok to me. All technology is made up anyway.

[@archeanna1425]

What was historically accurate for the way one woman at one end of the village made bread or spun yarn or plucked chickens or braided her hair may not have matched what was historically accurate for another woman in the same village in the same year, let alone generation. Life wasn't ordered on Amazon, it was made up moment by moment and season by season. My Ukrainian grandmother, who was part of a well-off family, knew that the way she made cabbage rolls was different from the way a poor Ukrainian farmer's wife made cabbage rolls. She knew that you had to use a different recipe depending on whether you were using good cabbage or the kind of cabbage her family saved as feed for the pigs. Both types of cabbage rolls were 'authentic'. When I asked her for her borscht recipe, she looked at me strangely then said, 'Well, you go out to the garden and you see what is ripe.' I'm so glad I had her in my life. Happy Grandmother's Day, Nana.

[@deemg2830]

This is absolutely a beautiful. Thank you for sharing this!

[@mommabumble]

Thank you so much for posting this! I was going to fi you had not! lol Even two people trained in the same school aren't going to do things the exact same way even if they are trying to so how much less identical would people who haven't even seen their neighbor for years.

[@SusieQ3]

I think what matters most is that cabbage rolls are delicious! If my ancestors could have made large batches and frozen some for later consumption, I know they would have. That said, I'm going to pull some out of the freezer for lunch, and be historically accurate in our modern context ❤

[@Marialla.]

I love watching you casually spin, wrap yarn on your hand, add it to the cob, and remove and replace the half-hitch all without looking, while you chat with us! It gives me such vibes of a normal historical woman doing these things as she goes about her daily life.

[@JillianEve]

I'm just trying not to embarrass my ancestors. 😂

[@hadleyjolley3375]

Honestly, spinning (and knitting and weaving) has made me appreciate industrial cloth production. I can do this for fun because the machines do it for everyday wear. I do feel connected to the past without having to try to much to be "historically accurate"--my ancestors would do magic loop too if they had access to a flexible 40-inch circular needle. I think part of that comes from my mother and grandmothers all knitting, so it feels like when I pick up spinning or weaving that I'm re-introducing arts that were lost from my line.

[@PermaPen]

Oooooh, that is a gorgeous yarn! Impressed that you can stand and chat and not look at the fleece you're spinning. Historical accuracy vs possibility - I imagine they are the same thing. Ask 10 people how they do something and you'll get 13 answers. I enjoy hearing all the possibillities, thank you! I love those woodblocks! When not being employed for plying they can hold my rolls of foil and greaseproof...

[@SusieQ3]

I would ask my mom how to do something and get 13 possible ways, just from her! I think people are so determined to attain what they think is a perfect standard, that they're forgetting that there's multiple ways to do something.

[@DAYBROK3]

colour was expensive, some were not as fade proof, but they had quite vibrant colour. natural dyeing is so much fun.

[@Which-Craft]

Thank you for reminding people that we can really only make educated guesses at historical accuracy. Humans as humans haven't changed that much and I've no doubt some serious creativity happened back then, too, so it's more likely that experimentation happened more often than we think. This is why I love the SCA but will not join officially - I just can't be stuck in someone else's concept of "the way it was done".

[@fakiirification]

correct. The modern human brain has been roughly in the same state for the past 250k or more years. Meaning any idea you have today could have occurred to your far ancient ancestors as well. historical possibility is probably more accurate than historical accuracy, because those verified facts only belong to one specific people, not the whole world where there were probably as many methods as there were tribes.

[@jeanbadeaux1486]

As always Evie your immersion into these topics takes me away with you. For me, not that I've been spinning that long only about 2 yrs, its always been about going back to the basics of how spinning in general has lead to where it is today. I adore that I can take fluff off of a animal and spin it into yarn then make something useable with said yarn. I constantly think about who discovered this possibility, found the tools, and made the first piece of yarn. I find it absolutely fascinating! Much love and Happy Mother's Day my friend 😘🐑🥰

[@jirup]

I've arduously hand wound my singles into balls for plying. Granted, the spindle I have been using requires the cob be removed before releasing the whorl. So it doesn't lend itself to a box, basket or blocks. I like the blocks though, just need to buy a couple of new spindles (and who doesn't like an excuse to buy more kit). I'd like to make a ruffled scarf, using wool in a mostly bamboo warp and bamboo weft. When it comes to historic practice, I'd say adequacy is more achievable than accuracy. Historically possible is within the grasp of modern people, so long as there aren't too many gatekeepers trying to spoil the fun.

[@christenagervais7303]

Well, that is just so logical!

[@luminalsaturn2]

Pretty yarn! Hmmm… Half-split firewood just got a lot more useful lol! I use ply-balls in my apron ‘dress’ my friend made me out of a denim skirt that was *way* too big for me. She put a truly GIANT pocket in the front; and I sewed a two-compartment ‘plying-pocket’ insert out of some extra fabric I had. If I’m working with one ply-ball, I just stuff it up my sleeve! XD

[@JillianEve]

Oh wow! I love it!

[@sophiafeist6211]

Hi! Love your videos- you've helped me so much in learning to spin- and as a textile historian it's so interesting to see you experimenting with techniques! Just came down to leave one note: people definitely had very brightly colored textiles all throughout the Middle Ages. Natural dyes (as opposed to post-industrial chemical dyes) can produce VERY bright colors- it just takes a lot of dye, so it was expensive to make bright colors. Most natural dyes also fade over time/with exposure to light, so surviving medieval textiles have become darker or paler than they would have been centuries ago. So no caveat necessary on the bright colors!

[@LeoFieTv]

I have found that a heavy earthen jug works great for all kinds of winding and other thread working where the ball/spindle/whatever tends to dance around. The trick is to loop the thread through the handle once. My jug holds about 1 litre of liquid, it's not that big, but because it's delft, it is rather heavy and stays in place nicely no matter how much the ball dances around in it.

[@greenecrayon]

Every time I hear someone who is academically studying the history of crafting, dressmaking, and many other things of that nature, they all say, "all we can do is make educated guesses." So I'm inclined to believe that it is always a guessing game but all notes are allowed.

[@Bellbebell]

This is the coolest video!!!

[@TheMetatronGirl]

The CosTube community refers to it as “Historically Plausible” because there’s no way to know with certainty that anything is historically accurate. I love knowing how my ancestors did things, but I know if they’d had the tools available that we do, they’d have used them!

[@kieraoona]

I'm currently in the process of spinning and weaving my own apron dress, more of an experiment to see how well (or not well) I could pull it off with a straight weave, as the warp threads being triple loop plied, and the weft threads being double plied. Mainly as I'm a mostly beginner at weaving, but more also to see how long it would take, how much it might cost, and something warm for the winter for just lounging in (cause it gets hecking cold her in Canada). Is it historically accurate....not by a long shot. Do I think it'll look cool or at least be comfortable when its done? I'd like to think so

[@JillianEve]

It will be amazing! 🧶💙😊

[@ahmetkemalgurel5730]

It's so interesting to see the plying blocks. I live in Turkey and my mom tells me about sometimes her grandmother's plying yarn and color work knitting gadgets as she remembers. Seeing these items in your wonderful video brought back all the distant childhood memories of my family. Actually I don't know if they were using specifically these kind of tools but still, it's nice to think like that

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

We must renember the delicate precise fine tuned equipment was less likely to survive. Chunky cruder tools will survive.

[@annikasamuelsson2185]

I like "historical possible". What you say is true, it is imposibly to knew everything and get hold of teh exacly same material. Historical possible thinking have opende a door for my thinking about spinning.

[@antonemberbroque4452]

What I am trying is just wrapping my yarn into balls, and then just plying from those balls into a drop spindle. Edit: Update: it worked pretty well for making a 3 ply, tho I had 2 get my mom to help me keep the threads separate, another set of hands helped a lot.

[@AndreaAlexander]

Beautiful work! 😍 I also love your whole outfit, especially the handmade belt!!

[@clumsystitcher]

If we can think of it now someone probably thought of it then. It might not have been common but was probably used. I could definitely see the wood block idea being used at some point in time

[@melanie_kay_6014]

*takes apple* What could possibly go wrong?

[@JillianEve]

😂

[@ruthbartholomew9848]

Super informative! Need to get started.

[@fyrecraftedgaming]

Wonderful! I have been trying to think of a better way to ply from a spindle and I think I'll try this when I can 😃

[@amandasalg1497]

I love that 3ply you made! Absolutely beautiful ❤️ Watching you spin makes me want to learn how even more. I've told my husband and kids this is what I want for mother's day lol 😆

[@californiacapybara]

Giant floof noodles!

[@eileenfb1948]

It is much the same with knitting styles and techniques, each part of the world had it's own way of doing things in a slightly different way. I love hearing of how things were once done very simply. Learning those techniques is important to me so they are not lost forever. I have ordered myself a Turkish Spindle after becoming very interested from seeing what you are doing. Thank you.

[@coralcee]

Love it, possibility rules, as long as it’s close to authentic, it’s your Authentic. New project for my son to make for me.

[@jannaolsen3557]

So loved this video! You are so brilliant, informative and entertaining. A joy to watch. I love spindle spinning and spinning in general but I am a chronic newbie. I am trying to practice more methodically and read more of my spinning resources. Trying to get serious I guess you could say. You are an inspiration beyond words and your period clothing is very cool. Love those spindle holders for plying too Dancing Goats awesome! I use the dollar store plastic mesh box variety that makes them go everywhere. Thank you for your excellent work!

[@abittwisted]

Going to have to make a pair of wood blocks for my shop for my own rendition of a lazy Kate and still use bobbins or spindles which ever is used it would work. Heavy blocks with handles to move about as needed and have lots of holes for multiple threads including using it for warping the loom with my thread.

[@LadyValkyri]

Beautiful yarn! And I love the blocks. Very cool! Hugs

[@theedwardianwriter]

A little late to the party, but I’m a spindle spinner who currently owns a grand total of 3 spindles and that’s it. When it comes time for plying, I am basically obligated to measure it all out on my “niddy noddy” (aka laundry drying rack) and then ball it up into two balls before then plying it back onto a spindle. This block looks like a really clever way of getting around the problem! Another thing I’m interested in is that the wool I’ve been working with lately still has a noticeable amount of lanolin in it, so it’s quite sticky especially coming off of the spindle. Would be interested to compare ease of plying or possible problems coming off of the spindle vs already balled up, but maybe I’m overthinking it!

[@penelopehemingway4515]

There's not much evidence of plied yarn in medieval times. Most wool ended up being woven, remember, which is singles. When knitting started to come about, around 15thC (late medieval), that may also have been predominantly singles, just spun with bigger girst. Knitted hats being the real extent of it, we think. So the vast majority of spun yarn spun on spindles like those or spindle wheels was never intended to be plied. In other words - it's not a medieval problem!

[@EtherealOde]

I agree with the concept that we have modern machinery to make things currently, so any way in which we try to replicate the way things were done in the past is the adventure. Unless there is an actual need to make an exact replica, then whatever way works for you is historically accurate. In ancient times, and even today in many places, the way things were made and used was a result of what was available. For instance your plying blocks. You chose the wood, but another person would choose a solid log that wasn't infested with bugs or wormy, and wasn't going punky from rot. Houses around the world are made differently even in the same towns and neighborhoods. Some people garden, others only shop for food. While I would love to see a piece of the past in action, there's a lot of physics and other things we need to learn as a species to make that possible. We're constantly evolving, which is what makes doing things like this interesting. Keep up the adventure, and do what you love. >3

[@jwstanley2645]

Thank you so much for the video. You look so cute with your foot poking out of your long dress pumping the spinning wheel while talking. As for how I would do it, I don't, but I am grateful to run into your video. As for historical accuracy, I can say a couple of things. One, if done well, historical speculation can show us all how human our ancestors were and how human we still are, through the ages, so wonderfully human, age through age. I also love the twists of words and how their meanings have shaped and been shaped by the work we humans have done through the ages. True, we cannot know for certain the details of our ancestors' lives and logical 'guesses' are what we have. Still, it is helpful to respect those possibilities because they also teach us to respect possibilities among our contemporaries and not assume we understand everything or everyone. Truely, carding, spinning and weaving have long been remarkable skills too easily taken for granted in this machine-driven age. Thus, we should all respect our ancestors as intelligent, skilled, and wonderful people. I had never thought of plying as a verb in quite this way. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and passion. Also, I have to admit, that while watching you pump that wheel with your foot, I imagined women of old, sitting with their wheels and gossiping about how silly their men were, lovingly, of course.

[@Chloecat12345]

Omg first comment!! So excited to watch

[@JillianEve]

First!!! 🎉 Happy spinning!

[@tenaoconnor7510]

Those blocks are cool 😎 i just got my roving in the mail a couple of days ago. Spent an hour trying to use a double whorl spindle i got from Etsy. Didn’t go well. Set it aside so i can watch your video again and see what I’m doing wrong lol

[@marcireale]

Your channel is so enjoyable. It feels like a friendly chat. 💖 I roll my singles into center pull skeins and then ply from those. It means an extra step, which is a nuisance.

[@Marialla.]

I'm curious whether the direction that the spindle unwinds could have any influence on how a plied yarn comes out? Like, if you set them all so the thread unwinds off the left side of the spindle, would that create a difference in the product compared to having them unwind from mixed/random sides?

[@JillianEve]

I haven't seen any particular difference myself. Now, if it was toilet paper, I would have very serious feelings about which way it should unwind.

[@Marialla.]

@@JillianEve That's great! I'm not experienced in it, and not technical enough to mentally project what the answer would have been, so I thank you for your knowledge. And you're absolutely right, TP does elicit strong opinions!

[@kristiereed1403]

Where do I find a yarn swift that the one in your background? It’s beautiful.

[@gerryivkovich1857]

I have only plied a spindle yarn once and that was with a plying ball. I LOVED this video. Keep it up. Blessings.

[@Madmak4215]

I think a good mix of both accuracy and possibility is the best way to go! You're still keeping yourself within time period parameters, and I think that just makes it more fun

[@Jjj333ke]

Evie, this is brilliant! I can't wait to try out this type of plying spindle holder! I've been scratching my head for a few weeks now :P

[@vernonbowling5310]

Your enthusiasm is contagious I love it !

[@gbdfawoman]

Giant food noodles!🤣

[@JillianEve]

😂😂😂🧶

[@Marialla.]

Those plying blocks are so simple and clever! I love that. Also, the picture at 5:40 of women combing is so interesting. The combs are as wide as her body! I've never seen combs anything like that big. Lol I'm commenting as I watch, so I can't wait to see whether you make mention of it yourself later in the video...

[@JillianEve]

They are so huge! I wonder if that is entirely to scale or if the artist drew them larger to really show of the tines? I don't know but it seems like they would be super heavy if they were that large. 🤔

[@Marialla.]

@@JillianEve The thing that makes me think they are to scale is because she's using two hands to hold one. If it was enlarged to show details, surely the standard one-hand grasp would still be shown? Also the way that second comb is affixed somehow NOT in her hands.

[@GaraksApprentice]

I recognise this manuscript image! Those are most likely English style combs, which were indeed that large. English combs are *much* larger than the Viking style - they often had up to five rows of tines. They were common in the time period my group re-enacts (1350-1450), and before/after, though I'm not sure how far out they go on the timeline. One comb is fixed to a post (nowadays a bench) and the fibre lashed onto it, then combed off with the other. They were heated in a brazier (the bowl with the red inside it between the two combs on the ground) and dipped in oil/fat before use, to protect the wool during combing. Peter Teal's book "Hand Woolcombing and Spinning" gives some history on the English style combs, as well as instructions on how to make them.

[@Marialla.]

@@GaraksApprentice Wow, those are some great details! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@awaredeshmukh3202]

​@@GaraksApprentice re-enacting sounds so cool! How did you get into re-enacting such a specific time period? (Also, awesome username haha)