Twisty Situation

Well, so that plying experience didn't go so well . . .

I plied my singles last night, starting winding everything off into a skein and . . . woah. Way, way too twisty. Not even remotely balanced . . . but, why?? My last skein came out perfectly . . . Sigh. And, of course, the hardest part is figuring out whether I've over-plied or under-plied . . . I never can figure that out without a lot of experimentation.

So, really, what I need to do is run this whole bobbin through the wheel again, adding (or subtracting) twist as I go to get it to balance out.

That wasn't the only spinning adventure tonight, either. The lower drive band on my Little Gem has been slipping lately, and the people at Majacraft were nice enough to send me a replacement. The hard part was getting it ON. I had to unscrew the treadle crank in order to slide it out far enough to exchange the drive band.

In fact, I actually did the unscrewing/screwing on Sunday, with one of those annoying but ubiquitous allen wrenches, but when I'd gotten everything back together, the wheel didn't treadle properly--the pieces weren't correctly lined up, or the screws were too loose (or both) and when I tried treadling last night, I got a *thump* *thump* *thump* with every rotation . . . so, clearly, that wasn't going to work.

It seems like it's working now, even if a couple of those screws aren't as tight as they should be--but at least the wheel spins now, right? My Journey Wheel is still being difficult, though. I think the string drive band has stretched out so badly at this point that there's really not much I can do by tweaking the tension. It's been weeks now, and I still haven't finished plying those first bobbins of singles . . . a darn shame, since they're so pretty. I think I'd like to get it a nice, modern, stretchy drive band, but since there aren't any spinning stores nearby (that I know of), I'll have to order it . . . which means, more waiting. Worth it, though, if it gets my Journey Wheel journeying along again, right?

In other news, we got our new dishwasher today . . . a little roomier, and theoretically quieter than the last . . . except, there's this . . . vibration. My bedroom is right above the kitchen, and while it was running and I was sitting here, on my floor, in front of my computer as I always am? . . . You know what it's like to be in the next room from somebody playing loud music, where you only hear the boomp-boomp of the bass, but not the actual tune? I have a problem being on the other side of the bathroom wall when my Dad's using his sonic toothbrush, because that vibration--or what makes it through the drywall--goes right through my ears. Well . . . guess what happens with the vibration/noise of this new dishwasher when I'm sitting in the room above it? I have such a headache right now, though it's thankfully stopped now . . . The worst part? The cycle for the LIGHT wash is 86 minutes long. Our old dishwasher was 33 minutes. But, that's an hour and a half, and I'm regularly up in my room around 9:00, when the dishwasher is still going to be going strong . . . I'm either going to get used to it (I hope) or this is going to be a serious logistical problem. We can't run it until after my shower, which is around 7:00 at night. And I've never been able to stay in the same room as the running dishwasher because the detergent-smell in the air gives me a headache . . . so the dishwasher can't start until 7:30-8:00 at the earliest . . . Uh-oh.

But, for now? I want to go close my eyes....

Comments

[Teresa C]

I wish I could help with the wheel problems, but I haven't the experience.

Did we get the same dishwasher? I am having a little problem with mine. My dishes, especially, but not limited to the plastic cups, taste and smell strongly of detergent. It is annoying the life out of me. I have taken to making a baking soda and lemon paste to clean my travel mugs and stainless steel thermoses. I must have my tea at work, or you know, EVERYWHERE I go. To take a sip of my really good teas and taste detergent is frustrating at best. Mine is quiet though, or at least as quiet as I think you can expect and we don't have it in a spot that we would notice any movement. Maybe the wheels that rotate and spray are off balance somehow. Can they be adjusted?

[Sue]

Have you tried getting the unbalanced yarn wet? If the singles were sitting on the bobbin a while, the twist would be "inactive," so when you plied it the plying twist overpowered the singles twist. Getting the plied yarn wet reactivates the singles twist so you can truly see if it is balanced or not.

As far as knowing which way to run it through the wheel again- take a length of the unbalanced yarn and double it. If it wants to twist "Z" then run it through the wheel in the "Z" direction (clockwise). If the doubled yarn makes an "S" twist, run it through the wheel as for "S" (counterclockwise).

Could you run the dishwasher in the morning instead of at night?

[jessie]

Sorry to hear about the spinning woes. Sometimes it's a small but persistent problem that can seem insurmountable when you just want to get down to business.

As for the washer, it sounds like you have some sensory things going on there! When I was little, my ears could pick up an incredibly high-pitched buzz in certain stores (which I believe was a security system, but could have been fluorescent lights or something). I was the only one who could ever hear it and my parents thought I was making it up. It drove me CRAZY.
(That sensitivity is gone now, as is the highest range of my hearing, I suppose. Ah, age.)

One wonders why the cycle is now so long. To compensate for the "silence"?

[beth]

Will a stretchy drive band from an Ashford fit the Bosworth slots? If so, I have a ciuplo of stretchy bands in my shop. You have to fit them and then cut them and kind of weld them together with a flame. it's kind of a pain in the arse to do. Once it's done though it's all good.
Sorry about the gem. Problem is that everything is so close together on that wheel it's hard to get your fingers in there. Have you considered taking the band off of the wheels when you'r not going to use it for a while. That might help them not to get stretched out.
I have the same noise problem with my washing machine. It's right above the dining room and I can't be in that room if the washer is working. Worse if you can't escape from the sound to your room though.
I have stuff to tell you about Penny but I think I've rattled on long enough.

[Carole]

It's frustrating to always have to mail order things. As for the dishwasher, perhaps it can be run during the day when you're at work instead of in the evening?

[Carol]

Life is fun huh? Good luck on your spinning adventures, hope the issues go away and your headache too.

[minnie]

there's nothing i can think of to shorten your drive band short of cutting it and re-knotting it. you could use some kitchen cotton for a substitute band (that's what i've done). once you get the tension just right, it actualy works pretty well. at least til you get a new band ordered.

and i'm sorry about the dishwasher. don't know what to tell you about that one either, lol. maybe you could stay in your parents' room? or maybe a spare bedroom if there's one available? i dunno.

[Lizzy B]

If you're still having wheel issues next week we can look atthem together. I'm pretty good at fixing pesky wheels. :)

As for the Dishwasher, I have a suggestion, but it involves altering your daily routine a bit. Perhaps instead of running the Dishwasher at night, you could leave the dishes in it overnight and run it in the morning when you leave for work so that when you get home you could put the clean dishes away and not have to endure the cycle's full run. You'd of course have to ok it with the family but it might save you aggravation in the long run.

[Kristi aka Fiber Fool]

Balancing the plying is my biggest nemesis. I've kinf og figured out the 2-ply, but since I mostly knit socks I want 3-ply and that seems to still be a bit of a crapshoot. I'm so glad we can take away and add twist though, even if it is more work.

I'm worry to hear about the new dishwasher being a pain for you. I think Lizzy B's suggestion is a good one if it'll work for your mom and dad.

[Stephanie]

I am still at the point where I'm just happy to get my singles plied. To heck with balanced. Sheesh, that's way too complicated. I generally run my dishwasher at night while we're sleeping. Would that work for you? Oh, and I found that Ecover, Seventh Generation, or Method dishwasher detergents work pretty well and they don't have the same smell while it's running.

[Rebekah]

Wow, w hat spinning adventures, or nightmares, depending on how you look at it. I feel like such a spinning newbie after reading your post.

[Jen]

Stupid question from a spinning newbie... How can you tell that they're too twisty? The yarn looks like it's laying nice and straight - I would think it's fine... shows how much I know!

[Chris]

I hope your spinning woes are over!! My brother and SIL got a new dishwasher last weekend and it's the same way - that bonedeep vibration is unpleasant...

[Gracie]

I'm glad you got everything situated with your wheel! I am sure it can be a challenge!

I'm jealous of the diswhasher... ours sucks...

Give Chappy a hug from us.

[Carol]

86 minutes????? Wow! That's a long time. Maybe running the dishwasher really late? Like right before everyone goes to bed? Can you feel the vibe when you are in bed?