Drafting for Worsted Yarn

Spinning Worsted yarn makes a smooth, dense, and lustrous yarn, with the fibers lying parallel to each other along the yarn's length.  While you can use the short draw for short or long fibers, the industry uses staples three inches or longer for worsted yarns.  You want to choose a good quality fleece with long and enven staples.  Combing will yield the smoothest preparation for spinning a worsted yarn.  You can comb your own top or purchase some commercially prepared tops.  To do the drafting easily and quickly, you will want to elongate or strip the roving or top in proportion to the desired yarn size.  Then you will want to oil your wheel well and adjust the tension so it allows you to draft without adding too much of a twist to your yarn.  Work slowly until you feel comfortable with the drafting process, and you may want to use a contrast cloth on your lap to see the drafting clearly. 

Begin by deciding what type of (relation of yardage to weight) yarn will want.  Focus on maintaining a consistent fiber amount in the drafting triangle and adding a consistent amount of twist.  You want to avoid too much twist buildup, and by adjusting the rhythm of your feet and hands by slowing down the treadling or sspeeding up hand movements.  Try a large bobbin whorl for fewer twists per wheel rotation.  There are two generally accepted methods for how much lenght to draft: either one inch or about 1/2 to 3/4 of the staple length.  Try out each to see which is best for you.

• Start by attaching the length of roving to the leader thread and drawing out a few inches while you add twist to secure the join.

• The active hand stays 5 to 6 inches away from the orifice.  Its job is to pull the fibers forward and then smooth them as the twist is added.  the active hand moves forward (toward the orifice) while drawing out the fiber and then back as the twist goes into the yarn (I call this pinching and pulling).

• The passive hand hold the fiber.  Depending on the drafting lenght you prefer, it stays in about the same place behind the active hand: either (a) slightly more then a staple length or (b) about an inch and a half away.

• Begin by pulling less then a staple length or an inch of fiber from the top with the active hand.  As you draft, keep the twist pinched off with the thumb and forefinger of the active hand.

• While you prevent the twist from entering the undrafted fiber in the passive hand by pinching off at the base of the drafting triangle, release the thumb and forefinger of the active hand to allow the twist to enter the drafting zone.

• As the twist enters and compresses the drafting zone, smooth the yarn with the active hand.  The active hand follows the twist toward the passive hand and back to the starting position (about an inch and a half or just more than a fiber length in front of the passive hand).

Repeat steps 4-6.  When you're joining in more fiber, fan out the spun yarn and overlap it with a fan of new fiber; draft slowly, then add twist. 

For a thin yarn and almost effortless drafting, use a narrow strip or top.

Worsted spinning produces a smooth and lustrous yarn.