Better yarn

 I started spinning circa 2006, because the venders that sold me the "gansey" yarns that I loved were closing. It took me years to get/make the spinning equipment that I needed, and more years to learn how to use it. I assure you that having the right spinning gear is half the battle. 

With the right gear, I can sit down with a bin of wool, and quickly spin the yarn needed for a good British Seaman's sweater. Those knitting yarns were based on 5,600 yards per pound worsted spun singles as a 5-ply. Or, I can spin 6,000 ypp singles and make a 1,200 ypp like most modern "gansey" yarns such as Frangipani. Or, I can ply up those 5,600 ypp singles as 4-ply to make a nice yarn at 1,260 ypp.

I do not need fancy wool.  After much comparison and testing, I think buying raw fleece and scouring it, oiling it, and combing it myself produces the best fiber for hand spinning. Much of the commercial fiber is treated to reduce crimp.  However, the Heinz-57 wool sold by the Woolery, can produce an excellent produce if I wash it, oil it, and comb it.   It really can be spun into fine lace yarn, and it makes good yarns for socks, hats, sweaters, and whatever.  I have spun a thousands yards of "good" singles in ~5,6000 ypp range from it right as it comes out of the bag.  It does not spin as nicely as fiber I process from the raw fleece, 

Key to this is that: Mostly, I spin worsted.  One of our famous spinning teacher tells how when she was a girl, there were 2 ways to spin. There was worsted, and the wrong way.  Woolen, semi-woolen, and semi-worsted were not acceptable. The the famous teacher goes on to tell how wonderful it was to learn all the other spinning techniques.

I accepted her wisdom, and learned all of the different spinning techniques.  I used those techniques to spin different kinds of yarns, and I knit the resulting yarns. I used the resulting objects. And, I relentlessly moved toward spinning worsted.

There are 4 reasons:

1) Speed of Spinning: A double drive spinning wheel with differential rotation speed between the spinning bobbin and the flier, allows spinning worsted as fast as it can be drafted. And worsted can be drafted as fast as the wheel can insert twist. A  double drive spinning wheel with differential rotation speed between the spinning bobbin and the flier can insert twist much faster than any other kind of  wheel or spindle. Worsted needs less twist than woolen or the "semis" and thus over all can be spun faster.  On my modified Ashford Traditional, I can spin a hank (560 yards) of 5,600ypp worsted single in Alden's golden hour of 48 minutes. In 5 hours by the clock, I can spin the 5-hanks of worsted single needed to ply into 500-yards of real gansey yarn.  Woolen spun yarns need 30% more twist, so it takes  me 6.5 hours by the clock to spin woolen singles of the same grist.

2) Durability: Twist holds yarn together. Twist a fine single, and you have a strong, elastic thread.  Put the same twist into a thicker single, and you have barbed wire. Put the twist necessary to make the thicker single a competent yarn, and there is not enough twist to make the object as durable as one fabricated from fine singles (plied together). Yes, spinning high twist yarns and plying them together is a lot of effort, but not as much effort as spinning twice and knitting twice because the object was not durable.

3) Drape of the Fabric: Woolen spun yarns do not lend themselves to fabrics with graceful drape. Woolen fabrics tend to hang.  

4) Warmth:  Fabrics from woolen spun yarns tend to have more bulk and less warmth. Many, including famous spinning instructors, confuse bulk with warmth.  Woolen objects that have been tightly woven or knit, then fulled (related to felting) can provided great warmth, but fulling takes away much of the elasticity, and comfort of the fabric.  If you want elasticity and wearing comfort, and warmth, use a worsted spun thread to make the  fabric.