Spinning fine to replicate traditional yarns

I acquired my copy of  Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys, and Arans by Gladys Thompson  (GT), shortly after I posed the question of : "How did the old seamen stay warm in wooden, square rigged ships?" almost 20 years ago. It is now stained with coffee and red wine. It is more stained than almost any other book in my collection.

Certainly, throughout GT there are a number of problems. I would not think of attacking any of those garments without the wisdom in Knitting in the Old Way, by Gibson-Roberts and  Robson. However, KitOW will not get you to the weatherproof garments in GT unless you use a knitting sheath/knitting stick/knitting shield - which is not addressed in either GT or KitOW

Another problem we have in replicating the objects described in GT is yarn. Many of the objects in GT were knit from yarns produced in mills with traditional equipment. When that equipment wore out the mills closed. Circa 2006, my favorite gansey yarn mill in Yorkshire closed, and I saw the writing on the wall - and started spinning. 

5-ply gansey yarn was my first focus, and I spun miles of it. The singles were 5,600 ypp. I learned to spin it at 9 tpi.  Most of  the objects in GT could knit from yarns plied up from those singles. Such 5-ply yarns also became a favorite for knitting into gear for for hiking, skiing, sailing, camping, and sailing. I plied the same singles into 10-ply yarns and tested them. I did not write about those objects, because they tended to be too warm and heavy.  I compared what I could knit from hand spun gansey yarn to what I could knit from various modern commercial yarns, and how ever nice/functional the objects knit from commercial yarns were, the hand spun was better.

The objects in GT not based yarns derived from 5,600 ypp singles are the Norfolk/ Sheringham patterns starting on page 83. Over the years, I bought various sock yarns and fine(r) needles, hoping to be able to replicate these objects and get some understanding of them. Early last spring, with Covid and everything, I swore to study "sock-like" fabrics until I understood these objects.

GT says, "Dunraven 3-ply". I thought they were 3 plies of 5,600 ypp for a total grist of 1,680 ypp -  a common modern commercial sock yarn - a yarn that I could produce in my sleep.  That was easy, but like many easy answers, it was wrong. Dunraven 3-ply was  3 plies of of  11,200 ypp for a total grist of  3,360 ypp. And then there was BeeHive - that I knew as the modern 2,500 ypp 4-ply yarn. However, in the old days there was also a 3-ply, 3,360 ypp Beehive yarn.  

Ya, that kind of yarn is out there - for a price, but I have bins of "Heinz-57" that I got as a "Spinzillia Special" from the Woolery, sitting under the combing bench. It has a spin count of 52- with some focus I can spin it into 20s (11,200 ypp).

My spinning throne, on the patio, under the umbrella - forecast high - 100F

Starting to spin 20s of Heinz-57

White singles on tension box for ply

Fiber on my distaff and in a bin

(I have a heavy duty distaff, before a car wreck, it was a 

fancy photo tripod. It makes a great distaff!)

Spinning a natural dark fiber into 20s to use as marker and twist indicator

Singles in tension box

Starting to ply

A bobbin of plied yarn

After its bath! 

It is real close to 3,360 ypp! 

Variation in yarn diameter is variation

in twist that disappears as the yarn is snugged up in knitting.

On UK16 needles (actually 1.3 mm) it  knits up at ~12 spi and ~20 rpi. With UK17 needles, this 3-ply handspun yarn knits at ~14 spi and ~24 rpi.

The weather has cooled off, and my focus has improved.  I was just sitting on the patio spinning the Heinz-57 at 14,000 ypp (25s).  No problem, just a more relaxed fiber prep.

It took 6 months of work, and a pile of self directed evolutions, but now I think I have a reasonable handle on sock fabrics. The hard part was jumping from singles of 5,600 ypp to singles of 11,200 ypp. It only took a few seconds but it was the hard part of the year.

4-ply sock yarn knit on 1.3 mm needles

 more on handspun  4-ply sock yarn, again the plies are ~11,200 ypp but this time they are only 12 tpi and 12 ply twist per inch 

an unfinished, unblocked swatch, knit with1.3 mm needles - this yarn is remarkably softer, and easier/faster to knit

gauge is ~ 10 spi & 16 rpi - might change with blocking

The Historical president of 4-ply/2,500 ypp yarn being knit at 12 spi by 20 rpi

 In making my 4-ply / 2,500 ypp yarn, I was thinking in terms of the classical 11,200 ypp sock yarns that were spin at 17 tpi. They must have been an effort to knit - durable, but an effort to knit.

It turns out that spinning the 11,200 ypp singles at 12 tpi (and plying 4 together at  12 tpi) makes a much softer yarn that is easier and faster to knit. On UK 16 needles (1.25 mm) such yarns easily and quickly knit at 12 spi by 20 rpi. This is likely to be ok for worsted spun long wools, but woolen spun short wools, are likely to be fragile at this, lower twist. I guess that Paton's BeeHive had twist closer to 12 than 17 tpi. The lower twist also makes it much easier and lower cost to spin.

That said, there was a piece of worsted 4-ply/ spun/plied at 17 tpi on the table when I sat down for lunch, and I started playing with it. It really is amazing stuff. You do not find such strong, all wool sock yarns in retail markets that are that strong. No, it is not Kevlar, but it is really strong and, durable. 

Then next mess on the combing bench is, How do really fine, high crimp fleece behave in 10s at 17 tpi? 

Old school sock fabric

 

It is not dry yet, so it still wants to curl. It is

under the needles used to knit it.

The inspiration is knitting done circa 1900 including Sheringham ganseys and patterns in Weldon's.

Yarn is 4-ply worsted with ~11,200 ypp singles spun at ~ 17 tpi. Ply twist is ~17 tpi.

 Grist of final yarn is ~2,500 ypp.

Swatch knit on 12" by 1.5 mm blunt needles using knitting sheath while sitting next to my wife watching an old black and white Clark Gable movie in a rather dark room - (so yes the knitting is crap.) Knitting gauge came out to ~11 spi by 15 rpi.

Dark streaks are from black fiber from previous singles spun for previous tests to help count twist - my combing bench is a mess right now. It will be cleaned before I start a real spinning project. 

Weight of swatch is 8 grams, area is ~ 83 cm^2, so a gram of yarn knits out to ~10 cm^2 of fabric. 

Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4

 Sure there was the 5-ply, 1,000 ypp gansey yarn. There was also a 4-ply, 2,500 ypp "gansey" yarn. The last commercial relics of the finer yarn was Paton's BeeHive, 

Nevertheless, such yarns like BeeHive were used to knit fine ganseys, at gauges of 12 spi & 20 rpi.

I want to make and knit such yarns. I have been spinning worsted singles of 11,200 ypp, and am now in an evolution to ply such yarns. I wish I had a real teacher, then I could learn this much faster.

I am to the point where I am plying 10-gram samples, finishing the yarn and then knitting the samples into test swatches.

Plying worsted 4-ply, 2,500 ypp gansey yarn

Equipment is the "Racing Flyer" with DRS bobbin/ flyer whorl set at 17 tpi

The singles were spun at 17 tpi and ply twist is also 17 tpi.

Note the strand of black-  it is to facilitate counting twist in the yarn. The production yarn will be light blue comprised of navy blue Romney, with some white Suffolk blended in as I comb.

The test samples are 10-grams/ ~ 55 yards. These samples need to be scoured and dried before they can be knit - my steam blocking does not get me to knitable yarn. 

Production will produce balls of 30 grams/155 yards, which was the traditional weight of weight of balls of BeeHive.

Plying for warmth and pretty stitches

 Alden Amos liked 3-ply yarns because the 3 strands in the yarn fit together and made a strong, cohesive yarn. That is the view of a weaver and knitter that wants decorative stitches that "pop". Alden was a great weaver and knitter.

Alden disparaged 4-ply and 5-ply yarn constructions because the strands do not fit neatly together. Yes, that is the point of gansey yarn. The yarns have minimal ply twist so the individual strands can spread out, and when knit, the strands can fill in the gaps in the stitches, and block air and "weather" flow, making the fabric warmer.

If  I am  making garment to be light and warm, then I will plan a 4 or 5-ply yarn construction. If I want a pretty garment that can be worn in centrally heated spaces - then I will plan a 3-ply yarn construction.

On the other hand, if you want real warmth from a 4 or 5-ply yarn, it needs to be knit tightly - and fulled.  In the old days, Paton's  BeeHive yarns allowed knitting warm, but remarkably lightweight baby clothes and children's jumpers. Now, "BeeHive" yarns are synthetic, no longer full, and are not as warm. For athletics and sports, an object well knit from 4-ply-  2,500 ypp  will likely be as warm as an object knit from 3-ply -1,680 yarn. I think, even today, there are times when the lighter, thinner garment is preferable.  (We enjoy spinning and knitting - it is ok to put in a few extra hours to make something really nice. I also find that it is the learning how that takes the most effort. Once I know how, making additional similar objects is easy.  )

Knitting sheaths/shields allow knitting tight without damaging your wrists. If you  want weatherproof objects, use a knitting sheath/shield/stick. They look dorky, and were abhorred by Victorian society, but they work. And. they allow knitting wicked fast. 

Plying fine singles (finer than 5,600 ypp) requires certain additional attention to detail. The bundle of singles must be able to run freely into the orifice.  I have the singles on bobbins rotating on steel axles, with steel washers and everything is oiled so it all runs freely. If you are doing more than 3-ply you need a plying comb, so all plies twist together, all at once. If 2 twist, then the 3d and 4th plies get twisted around the 2-ply, and your knitting gauge will not be anything like BeeHive, even if you put huge effort into spinning  beautiful 11,200 ypp singles! For my plying comb, I use a line of sock DPN stuck into holes I drilled in a piece of scrap wood. When I am plying, my "plying comb" is held in place with a clamp. The clamp has other duties when I am woodworking. It is not a pretty thing but it was free, it takes up almost no space, and it works very well.  I like these 3 virtues in a tool.

These days, everywhere I might sit for a bit, is littered with little 10 gram balls of yarn, and/or little swatches, finished or in process.  That means there are little DPN everywhere.  This morning, there were 8 DPN beside the chair I use to watch TV - last night I had a sample of yarn and was trying to decide if I liked the fabric knit with 1.3 mm or 1.5 mm better. In the morning's clear light, I decided I did not like the way the yarn was plied. It was well spun, but poorly plied. I can do better.  So, I put the needles away and discarded the yarn.  

My Technique

 Yesterday, I wrote a summary of my knitting techniques for fine yarns, and sent it off into the either. This morning it seemed disgustingly vague. I thought I should make and send a video.

The fine needles certainly were not going to show on a video, so I went back to 2.3 mm gansey needles. 

My favorite springy knitting technique uses blunt 18" long 2.3 mm spring steel needles. The knitting sheath is over the right buttock, and the working needle arches under the right armpit with the right forearm/wrist resting on it. The left needle is only about 20 degrees off vertical. This is the first industrial knitting technique that I learned. However, it does not work with 1.5 mm needles and smaller. It is not a path to Sheringham.

While I have needle adapters to allow the knitting sheaths I use for fine needles to accept the 2.3 mm needles, when using the thicker, stiffer needles, the knitting sheath needs to be secured much more firmly.  The truth is that fine needles and "gansey needles" want very different knitting sheaths worn very differently.

Yesterday, in my mind, the spring loaded knitting technique that I use for fine knitting with 12" long 1.5  mm needles, was very similar to the spring loaded knitting technique that I use for 18" long 2.3 mm gansey needles. The concept is similar, but ALL the details are different, and in knitting, details matter. They both use the spring action of spring steel needles. They both work much better with blunt needles. They both use small motions driven by shoulder muscles. Details such as where and how the knitting sheath is placed, the orientation of the needles, and where the needles flex are all different.

Yesterday, in my mind, there were 3 knitting concepts that I could use to produce weatherproof fabrics. I thought these were knitting techniques. No, they were just ideas. 

In fact, I use 3 different knitting techniques using the spring of steel needles. One works with 2.3 mm needles, one with 2 mm needles, and one works with fine needles. The description I sent out was vague, because these 3 techniques were all jumbled together in my head, and I was trying to describe a dozen knitting techniques as 2 knitting techniques, one using spring loaded flexing needles, and one using stiff needles   My muscles know what works, but I did not have the 3 techniques well defined in my head.  These were issues I tend to work out as I swatch and assemble project kits. I have an idea for a fabric, and then I figure out how to knit the fabric.

 For example, there is a classic description of  knitting gloves very fast (using a knitting sheath) with the needles being pushed down and forward.  With pointy needles, this motion does not get you to "fast". With short stiff, blunt needles, one must push down and then pull up and the motion gets you to "fast". With short, blunt, 2 mm needles, you push down, loop the yarn, relax, and the spring of the needle finishes the stitch, very fast.  However, that spring only works for a limited range of needle diameters, which means the technique only works for a limited range of yarns. This is a specialized technique for people that need to knit many small objects quickly - and are willing to put in the effort to find the right knitting sheath, the right needles, and the right yarn. If you learn this technique as knitter in a glove factory, they will teach you which knitting sheath to use, how to use it, which needles to use, and they will supply the yarn.  This is not a path to Sheringham.

Above are two perfectly good, fast to very fast knitting techniques using a knitting sheath. With finer, springy needles and finer yarns, and a slightly different motion you can produce a different fabric  - Is this another technique? For me, it takes a different project kit, and produces a different fabric, and yet conceptually it is springy, blunt needles being pushed down and forward, yarn looped and needles allowed to spring back finishing the stitch.

I knew it was a glove making technique, so I did an evolution to learn it , starting with 2.3 mm by 6" needles.  It took a while, (as measured in buckets of swatches.)  At the end  of the evolution, I had 12" long, 1.5 mm needles in my hand and loved the spring action of the needles, so I thought I should do an evolution to learn about sock fabric.  With 12" long 1.3 mm needles the spring action is gone, but with 6" blunt 1.3 mm needles the motions are so small and so easy, that knitting can be very fast in stitches per minute, (if not so much in gloves per day.) I think the fine, tight fabric acts as a spring. This is not a path to Sheringham.

I am not done with my evolution to learn sock fabric. Last night I ripped out  what I had knit (slowly) on 1.3 mm needles because I decided that with appropriate wet finishing, I could get as good a result with knitting done much faster on 1.5 mm needles.

Yes , there was a reason for professional knitters to have a long apprenticeship.  

My guess is that it took 1,000 knitters, 200 years to find a good path to Sheringham ganseys, and then, they stayed on that path for 700 years. For various reasons, I expect many of those knitters seeking that path were in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Portugal. 

The nature of woolen and worsted spun yarns

 Judith MacKenzie McCuin (and others) tell us that worsted spun yarns are finished when they leave the wheel, but woolen yarns need additional processing.

No!

The worsted spun singles for 5-ply gansey yarn are much easier to ply when they have been steam blocked before plying. A  gansey knit from worsted spun yarn does not become "weatherproof" until it has been fulled and oiled.  Any knit object (woolen or worsted) needs to be fulled before it will be truly weatherproof. 

Weatherproof sock fabric

I knit a good swatch from 3-ply, 1,680 ypp yarn on 1.3 mm needles at 12spi & 20 rpi, fulled it, napped it, oiled it, put it on the counter, and poured water on it.  

The water stood in a pool on the swatch.  

The fabric passed the test.

• The Sheringham ganseys are weatherproof. 
• Knit Tudor hats were likely weatherproof.
• We can knit all kinds of stuff out of  "sock yarn" to produce light, elastic, and weatherproof objects.  We can knit socks that will really help our feet stay dry.
• Joyous Rapture! 240 stitches of knitting joy per square inch! We can get more knitting pleasure per gram of wool.
• I believe the yarn is flock run Cheviot, spun worsted, with a soft twist.

I expect traditional hosiery yarns to perform better. 

Knitting as adventure

I like adventure.  I was a good rock climber. I was a good skier.   I include solving problems and finding solutions as adventure - finding a working solution is surviving the adventure. Surviving a real adventure begins with knowing what the likely challenges are, and an open minded consideration of possible solutions. A successful adventure involves developing necessary skills. 

I find knitting to be an adventure. It is surprisingly physical. A good knitter's hands are as strong as a good rock climber's hands. And, finishing a large project in a reasonable time requires substantial endurance. 

I believe in "knit to fit"; meaning that the knitting pattern must be adapted to the size and shape of the person that will use the object - this requires a fair amount of skill and math.  The difference between knitting a pattern and knitting to fit is an adventure.  "Knitting to fit" transforms knitting from a pastime, into an adventure.

Knitting to fit also includes knitting an object that fits into the user's lifestyle. This may mean knitting objects well suited to display on the "Red Carpet", or knitting objects suited to sailing around Cape Horn, or being worn while pruning an orchard during an ice storm.  I have used H/H sailing gear, and at $1,500 a pop, it is not a warm, comfortable, or durable as a well knit wool gansey. However, I assure you that knitting a gansey that is better than H/H gear is an adventure.  I have worn the best Patagonia ice climbing gear while pruning an orchard in freezing rain, and I settled on my gardening gansey as being warmer, lighter, and more comfortable for the task. However, knitting that gansey was an adventure - from seeing the yarn in Nova Scotia, to finding the mill on Prince Edward Island, to making the knitting sheath and needles; then learning how to use them - and learning how different gansey knit objects can be from ordinary hand knit or frame knit or commercial machine knit. Remember, Sir Walter Raleigh, sent a pair of "gansey knit" stockings to a Princess of Poland, and Poland was one of the great powers of Europe at the time.  "Gansey knit" is different and better!

Such objects are completely outside of our modern experience. 

I am finding that exploring "sock fabrics" is an extension of the knitting adventure.  More and more, I find that I have to hand spin the yarns that I want. I find that bins of fiber that I have had for years can be coaxed into yarns that I did not dream of a few years ago.  And, rather ordinary yarns can be coaxed into fabrics that I did not dream of just a few years ago.

For an inkling of what can be, we have to go to books like  Archaeological Textile Review no 62 online at 

 http://atnfriends.com/download/ATR_62_complete_for_homepage.pdf.  

Why do modern books on how to make textiles not tell us how to make such objects?

Actually, I am grateful that nobody does tell us how to make those lovely textile objects the old timers turned out by the bale.  Learning how to make such objects is an adventure. No! You are not going to get there with "Weldon's Practical Knitter". Weldon was a fraud. If you want to knit the patterns in Gladys Thompson at the gauges indicated, you will have remember that the originals were knitted using knitting sheaths, which are barely mentioned in the text.  Likewise, mentions of knitting sheaths by Mary Thomas, Mary Wright, and June Hemmons Hiatt should have included how to use a knitting sheath and discussion of appropriate knitting needles. But NO! They want using a knitting sheath and its needles be a bold step into the unknown, an extreme adventure.

Stitch markers

 I love the idea of stitch markers.  Over the years, I have bought, made, used, and lost hundreds of stitch markers.

 I just started the most complicated knitting that I have attempted in some time. The assembled knitting project kit, included a tray of stitch markers. (The yarn is navy blue worsted 3-ply, 1,680 ypp, that has been in my stash for 16 years, under the label, "Big, Blue, Lump".  I bought it as that Yorkshire wool mill was going out of business.  It is being knit on 12" long 1.5 mm steel knitting pins.  The knitting gauge is 12 spi  and 20 rpi. It will be wet finished.   Good stash should be treasured until you are ready. This object is the first step of an "evolution" that I planed to teach myself about "sock fabric".)

Half, of using a knitting sheath is getting it to stay in the right place. For this project, I am wearing my leather wood turning apron - buckling the nylon straps in front. The knitting sheath is tucked under the nylon belt, and counter balanced with a clew that holds the cake of the yarn as I knit. I find using counter-balanced knitting sheaths most useful with finer needles.  

The knitting will take a couple of days, but this is a first step toward learning real knitting.

However,  I find myself using strands and loops of yarns in various contrasting colors and grist for stitch markers.  As I said, this is an evolution.  Short strands are inserted into the knit fabric with a crochet hook to mark reference points. Loops of yarn are knotted and slipped onto the needles to remind me where panels start and end.  

As I return to my knitting, I will dump that tray of  metal and plastic stitch makers back into the tool chest in my office. 

As you may have guessed, the pattern is at :http://www.northfolk.org.uk/ganseys/shering.html 

Have fun.

ps, 8/23/2021 based on swatch results, that knitting has been ripped out, and restarted on 12" long 1.3 mm spring steel needles. It is an evolution, if I learned something - it was not a waste.

Bobbles with flat tipped needles/knitting pins

 I had not knit bobbles since I moved entirely to flat tipped knitting needles.

Some lace stitches are difficult with flat tipped needles, so the question of , "Can bobbles be knit with flat tipped needles?",  had been bothering me. 

This morning, I got out the gansey kit; and, bobbles are not a problem to knit with flat tipped needles. I did not even have to use a crochet hook or cable needle or say magical incantations in crude/rude language.

A super resource

 Ganseys (northfolk.org)

A great Resource!

I note that these fine, tightly knit fabrics, were knit with minimal wearing ease - hence the stitch pattern had to stretch to allow motion related to work or athletics.  This is somewhat different from vertical and horizontal cables used to protect seamen from bruising when they bump against spars (topmen) or rails (fishermen).  

I also note that various moss patterns are very good at increasing the warmth of the fabric, while diminishing its ability keep out wind and water.  Thus, I think some these garments were either not intended to either be worn "on deck"; or were intended to be worn under other garments, e.g., under an officer's uniform coat. This would be consistent with the minimal wearing ease.  

My conclusion is that "Sheringham ganseys" were knit for officers. And the cost and fineness of these ganseys emphasized the authority and importance of the wearer. Standing watch on deck is a cold business. A common seaman had his work to keep him warm. Just standing on the deck, supervising others as they work was a cold, damp business.

Knitting shields, knitting sheaths, and leather knitting belts.

Twenty years of experimenting with knitting sheaths, knitting shields has taught me that they support at least a dozen different knitting techniques. Different techniques allow the production of different fabrics.  

I find that leather knitting belts work best with pointed needles, and thus are much superior for knitting lace. Leather knitting belts/pointed needles are the tool kit of choice for lace and Fair Isle.

In contrast, I find that knitting sheaths/shields work much better with blunt, and even flat ended needles. The connection of the knitting sheath to the needle is better, and there is less wear on the knitting sheath, and the needle is less likely break.

Flat ended, spring steel needles allow faster knitting, because motions can be smaller.  The right needle tip is slid (by flexing the needle) along the left needle, into the stitch to be knit. (The motion is driven by the large muscles of the upper arm. If I suddenly do a lot of knitting, it is my right deltoids and left bicep that get sore.) The motion of the right hand as it holds the working needle positions the finger carrying the yarn over the working needle's tip. Then a dip of the finger loops yarn over the working needle.  I release the pressure on the working needle, and spring action of the needle pops it out of  the old stitch. The relaxation of my arm  pulls the new stitch onto the right needle, keeping it from being dropped as the needle is flexed /slid into the next stitch on the left needle.  The angle between the needles must change by about 20 degrees when purling.  When you work out the required needle angle to allow the working needle to slide into the front of the stitch for purling, purling becomes just as fast.  I find switching back and forth between knitting and purling to be a bit slower, but still faster than anything I could do with  pointed needles. 

You may need to keep a crochet hook and a fine pointed needle handy to fix some problems. I also use them for bobbles. 

A leather knitting pouch and pointed needles will support very fast knitting, but the gauge will not be weatherproof gansey tight. For additional warmth, tried knitting Fair Isle (e.g., knitting a second yarn into the fabric).  This was warmer, but I never got to "weatherproof". When knitting tighter fabric, the fabric got  gets stiff before it gets "weatherproof". However, you can build a very warm comfortable fabric for wear in indoors or under an oil skin.)

 

Open Your Big Blue Book to Page 385!

Yarn gauge.  It works!! It works best with worsted spun firm. Oh, Yes! And you MUST pack to refusal. 

This is not some promotional craft council standard for selling yarn, this is a practical way to estimate grist while the yarn is still on the spinning bobbin. This is the nitty-gritty of converting fiber to useful yarn.

Alden's table just goes up to about 10,000 ypp, but if you count carefully, have a good yarn gauge, and pack to refusal, the technique works right on up to 60s (34,000 ypp). For finer grist, metal gauges work better than wooden.) 

The day we talked about this, Alden said, "pack to refusal", perhaps 20 times in 4 hours. Pack to refusal is important, and it is different from the "yarn wraps" of the organizations, that just want to sell yarn to retail consumers.

You need a yarn gauge - just wrapping yarn around a pencil, knitting needle or ruler, will not allow you to pack to refusal. I make my yarn gauges out of rosewood.  The form factor changes depending on what grist I am spinning.  I made another one this morning - it has a 0.25" gap, and a bit of a handle so I can hold it firmly as I wrap the 27 or 28 wraps of yarn, while packing the yarn with my thumb and forefinger. (I want a grist of ~11,500 ypp on average.)

With care and practice a yarn gauge will give a better estimate of the grist of a fine single than a "yarn balance". The only thing better is an accurate scale /accurate length. However, the yarn gauge is not as affected spinning oil or fiber moisture as an accurate scale weight/length. 

A hank of 4-ply fingering

 I do not mark spinners by their entry into contests, such as The Longest Thread, but by what they can sit down and spin, today.

I think a competent spinner can spin a hank of worsted 4-ply fingering in a day.

There was nothing in the process that I had not done before, but doing it all on one day, required: a new drive band, new accelerator bearings, fresh spinning oil, some new wool combing protocols, fitness from combing and spinning for hours every day, and cooler weather (without strong breezes) all of which took weeks.   A good chunk of that is stuff a competent spinner would do as a matter of routine, but I had been thinking about other things

And it can be done with crap fiber. I thought it was a practice/exercise day, so I used some old worthless fiber. About all I have done with it is knit "nippers", as I learned about at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic | (novascotia.ca), and on that day, with those exhibits, I started to wonder, "How did those old seamen stay warm?"

Actually, a few days later, we went to MacAusland Woolen Mills (https://www.macauslandswoollenmills.com/  ). I started knitting socks, and within few weeks, it was apparent that nippers were not knit, rather they knit socks,  wore them until felted and they had holes, then they cut the worn socks into nippers.  Nevertheless, such a shape makes a good swatch.)

Fresh Wool

 I have said several times that I like freshly prepped wool. Spinning 12,000 ypp singles outside on the patio, has pushed this to an extreme. In the morning, I set up my spinning on the patio, and prepare enough wool for one hank.  Each hank weighs about 24 grams, and takes a little over an hour to spin. I spin a hank and walk the 30 yards to my combing bench, and prep another 24 grams.  In the course of an hour, the consistency of the wool on the distaff changes, so the first 10 grams is easier to spin than the last 10 grams.

I think it is a matter that my combing/spinning oil mix (per Alden's Big Blue Book) has water in it that evaporites as the wool sits on the distaff. I think if I kept the prepped wool at high humidity, it might be OK, or it might compress a bit.

On the other hand, I like breaks every hour or so for a few minutes of combing.

I think when I was spinning singles at twice the weight, they had more moisture with less surface area and did not dry as fast.  I know these dry a lot faster after steam blocking.