Here are some commonly used fibre and fibre-related terms that I use on my website:
*Sources: The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs (Anderson, 2012); The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook (Robson & Ekarius, 2009); www.dictionary.reference.com; http://joyofhandspinning.com/parts-of-the-spinning-wheel/;
- BALANCE = when a plied yarn has no residual tendency to twist in either direction
- BATT = carded preparation of fibre as removed from hand carders or a drum carder
- BOBBIN = a reel, cylinder, or spool upon which yarn or thread is wound, as used in spinning, machine sewing, lacemaking, etc.
- CARDING = the process of aligning wool fibres and forming the mass of aligned fibre into small batts or rolls; the tools used to achieve this result are called handcards, which come in pairs.
- COILS = achieved by holding one ply (the core) taut while allowing the other to coil or wrap around it. This wrapping ply is then pushed up to completely cover the core. Coils can be short lengths in a 2-ply yarn or continuous, as in a supercoil yarn.
- DRAFT = the act of pulling or thinning out the fibre supply just enough to create the chosen diameter of yarn. There are many ways of drafting fibre to create different types of yarn.
- FELT = heat, pressure, moisture and movement cause the scales on wool fibre to open up and clench down on their neighbours, making the fibres shrink and harden, which produces felt.
- FLYER = a U-shaped piece of wood with hooks lined up on one or both arms. The hooks are used to store the yarn evenly on the bobbin. The flyer is rotated by the drive band which as a result puts the twist into the fiber.
- LAZY KATE = a handy tool made to hold bobbins for storage and for plying. It is designed so that the bobbins spin freely, allowing the singles to be pulled off as needed while plying yarn. Many have tensioning devices that help to prevent snarls due to the singles' active twist.
- LEADER = a length of waste yarn used to attached fibre to the bobbin in order to begin spinning.
- LOCK = a single clump of wool from a fleece that hasn't been teased apart. A lock, whether washed or unwashed, retains the form it was in while on the sheep's back.
- LONG-DRAW = the spinning technique used to create woolen yarns. It is spun from carded rolags. It is generally spun from shorter stapled fibers. Long draw spun yarns are light, lofty, stretchy, soft, and full of air, thus they are good insulators, and make good knitting yarns.
- NAVAJO PLY (also called chain ply) =
- NIDDY NODDY = a handheld frame used for winding yarn into skeins.
- NOILS = broken or short bits of fibre.
- NUBS = any type of fibre that is added in to the spun yarn and stands out against the base fibre.
- ORIFICE = the opening on the wheel from which the yarn feeds onto the bobbin.
- PLY = the process of combining one or more singles or strands, usually twisting the singles in the opposite direction from the one in which they were originally spun; a single strand in any plied yarn is called a ply.
- PUNI = a cotton fibre preparation that looks like a small, tightly rolled role. Punis can also be made from other short fibres such as cashmere, buffalo, qiviut, silk nail, or blends of short fibres.
- ROLAG = a wool fibre preparation produced with handcarts. The fibre is carded into a smooth batt, which is then rolled up loosely into a cylindrical role. Rolls are usually spun with a long draw, producing what is called a woolen yarn.
- ROVING = a ready-to-spin, carded preparation arranged in a long, thick strand, in contrast to carded fibre prepared in batts.
- SHORT-DRAW = the spinning technique used to create worsted yarns. It is spun from combed roving, sliver or wool top – anything with the fibers all lined up parallel to the yarn. It is generally spun from long stapled fibers. Short draw spun yarns are smooth, strong, sturdy yarns, and dense.
- SINGLES = one ply of spun yarn is called a singles.
- SKEIN = yarn wound off a spindle or bobbin.
- SLIVER = strips of batts in one continuous strip.
- SLUBS = the flaw or fat place in a yarn.
- STAPLE = the length of a fibre.
- SUPERCOIL = a yarn with continuous coils of singles plied around a core so that the coils completely cover the core.
- TAIL SPUN = uncarded locks of wool or mohair spun around a core yarn. An effort is made to let the tips of the locks stick out.
- THICK 'N THIN = a yarn with purposely uneven consistency with (you guessed it) thick and thin bits.
- TOP = an untwisted, thick strand of fibre that is the result of combing, either by commercial machine or by hand combing. Top is the perfect fibre preparation for spinning worsted yarn.
- TREADLE = the pedal(s) that operate the spinning wheel, using your feet.
- UNBALANCED PLY = when plying two strands, the ply is unbalanced if one strand is held with more tension than the other, causing it to be shorter than the other in any given length of yarn.
- WOOLEN = yarn spun from rolls using a long-draw method of drafting. These yarns are generally lofty, warm and fuzzy.
- WORSTED = yarn spun from combed preparations with a short forward draft in which the twist enters the fibre while it is under tension. These yarns are generally smooth, compact and strong.
- WRAPS = fibers arranged in parallel without any twist.
*Sources: The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs (Anderson, 2012); The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook (Robson & Ekarius, 2009); www.dictionary.reference.com; http://joyofhandspinning.com/parts-of-the-spinning-wheel/;