Last night during American Idol (yes, yes, I admit it... I am somewhat of a reality tv junkie) I took the plunge into plying.

*cue suspenseful music*

Yeah, ok... there really is no suspense needed. The reality is that I need much more practice. And while I am pleased with doing it, I'm not sure that I can use the yarn for much of anything. Part of my problem was that I neglected to remember that while my second bobbin was filled with mostly the same weight, the first was my "play" bobbin and I had been adjusting the tension and playing with the drafting and moving back and forth between thick and thin and tightly spun to loosely spun. Like yarn on acid. The other issue is that I don't yet have a niddy-noddy, and in my haste to set the twist last night, I thought it could work just as well to wrap it around a bottle and then dunk it in hot water before hanging it. The bottle idea worked great until I tried to unwind it and it tumbled off the bottom of the bottle and into a big heap of dripping wet confusion on my counter. By the time I untangled it, I was covered in water... the floor was covered in water... and the water wasn't hot anymore.

So here it is hanging:


And here is a picture of the twist:


Things learned...
First, I've since read that setting the twist isn't actually always a necessary step... that if the ply is balanced, it is fine on its own. The more tangled pieces (that now look somewhat felted this morning) wish I would have learned that before last night.

Second, you really need something to wrap the yarn around... because a small Poland Spring water bottle just isn't going to cut it.

Third, be careful of the weight of the yarn that you are trying to work with. Some of my yarn looks pretty good (notice that that is the side I took the photos of) and some of it looks like unclean dreads. Seth is actually referring to it as such.

And finally, don't expect to ever be able to use it for anything. I'm considering making a bag out of it... I figure if worse comes to worse I can felt it. Because I know it felts.

What I need to learn...
I need to learn how to control the weight better, but I know that will come with practice. And I also need to learn how to draft better because my predrafting sucks nuts and I end up with a huge wad of slightly matted fuzz in my drafting hand. I've heard that you should cup it delicately like you are holding a baby bird... I hold mine like I hold my first cup of coffee in the morning and NO ONE is going to get me to put it down.


In other random thoughts...
I'm already thinking ahead to the Fiber Frolic in June. How many of you come for just the day and how many stay the weekend? I'm thinking of the possibility of arranging a post-Frolic at my house that Saturday evening since I live very close to the Interstate exit that you'd take to get out there. With a BBQ and good beer and sitting around knitting. Would there be a possible interest in something like that?