It’s almost a year since I started spinning on a wheel. I’ve been stocking up on bobbins and whorls as the membership discount that I purchased when I bought the wheel runs out pretty soon. I’ve now got 5 standard bobbins and 4 high speed ones, which should be enough to keep me going for a long while. At around £30 per bobbin that’s a lot of money on bobbins – one of the (few) downsides of a Ladybug wheel.
I decided to put the bobbins to good use and try a 4-ply yarn. I had 100g of grey cheviot which I had already made a start on – I was impatiently trying out double drive and waiting for the high speed bobbins, so started on a standard bobbin, then put it to one side when the exciting new shiny high speed bobbins came along. Fickle, me???
So, there was about 35g on the existing bobbin so I split the remaining fibre into roughly even sections and spun three more bobbins worth. So far, so good! I went and fiddled with the inbuilt lazy kate, adjusting everything so all the bobbins sat nicely and the tension bands went where they should. I think I overdid it as it was hanging onto the yarn a bit too much whilst plying, so I’ll have to go and tweak it again.
Plying four singles at once was interesting… I tend to ply using a whorl which is a couple of sizes larger than the one I used for spinning the single, but even this resulted in a somewhat overplied finished yarn. I think it was a combination of trying to keep four singles under control, them all fighting the lazy kate and me treadling like a demon. Although it wasn’t perfect it did make a lovely round yarn. Of course I ended up with three bobbins with varying amounts of singles on them, so made some more 2 ply to use it all up. I have a picture in my mind of a hat I’ve seen somewhere with a seed stitch brim, then plain stocking stitch and a knitted flower on it. Despite looking in many place I can’t find it online, so maybe someone wore it in a TV programme. If the yarn isn’t too wire-like it may turn into something like that.
I want to try this again though – I have a vision of a lovely fat squooshy yarn which I could make into a great big wrappy round scarf.
Spinstar Creations 
Hi heres some advice which may help you. To make a cable or crepe 4 ply yarn which I think you were wanting to make, the first 2 ply of singles is done rather loosely (just enough to hold together), then you ply the other 2 singles together tightly (overply), and then you ply the 2 2-ply yarns together in the same direction as you spun the singles to finish the yarn.
Thanks Val – this time I was making a simple four ply (ie, four singles plied together) but I do want to try cable plying so will take your tips on board!