Plying is the process of twisting two or more singles together in the opposite direction to create a balanced, stronger yarn. Turkish drop spindles are excellent plying tools because the yarn builds into a center-pull ball on the spindle — which means you can ply directly from two turtles without any additional winding.
What Is Plying?
When you spin singles on a drop spindle, the yarn has twist in one direction (usually clockwise, or Z-twist). Plying combines two or more of those singles by twisting them together in the opposite direction (counterclockwise, or S-twist). This balances the twist in the yarn and creates a more stable, durable finished yarn.
Turkish spindles are particularly convenient for plying because the center-pull yarn balls they produce can be used directly as plying sources — no rewinding required.
What You Need
- Two or more Turkish spindle turtles (or center-pull balls of singles)
- A Turkish drop spindle for plying
- A leader yarn on the spindle
How to Ply on a Turkish Drop Spindle
- Pull the ends from two turtles and hold them together
- Attach both ends to the leader yarn on your plying spindle
- Spin the spindle counterclockwise (S-twist) to ply the singles together
- Allow the twist to travel up into the two strands
- Wind the plied yarn onto the spindle arms and repeat
Tension and Consistency
Keeping even tension on both strands while plying is the main skill to develop. If one strand feeds faster than the other, the plied yarn will be uneven. See my guide on controlling yarn consistency on a Turkish drop spindle for technique guidance.
Troubleshooting
See my guide on common Turkish drop spindle problems and how to fix them if you encounter issues while plying.
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