Unspinning Yarn: or Separating into Plies

There's been a discussion going at the Spin Tech group on Ravelry that I would like to expand on.  It started with the premise that a Raveler's friend had mentioned unplying commercial yarn to end up with lace weight.  The questions this brings up include How? and Why?  Most of the first-responders seemed to believe that there was no earthly reason that could induce a person to want to unspin or deply yarn, especially not commercial yarn.  Extenuating circumstances might allow for running out of yarn before running out of project directions, a very precious fiber content that doesn't come in the right weight, a particular color way or variegation that must be matched exactly.....  Other wise, life is too short to sweat it over yarn that isn't the right weight.  Just find another yarn, already! 

But, then there started a slow rash of postings about Spinners' unhappy with their results with a fiber and "respinning" it into something more fitting or useful.

I finally found the person I could relate to that just wasn't willing to give up on a slightly imperfect yarn; be it stubbornness or thriftiness.  I can understand both of those qualities. 
First:  this fiber will not defeat me, I will bend it to my will!
Second:  My DH calls it a "German" quality, I call it "Scotts".

The How to do it can be found scattered among several classic sources:  Elizabeth Zimmerman describes "splitting wool" in Knitting Without Tears.
Alden Amos in Big Book of Handspinning describes disassembling yarn on pages 206-207.  And several Ravlers mention an artile on unspinning in Spin Off Summer 1994.

Which brings us to my "unspinning" experiences.  I’ve done it several times over the last 30+ years. The first time, I didn’t know any better and only had access to 1970’s commercial acrylic RedHeart (I didn’t know any spinners then). The afghan I wanted to crochet needed two colors that I just could not find in worsted. So, one of the colors was avalable in a three ply “Rug Yarn” and the other in sport weight. Two of the three plies of the rug yarn came out right and the sport weight doubled worked pretty well. As a college student, I had a lot more creativity and time than money or sense. One of my extra-curricular/volunteer activities involved a lot of bus travel. And, there was a very attentive young man that was more than willing to sit by me on the bus for hours holding the ball of that third ply while I crocheted. He thought it was very charming that I did all kinds of crafty stuff.


We got married in 1982. Last night, I just kept smilling to myself as he sat by me on the couch helping me separate out the plies of the first yarn that I spun a couple of years ago. It was his idea! As one of those projects that languishes at the bottom of the closet, he innocently asked why I was keeping it if I didn't intend to use it.

Because it is my first spuin yarn.  The first class that I took was great, and the fiber fantastic colors and feel, but my first yarn was pretty pitiful and I never found a use for it. So, we sat on the couch with him balling up one of the plies (that was overspun and thin) while I used the spinnin wheel to backwards spin the other ply onto a bobbin. He kept saying “never again” but had completely forgotten how many times we’ve done this before.

Thirty years of being married, and the pleasure of my company is still enough …..