Combo Spin vs. Combo Draft
Combo Draft with Frabjous Fibers' BFL
Combo Draft with Frabjous Fibers’ BFL

I’ve had a bunch of emails lately asking about Combo Draft and Comb Spin.

The word Combo has become like the word Worsted, one word many meanings and applications, and it can be confusing!

A Combo Spin is a way to select, divide and ply enough braids to make a sweater.

It typically uses braids that are in the same color family, divides them into smallish sections (16 per braid). The sections are spun randomly, and then plied.

The first time I heard about it was through this episode of the PassioKnit Spinner’s podcast. It really caught on with spinners and there have been several  Combo SAL/ KALs using this method. I have yet to try it (sad trombone), but I’m hoping to this winter.

Combo Draft is a way to combine braids while drafting. It is one of my favorite method of spinning color. I first heard about it from Felicia Lo, who is a color magician. To Combo Draft, hold two (or more) thin vertical strips of two different braids together and drat them as one fiber. It creates a marl in the single, and when plied together those singles create a fantastically speckled yarn.

Both are great ways to stretch braids that aren’t the exact same colorway into enough yarn for a big project.

Have you done a Combo Spin? What did you think? Do you Combo Draft? What do you use the yarn for?

 

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Jillian is the​ author of the best-selling spinning book Yarnitecture. She is the editor​ of Knittyspin and Developmental Editor for PLY and PLY Books. She kinda loves this spinning thing and wants everyone who spins to love it too, so she teaches and writes a lot. She knits, weaves, and stitches and tries to do as much of it as she can with handspun yarn. She's always cooking up all kinds of exciting and creative things combining fiber arts. She likes her mysteries British, her walks woodsy, and to spend as much time as she can laughing. Spy on her on her website jillianmoreno.com

One thought on “Combo Spin vs. Combo Draft”

  1. Tamantha

    I LOVE the idea of combo-spin! I have sooooo many 100g braids of this and that, and whilst they’re lovely, 100g isn’t really enough to make anything much more than a hat or scarf. There is a limit to how many hats or scarves you can make before the people you love start to question your sanity. The idea that you can combine many different braids to come up with enough cohesive yarn for a larger project? Genius. Can’t wait to try it. Thankyou for sharing! :: dives headfirst into stash ::

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