Guest Author - Llyn Payne
O
Orifice: The hole in the base of the flyer through which the yarn is threaded for spinning.
Orifice Hand: The hand which is closest to the orifice during while spinning.
P
Pencil Roving: Thin strips of roving which are the approximate diameter of a pencil.
pH Scale: The pH scale measures the relative degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The scale runs from 1 to 14 with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. The scale is logarithmic meaning that a pH of 9 is 10 time greater than a pH of 8; a pH of 10 would be 100 times greater than a pH of 8. Since fibers such as wool and silk can be damaged by a pH greater than 10, it is important to check the pH of scouring baths, detergents, and additives. PH testing paper and meters are available at garden and pool supply stores.
Pick Glass: See inch glass.
Picker: A device for opening fleeces for carding. Picking also removes a degree of vegetable matter contamination from fleeces. Pickers consist of a bed set with long spikes pointing upwards and a swinging cradle containing long spikes pointing downward. The upper cradle is mounted on an axle and swinging it back and forth draws the fibers in and they are pulled apart (opened) while passing between the cradle and the bas of the picker. A fluffy disorganized mass of fibers results.
Pierced Cocoon: A coccon which has been pierce by the silk moth maturing and exiting.
Pilling: Little balls of tangled fibers on the surface of a fabric.
Plyed Yarn: A yarn composed of two or more singles which have been twisted together. Also called “folded yarn”.
Puni: A thin cotton rolag which has been formed by rolling the cotton batt around a small diameter dowel and then rolled on a firm surface.
Q
Qiviut: The fine inner coat of the Musk Ox. Average fiber diameter is 10 microns.
R
Raw Wool: Wool which has not been scoured and which contains lanolin and suint.
Reel: A tool used for winding yarn into skeins.
Retting: One step in processing flax. Retting separates the flax fibers from the woody core part of the stem. Basically, bundles of the stems of the flax plant are placed in water and left to ferment and rot until the fibers separate from the woody core which are called the boon.
Rolag: A short stapled wool preparation, which is carded (usually with hand cards) and then rolled into a tube for woolen spinning.
Rooing: The process of hand plucking soft underwool from sheep (mainly Shetlands) which develop natural fleece breaks.
Roving: Long strands of carded or combed fibers to which a slight degree of twist has been added.
