Guest Author - Llyn Payne
Long draw, short draw, point of contact, supported, unsupported, traditional, English, American, forward, backward. double drafting, drafting against twist….say, what? It’s no wonder that discussions of drafting methods leave spinners scratching their heads and wondering what it all means. Let’s try to sort it all out.
Drafting is what takes place between the spinners hands or, in the case of the one handed methods, between the spinner’s drafting or back hand and the orifice. For our purposes here, the back hand is defined as the hand holding the supply of fibers and the fore hand is the hand nearest to the orifice. A draft may also be called a draw.
Different types of drafts are used to spin different types of yarn and choice of a drafting method has an effect on the loft, elasticity, fuzziness, strength, and warmth of the yarn being spun. There are two basic categories of draws: Short Draw and Long Draw and each category has its sub types.
THE SHORT DRAFTS:
All of the forms of Short Draw have 2 things in common. First, the spinner’s hands must be only as far apart as the staple length of the fiber being spun plus a tiny fraction more. So if the staple length is 4 inches, the hands should be about 4 ¼ inches apart. Second, no twist is ever allowed into the drafting zone between the spinner’s hands.
There are three types of short draw: Short forward draw; short backwards draw, and the combined short draw.
Short Forward Draw: The back hand remains stationary and holds the fiber supply loosely. The fore hand moves forward to draft, then the fingers controlling twist advancement release and the fingers slide down over the drafted fibers, allowing the twist to enter. The yarn winds on when the fingers of the fore hand slide back backwards to draft more fibers.
Short Backwards Draw: In this draft, the fore hand remains stationary and the back hand moves backwards to allow fibers into the drafting zone. The fingers of the fore hand release tension just enough to allow the fibers to slide through so twist may enter.
Combination Short Draw: This drafting method combines the hand motions of both the short forward and short backward draw. The back hand moves back while the fore hand is moving forward but each hand only moves half the distance needed for the other two drafting styles. Once the fibers are drafted, the fore hand fingers release, the fibers slide through, and twist is inserted.
All of the short drafts are worsted drafting methods. They produce smooth, strong yarns that trap little air and have little loft or elasticity. The Short draws are best used with long staple fibers.
