Final Observations

I spun another left-handed skein, running the leftover counter-clockwise spun singles back through the wheel to take out some of the twist, and then I spun a similar amount on another bobbin, slowing waaaaay down, and doing my best not to over twist.  I plied them clockwise, again trying not to over ply.  There are bits that seem to be hardly spun at all, and the ply was all wonky.  

And then I learned my drive band has been set up wrong, all this time.  *facepalm*

I wasn't going to put up a picture of the sample I knit from this, but if it helps someone else, here it is.  This is unwashed.

This is washed.

I discovered that the yarn was untwisting as I knit, so the parts that were underspun or underplied came apart even further.   If I am going to spin left-handed yarn, then the ply is going to have to be somewhat tighter.

I spun last little bit of  fiber right handed and was very, very careful about the twist.  It is the bit of yarn on the left in the very last picture.   Here is a picture of the unwashed sample.

I seriously hate how underspun parts of the singles are.  And yet, after washing, this is the nicest-looking thing I have made of my handspun, with the exception of the chain-plied section of the Multi-Directional Scarf.

Washed:

What have I learned?  

1.  There is a whole lot more to twist than I imagined, and there are many articles written about it by people who know far more than I do.

2.  A pound of practice fiber is a good thing.  It is even better to put your needles to what you have spun, as you are going through it.

A pound of Corriedale Cross: