Watch as I show you how to make a two-ply yarn from a single center-pull ball. Learn how to make an Andean bracelet, how to ply two an Andean bracelet into a two-strand center-pull ball, and how to spin that two-strand ball to ply.

In this video Megan LaCore of www.theartofmegan.com shows you how to hand-wind a center pull ball of yarn from a hank. Though this technique is shown with a handmade hank of yarn, any kind of yarn wrapped in any preparation can be wound into a center-pull ball with this method.

In this timelapse video, you can see me carding cotton on 120 pt fine hand carders, creating cotton punis for spinning, then spinning and plying cotton yarn on a tahkli spindle.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate at an eco-holiday craft workshop for San Jose's Our City Forest. I brought along several project ideas for decorating without purchasing anything new, and my plastic bag yarn Christmas tree was a big hit!

Materials:
Cardstock or thin cardboard
Hot glue gun & glue
Plastic Bag Yarn
Glitter
Decoration for top

To begin, find a piece of thin cardboard or cardstock. Cereal boxes work well, old poster board from a past school project is perfect for larger trees, or anything flexible yet firm that you can roll up into a cone shape will work. I'm using a piece of used bristol paper from a scrapped drawing assignment last semester.

Find the center point of your edge, and roll the edges of the paper in on themselves. You'll have to cut the bottom to be flat, so don't worry if it's not evened out.

Once you're happy with the shape of your cone, hot glue the edges of the outside down all the way around. Let the glue cool, then trim the bottom of your cone so it sits flat.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Starting at the top, glue the end of your plastic yarn into the hole at the tip of the cone. Laying down a line of glue all the way around the cone tip, wrap the plastic yarn carefully into the glue. Once you get all the way around, continue wrapping the yarn down the cone in a spiral fashion, keeping the yarn tight to the round above it. Add more glue as necessary.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Continue wrapping and gluing plastic bag yarn all the way down the cone. When you get near the bottom and the last layer looks even across, trim excess yarn and cardstock.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Now it's time to decorate our tree. Over an area that will collect excess glitter or hot glue, such as a box or a large piece of paper, apply a dot of hot glue on the plastic yarn tree. Low temperature hot glue works best here, but if you just have a high temperature glue gun, be careful that the hot glue doesn't move around on your tree much.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Holding the tree over the box or paper, and while the glue dot is still hot, cover the hot glue in glitter. Allow glue to cool completely, then shake off excess glitter. Wait for each hot-glue-and-glitter ornament to be completely cool before applying the next one.

If necessary, dust excess glitter off plastic bag yarn with a soft dry paint brush.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Finally, decorate the top of your tree. I used two circles punched from a recycled foil-lined envelope, which I glued back-to-back and finished with a confetti star glued to each side. I cut a tiny slit on both sides of the cone tip, added a little hot glue, and stuck my star medallion to the top.

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Originally uploaded by theartofmegan

Here's the tree on my craft table at Our City Forest's Eco-Holiday Craft workshop. You can see people making recycled ornaments in the background. Everything was a big hit!

Here's to great decorations, creating less waste, and a happy holiday to you and yours. Cheers! <3

In this video, Megan LaCore demonstrates plying two single-spun yarns together on a top-whorl drop spindle. Spinning two or more yarns together is a helpful and versatile technique that every spinner should have in their knowledge base.