Working with Scales

As I continue spinning my laceweight and knitting my skirt, I want to introduce one of my essential tools: my kitchen scale.

Two essential tools

As you can see from the picture, I actually have two scales. The first one I got is a mechanical scale. It can measure up to 22 lbs. and is decent for weighing fleeces. Unfortunately, most spinning uses for a scale require measurement in ounces or grams. The second scale in the picture is an electric scale (it  is the one with the bobbin-full of laceweight singles on top). It measures in tenths of ounces, and is generally much more useful.

So, what can one do with a scale? The most common use for it is to split the wool (somewhat) evenly, so that when you ply, there is a minimum of waste. You can also do what I am doing in the photo and measure how much you have made, so that you make approximately the same amount for the next bobbin (or two). Of course, unless you have perfectly even spinning, the length will only approximately match the weight, so it won't be exact.

You can also measure the final product and get the grist (e.g. yards per pound) or simply the weight for sale.

But there are also knitting applications for a good scale, and they are under-utilized. 

For instance, if you are making a scarf, and you want to start a pattern in the very center, you can measure the scarf and the remaining yarn to see when they match. The yarn will weigh the same whether it is knitted or not.

Even better, you can use the weight to measure early if you are going to have enough yarn to finish a project. If you start a sweater, and you are a few rounds into it, you can weight it, compare that with the number of rows you will eventually do, and weight the remaining yarn to see if you have enough.

Tools are useful, and a scale is a great tool for planning out your work.

Bonus: a picture of my crafting desk (which I use for storage, rather than crafting):

Yes, I do keep my old straight needles in a vase.