Spinning Yak Using Supported Longdraw

According to Stephanie Flynn-Sokolov,  "To spin yak, you will need a wheel with a very high drive wheel to whorl ratio. One way to achieve this is with a very big drive wheel. Down fibers like camel, yak and bison yearn to be spun longdraw. The supported longdraw seems to work best for me. Using this drafting technique may require some practice if your default drafting is a short draw, forward or back. After attaching the fiber to your leader you will be gently controlling the twist with your forward hand. Your fiber supply hand cups the fiber while allowing a small amount of fiber between your thumb and forefinger. Since the fiber is fine, we will be spinning a fine yarn, and since the fiber is so short the drafting triangle is microscopic in comparison to a medium weight wool yarn. In the drafting triangle your fiber supply turns into yarn, so the more fiber you feed in, the heavier your yarn. Pull your fiber supply hand away from your forward hand while using your forward hand like a stop gate to open, shut, twist and untwist the twist between your hands allowing only enough twist through to twist those tiny fiber in the triangle between your forefinger and thumb on your fiber supply hand. Then treadle, open the front hand finger and thumb and let the yarn draw on."

More information on spinning with Yak can be found on the Schacht Spindle Company blog.

Long Draw Spinning Tips

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Spinning long draw is a great way to create light, soft, fluffy yarn. As you spin, air is trapped between the fibers, which creates a warm, nicely insulating yarn. Long draw spinning can be a bit frustrating at first, because you need to manage your fiber and twist a little differently than in short draw spinning, but it’s a lovely method once you get your rhythm down. 

Craftsy offers a free tutorial on the process