Wool Carding with Sue Macniven

[LM1234Life]

Sorry, I guess I meant to put this under one of your spinning videos!

[LM1234Life]

Hi there! I am new to spinning and I am working at a historical site, so I am just learning on the spinning weel that is sitting here (ashford). My problem is that my yarn gets too twisty, but when I put the tension up, the bobbin pops off and sometimes it is really hard to treadle. Do you think there is something wrong with the ashford or is there something I am doing wrong? Thanks

[chicksinrubber]

Hi there, it really depends on what drive system you are using I would say, if the treadle becomes hard when you add more tension to the bobbin I would say it is probably double drive, ie it has a continuous drive band that goes around the main wheel, over the bobbin then around the wheel again then over the Whorl at the back of the bobbin? If the bobbin pops off then make sure that the uprights that hold the bobbin are square on and not at an angle.

[chicksinrubber]

Make sure that the groove on the flyer whorl and the main wheel are aligned and set the drive band over the largest whorl if there are more than one.

You also have to physically let the yarn go onto the bobbin, many beginners hold it back getting as you say really twisted up yarn. Bear in mind that the yarn has to have enough twist to ply back on itself. To test this take about a yard off the bobbin and hold the two ends together and let it double up.

Hope this helps

[Scribamanos]

Thank you for your videos; they have been extremely helpful. However, my question is, how do you go from this (rolag) to something ready to spin (roving)? Thanks!

[chicksinrubber]

Hya, you don't need to do anything else with a rolag, you just spin from one end. They are traditionaly used for longdraw woollen spinning, if you want roving you should really comb.

[bonitalydia]

@chicksinrubber

If you comb, you'll end up with top, not roving. Roving is created from carded fiber which is then drawn into strips. It is usually made by commercial operations, but can also be obtained through use of a drum carder and diz.

[chicksinrubber]

There is a lot of confusion on this subject and I know that folks in the US have different understandings of top and roving than we do over here.

[zepekenio96]

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[antorinu]

this may seem dumb, but they look like slicker brushes for dogs, could i use those instead of bying carders?

[NewtonsMom]

@antorinu You could use slicker brushes...but you'll get tiny little rologs that you may find frustrating. Still - go ahead and play with the slicker brushes if you're a beginner. No harm done. If you're on a budget - or just not sure how much of an investment you want to make into your new hobby yet - it's a good way to get a try at it.

[antorinu]

@NewtonsMom okay, cool=) someday if i ever see carders ima buy some, but even at like craft stores and yarn stores i havn't seen any, but some day haha

[MinnesotaFlash]

My first carders once belonged to my grandmother. VERY WELL used and worn.

Being a "newbie" spinner I would like to say I have discovered your "rubbish in/rubbish out" rule is so true as far as equipment goes as well. Grandma's carders are great keepsakes but near useless for carding wool. If a person is serious about spinning, just like all other art tools, don't skimp. Get the best you can right off.

[colinml2]

Thank you very much.  Very clear and easy to understand.

[HowToHistory]

This is a great video and very thorough. I've heard that if you roll your rolag 90 degrees to the method you show that would be semi-worsted. Is that correct?

[chicksinrubber]

Thank you for your comments, I started spinning 25 years ago and also started with greasy fleece, now though I spin lots of fine exotic fibres and don't want my equipment all mucked up. What a great description "gnashing teeth" do you mind if I use it in my lessons?

[chicksinrubber]

Hi,

I never use greasy wool, I always wash it first, greasy wool is nearly always dirty too and will make a mess of your carders which cannot be washed. Wash the wool first if not already done then card when dry, if the wool is very dried out with old age you can put a little olive oil on your hands and just draw the locks through your hand but is rarely needed. Old greasy wool will be very sticky too and carding will just compact the fibres together.

[53cbrooks]

Sue, Thanks for the great videos! I just brought home some hand cards and they recommend the first card be "in the grease". I don't have any wool like that right now. Is this necessary? Any suggestions?

Thanks again from the other side of the pond.

[antedefferu]

Thank you for this!

But. I can´t get the wool to stuck to the upper card! I don´t know if its because of the way i card, ore how the carders are made.

Any tips on that?

[chicksinrubber]

When you put the locks of wool onto the carder, don't feel you have to pull them onto the teeth, just lay them on, then with a very light movement pass the carder over the locks. The carder teeth shouldn't jam together. use only about 2/3rd of the carder furthest from the handle and make sure that you separate the fibres before making another sweep. If the teeth are closely paired see if there are verticle or diagonal space lines between, I find verticle lines are better than diagonal.

[betty000001]

thank you soooo much! it was very helpfull. Ciao from Italy

[chicksinrubber]

You are welcome, I am glad it has been of help

[chicksinrubber]

The main thing is to get the carding cloth fineness for the type of wool you will be most using it for. There is no point in getting a fine tooth cloth and then be carding mainly things like Southdown or Border Leicester. There are so many makes on the market, I have a Hedgehog which so far I have used mainly for colour blending of already prepared fibres and for coarse fleece like Texel and Border Leicester.

[ChekhovBla]

Thanks a lot. That is very helpful. Can not tell you how much I appreaciate you sharing your experience.

[ChekhovBla]

Just wondering (maybe you covered the question and I missed it), what do you think of carding drums? Do you have any experience? I have problems carding certain fibers and was hoping for sorting it by investing in drum.

Thanks for great videos you make.

[chicksinrubber]

Look up Patrick Green, Louet, Ashford and see what they offer, if you can get one that is easy to interchange drums all the better and only use it for washed fleece so as not to gum up the cloth with grease and dirt. You will find the best Batts come from pre sorted fleece.

[chicksinrubber]

Take off any brittle tips and short cuts prior to carding and if blending fibres card each one seperately first then, blend by proportion, you may have to do 2/3 passes, it helps if you do not think of it as a quicker way to card, just a different way. Good luck.

[KagooKaty]

Ref your proposed dvd, I proubably would be interested depending on length, subjects covered and cost. I think my local guild would probably be interested in purchasing a copy too but I'm not in charge of their library so it would have to go through "official" channels I suppose!

thanks again

[KagooKaty]

Thank you so much for these two vids - I've been carding and spinning for a couple of years (self taught!) and your tutorial will improve my fibre preparation hugely. You are very clear and your instructions make absolute sense. Brilliant!

[chicksinrubber]

thanks all for great comments, I am being asked at the moment to produce a fine spinning dvd/video for sale, would any of you be interested in purchase? or on other spinning subjects.

regards

Sue

[ARoode]

Thank you so very much for these very thoughtful and very helpful videos! I've watched some other videos on hand carding, and this is the first one I've seen that really shows me what it is that I've been doing wrong, and how to make the most of my carders!

You are so kind and generous to post these. Your effort is greatly appreciated.

[gossemerwings]

Hi Sue, it's been a long while since I've been here, but I just want to wish you a very blessed and healthy New Year! I just got back into knitting, and I also got blessed with a bunch of raw fleece, so now I have something new to learn~ cleaning stinky fleece! LOL!

May you and your family have a very blessed new year, God bless you hun, keep making more videos, hugs to you~ Dora :)

[gossemerwings]

Good day Sue! I just got your email response, thanks so much for answering my post! I figured you were very busy, but I just wanted to tell you that there is a website called "Ravelry" ~ it is a giant community if knitters, crocheters, spinners, livestock owners, artists, and it has endless pattern boards, books, vendors, and you can even post your stashes, patterns, and it has needle and gauge charts, along with being able to get private messages as well, and it inspired me to knit again!

[NancyToday]

Dearest Sue,

Thankyou so much for taking the time to share this with me. I have been felting for years and using a drum carder. I learned more in your video than in all my experiences!

I had some carders 30 years ago, but they have long since been misplaced.

You have inspired me. Now I am wondering how to use my drum carder properly. I didn't realize there was so much to it!

Thanks, again!

[chicksinrubber]

Glad you all like the vid's I am very busy at the moment spinning cashmere, merino, alpaca and Yak down. Making hats like a crazy person and hoping to get some socks done before xmas. We have a few fibre fairs here, but not many compared with U.S Last one I went to was Wool fest in Cockermouth where I bought a lovely Merino cross fleece which I am spinning at the moment.

[gossemerwings]

Ok~ I just found your Pt. 2 video~ lol! I saved that as well, I had gone yesterday to the Dutchess County Sheep & Wool festival in Rhinebeck NY, and I had the most amamzing day seeing all the mouth watering yarns,fleeces, and of course the beautiful sheep, llamas and alpacas, and seeing all the glorious multicolored fall leaves! That's where I got my goodies, but I definitly have to start saving for next years fair- lol! You must have great fiber festivals in the UK, you should come to the USA!

[chicksinrubber]

I see some pretty poor carding when visiting shows etc and would love to dive in and straighten out technique, but it is a dodgy thing to do. Some people would hate me for it, others appreciate. Best to let people decide to come for lessons. The proof is in the finished yarns, good carding, better chance of good yarns. I would love to do a tour in USA and visit many fibre fairs.

Regards

Sue

Regards

Sue

[gossemerwings]

Wow- you have the best video on carding! I just bought my first set of Strauch curved carders, along with 8oz of Coopworth washed mixed colored fleece, and 1lb of dark brown & grey mixed Llama fleece {so soft!}, and I'm sitting here looking for a video to card, and yours is the best, especialy explaining about what to do with the dried tips. Wouldn't it be easier to cut the tips off? Do you have any other videos besides this one on fiber prep? Thanks so much, I saved your video and will use it!

[Nicolenieweg]

Thank you, Sue. This has helped me very much.

[superstargapgirl]

Very excellent videos. My mom is learning to spin in Hawaii (we have very little wool so not many spinners here) and youre videos are easy to follow along with

[davilyn1958]

I want to thank you so much for your videos. I am learning to spin on my own and have found that your videos are very educational. I just recently purchased some raw wool and the carding videos are great thank you. I look forward to more of your videos.

Davilyn

[Sheepdogmom]

Sue- Thank you for such an informative video, great job!