Selecting the greatest carding tools for wool really can make a world associated with difference when you're staring down the bag of uncooked fleece and questioning how on earth it's going in order to become yarn. In case you've ever tried to spin wool straight from the messy clump, you know exactly why all of us need these tools. They take that tangled, dirty, "straight-off-the-sheep" mess and turn it into individuals beautiful, airy clouds we call rolags or batts. It's one of all those parts of the fiber arts that seems a bit like magic once you get the rhythm down.
I remember the particular first time I actually tried to prepare fiber. I believed I could simply brush it out there with a regular hairbrush. Let's just say that didn't go well. The wool just got trapped, and am ended upward more frustrated than when I started. Since then, I've found that having the particular right gear isn't just about producing the job faster—it's about enjoying the particular process and having the much better completed product.
Exactly why we bother along with carding anyway
Before we dive into the specific gadgets, it's worthy of thinking about why we're even making use of carding tools for wool in the particular first place. Essentially, carding does 3 main things: this cleans out any kind of components of hay or even "vegetable matter" (VM) that survived the particular washing process, it separates the individual fibers, and it also aligns them so they're mostly going in the same direction.
When you card wool, you're creating a "woolen" preparing. This means the fibers are a bit crisscrossed plus trapped with plenty of air. When you're looking to spin a bouncy, warm, fuzzy yarn, carding is your best friend. It's a bit various from combing, which is what you do for those sleek, shiny worsted yarns. For many of us enthusiasts, carding is the particular go-to because it's so versatile and, honestly, quite calming once you enter the swing of it.
The traditional choice: Hand carders
If you're just starting out there or if you want to maintain things simple, hands carders are probably heading to be your best purchase. They appear a bit like heavy-duty dog brushes with wooden holders and "cloth" covered in tiny cable teeth. You usually use them within pairs.
Using hand carders is a very tactile experience. You sit down, put some wool upon one carder, and then "brush" the other one across this. It's all about the sound—that rhythmic scritch-scritch-scritch —and the particular feeling of the fibers resisting and then offering way.
Picking the right TPI
One thing you'll notice whenever looking at carding tools for wool is a quantity called TPI, which usually stands for "teeth per inch. " This is very important. If you're working with a coarse, rugged wool such as Icelandic or Romney, you want a lower TPI (maybe around 72). The teeth are further apart and can deal with the thicker materials without getting bent.
If you're dealing with something super fine and gentle, like Merino or even alpaca, you'll want a higher TPI (like 108 or 120). Using coarse cards upon fine wool is much like trying to brush nice hair with a garden rake—it's just going to tear the fibers create a mess.
Drum carders for the serious lover
Now, when you've got a whole fleece to process, hand carding can feel like it's taking forever. That's where the drum carder comes within. It's basically the big version associated with a hand carder that's mounted upon a frame along with a hand crank (or sometimes the motor).
The first time We used a drum carder, I sensed like I'd upgraded from a bike to a Ferrari. A person feed the wool into the small "licker-in" drum, turn the particular handle, and the big drum collects the fibers straight into a thick, cozy sheet called a batt. It's incredibly satisfying to peel off that batt off the drum when you're finished.
Drum carders are an investment, no doubt about it. They aren't cheap. When you find your self processing more than a few of pounds associated with wool a season, your wrists can thank you. Plus, they are amazing for blending colours. You can throw within some dyed wool, a bit associated with silk, or actually some sparkly Angelina fiber, as well as the carol carder mixes them all together into something totally distinctive.
The very humble flick carder
Sometimes you don't need a whole big setup. The flick carder is definitely just an one, small carding tool that you make use of to "flick" the ends of personal locks of wool. It's great in the event that you want in order to keep the framework of the lock but just need to open upward the tips plus get rid of any dust or particles.
I often use a film carder when I'm "spinning from the lock. " It's an extremely slow, conscious way to work. A person hold the booty end from the wool lock against your own knee (usually protected by a part of leather) and flick the ends until they're fluffy. It's the great tool to have in your bag even though you already have another container carder since it's so handy for those fast touch-ups.
Blending boards: The artist's tool
Whilst not strictly for "processing" raw wool in the conventional sense, blending planks are definitely component of the carding tools for wool family. They appear a bit such as a large, smooth hand carder that sits in your clapboard or on the desk.
Rather than trying to align all of the fibers perfectly, you utilize a blending board to paint with fiber. You can layer different colors and textures in order to create "rolags" that look like small works of art. For individuals who like to spin and rewrite "art yarn" with lots of pieces, colors, and textures, a blending table is usually more enjoyable than a conventional carder.
Maintaining your tools in good shape
It noises obvious, but in the event that you don't get care of your own carding tools for wool, they won't care for you. The teeth on these types of things are surprisingly delicate. If a person leave them within a damp cellar, they'll rust, and rusty teeth will snag and split your wool.
I always keep a "cleaning brush" or an aged flicker nearby to pull out any kind of stubborn bits associated with wool that get stuck deep in the teeth. A person don't want older, crusty components of greyish wool mixing straight into your beautiful brand-new white fleece. Furthermore, avoid the attraction to "intermesh" the particular teeth of your hands carders. They need to just barely skim past each other. In the event that you hear all of them clashing, you're pushing too hard, and you'll wear your teeth down or also bend them away of shape.
What should you purchase first?
In the event that you're sitting there wondering where to start, I'd always suggest a decent pair associated with hand carders. Obtain a mid-range TPI (around 90 is usually a good "do-it-all" number) and simply practice. Get accustomed to exactly how the wool seems. Learn how much is actually much in order to put on the particular carders at once—hint: it's almost always lower than you believe.
Once you've got the hang of the particular motion and also you recognize you actually enjoy the prep work (some people hate it, and that's okay! ), then a person can consider preserving up for a drum carder. There's some thing really special about being involved in every step of the process, through the sheep's back again to your completed project.
Carding isn't just the chore; it's the foundation of all things you're going to make later. Whether you're utilizing a simple movie carder or a fancy motorized carol carder, taking that will time to preparation your wool correctly is what can make the difference in between a "scratchy" handmade item and something you'll actually would like to wear. Therefore, grab some wool, find a comfy chair, and obtain to work—it's the lot more enjoyable than it looks!