Fiber Experiment

I got some fiber the other day that was not roving, top, sliver, or any other kind of organized substance for spinning. I got it because it was inexpensive and I loved the color and texture combination.


I posted to the spinning fiber community for advice. It amused me that it was recommended that I card the fiber. If I had carders I wouldn't be asking for advice! I didn't even have the proper sort of dog brushes to do for fake carders, but one of the comm members suggested just combing the fiber into a sort of organized bit to spin without overdoing it, and that sounded like a good idea.

I got the fiber, a bag to put processed stuff in, a couple of unused brushes, a dog brush, my MP3 player and speakers, and a comfy chair and sat out in the sunshine for day one of my primitive fiber processing experiment.


Basically, I just loaded up a brush with fiber per the "joy of handspinning" handcarder instructions and used the other brush to blend and smooth it out.
Don King, is that you??



The fiber grew an amazing amount as I was working with it.



I think I got a bit over-enthusiastic as I was working with it, because when I went to spin it, there were a lot of little lumps in it that reminded me of when you have tangles in your hair. While those do give texture to the yarn, it's not the sort of texture I was after. So I will try to eliminate or at least reduce those bumps when I continue processing it.

In this picture, you can just see one of the bumps coming into the first hook.

Getting onto the bobbin-and I am not liking the way it looks. Not at all.

I went ahead and spun a small bobbin-full, using almost all of the ounce or so that I'd processed. I then plied it on itself from a center pull ball.

I am less than pleased with the results, but I don't hate it as much as I did when I saw it on the bobbin. I think with some patience and practice, it will be fine.

Or, I could just put it away until I get real handcarders, because that's something I DO want to get down the road.





I will be continuing the experiment today, or maybe tomorrow. Or maybe both. Progress will be posted!