DOG COMBS
Yep you read right, dog combs.
When I first bought my wheel I had raw Corriedale fibre and
was flicking the tips with a dog comb. Lock
by lock I combed the edges on my trusty piece of black vinyl. I would comb a few then spin a few. It was slow work but I knew no better and it
was a reasonable result. I could
practise dying with spun wool or individual locks. I must say, I was pleased with my first skein
of lumpy, bumpy, colourful yarn. I had
nicely prepared fibre and spun up something that I could crochet from. I actually think my spinning was better than
my crocheting!!
I had no assumptions as I knew no better. I was simply enjoying the process and learning
the feel of the fibre and how a well combed lock responded verses a no so well
combed lock. I wasn’t inhibited with
trying to spin woollen or worsted. Some
I combed the tip then base and spun from the base. Some I combed the base then tip and spun from
the tip. There were no spinning police
just my desire to get better. Was this
right or wrong? I didn’t really care. There are plenty of years in my spinning life
ahead to settle on puritan ways if I so choose.
I think this was a good learning base as in some respects
things got easier as I began to move onto other tools.
FLICK CARDER
A year or two after buying my wheel and still considering
myself very much a beginner, I took a spinning class. Most there, were still learning how to spin a
continuous length of yarn. I had already
mastered that but knew there was still much to learn. Unfortunately, I had Grumpy Teacher who told
us there were three types of Alpacas (Huacaya, Suri and Alpaca!) and not so
politely (well I felt at least) asked “so what do you expect to achieve out of
coming to a beginner class?” :-P I was there to learn. Whatever there was to learn! As it turned out I improved my spinning. I got a taste of a few different fibres, bought
a Flick Carder and learnt how to use it.
Again I had no assumptions about the flick carder as I had
spent the last while combing all my raw wool with a dog comb or spinning nice
smooth roving that I had since discovered on that horrible (haha) site called
eBay.
One piece of advice.... have a sheet of black vinyl or a wooden board on your lap. A flicker will do significant damage to your clothes over time.
One of my favourite sites I first stumbled across when
looking for resources was ‘The Joy of
Handspinning’. Lots of great
information on many aspects of spinning and the fibre arts. Here is a link to one of their instructional
videos on the flick carder.
They both serve a purpose and if you experiment you may
settle on a favourite. A few years down
the track on my spinning journey I do find the comb is sometimes better for
longer and coarser wool/fibres. If I
want to spin Suri from the lock then the comb is the preferred tool for me. If I want to spin my Merino or Boarder Leicester
in the grease then the flicker will get me through enough fibre in a day to
keep me spinning at night for the week.
At some point I will post a supplier guide of all the places
I know where you can buy spinning gear from.
Of course you all have the internet (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading
this) and can search away. But,
sometimes they are a little tricky to find.
So anyway, I will post something one day to help you on your way.
Happy Spinning until next time.
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