Wool combs

Valkyrie Wool Combs...

Wolverine without the side burns!!!!  Well not quite, but perhaps reminiscent of some sort of medieval torture tool.  These things can be dangerous so make sure your tetanus shots are up to date.

Learning to use these requires careful attention, primarily so as not to stab ones self and draw blood.  And mind you this is VERY easy to do.  But the end result is beautiful roving.

I find the main benefits of using wool combs is to strip out VM and second cuts.  Many people, as you will find if you start looking through YouTube clips, will use combs with a hackle.  I don't have a hackle yet but you can use them with or without a hackle.

I found this wonderful image and at the same time discovered another spinners blog, Barbro's Threads.  I hope you don't mind me using your pic, but in the process I have added you to one of my fav blogs.  So much history and wonderful information.  But I digress...

You can see in this picture, not only the sharp tines of the combs, but the fluffy results achieved.

Another spinner, and just overall handy girl extraordinaire is Rexi R.  My kids love her videos even though they are not yet fully addicted to spinning.   Whilst she is demoing Indigo Hound Combs they are much the same thing and Rexi R brings spinning instructional videos to life.  If you have even the slightest lop sided sense of humour you too will smile at her helpful, practical and amusing videos.  Yay Rexi R.

I watched many videos on using a comb and hackle but since I don’t have a hackle I was struggling to get my technique right if I didn’t attach one of my combs to a work bench.  Then I found this video by Susan McFarland.  Susan shows us how to use the combs safely without having to attach them to a bench.  This is a great video on using hand combs.

Combing is currently my favourite technique.  Well perhaps the technique is not the favourite but the result certainly is.

Yes it takes time, but the results are oh so soft.  You can create little fluffy bumps to spin from or to dye or blend.  And once you get your groove happening it is surprising how fast you can comb a well washed fleece.   I have heard it said that combing is faster than carding.  I suppose that comment is relative to the  size of your carder, but noting blend through a card nicer than well combed fleece. 

It is good to have a variety of fibre processing techniques.  Variety of movement helps ensure you don’t suffer from muscle or joint overuse.  More on the health and safety aspects of spinning in a later post.  You can do a bit of combing, do a bit of dying then blend it on your hand cards or carding machine for another effect altogether.  The possibilities are endless.

Back to combing.  There is probably not much more I can add if you watch the two videos that I have linked in.  These ladies have nailed the technique.

However, a word of advice.  You will find combing much easier if your fleece is well washed.  I have tried combing unwashed fleece and it just turns into a clumpy sticky mess.  My sheep all seem to have a reasonably high lanolin content which is where the stickiness comes from.  You can comb raw alpaca quite successfully as alpaca does not have lanolin.  The same would probably apply to other hair type fibres.  Also, don't overload your combs at least until you get the hang of it.

So that's all on wool combs.  Like everything there are many different brands.  but you may find that only a few brands are available in your country.

Dog Combs and Flickers

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.

 The flick carder allowed me to prepare fibre much quicker and I think the end result was a little better, although that seemed to depend on the fibre.

 

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.

http://joyofhandspinning.com/how-to-prepare-fiber-with-a-flicker-carder/

 WHICH ONE IS BEST?

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.

 If you have the opportunity to try both, do so.  Of course you can buy a dog comb at most any discount store or of course pet store.  A flick carder is a specialist spinning tool so you will have to go on eBay or to a spinning supply web site or store.

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.

 

My Spinning Tools

I thought a series on spinning tools would be useful to many.  I’ve been spinning for a few years and thought my dog comb was as handy as they got, then my hand cards were pretty funky, then a flicker  brush replaced my dog comb for spinning in the grease.  I quickly migrated to a wild carder as my go to tool (and later added a motor).  My current tool of choice is a set of Viking combs.  On reflection I think my tools have journeyed with me and changed as my experience has grown. 

It is often difficult to find useful information on the internet and searching for it can take a long time.  Whilst I certainly haven't used all the spinning tools on the market sharing my experiences with what I have used may help others.  Over time you will lean towards a favourite tool (like I am my Viking combs) but it is not my place to impose expert advice.  A good spinner will acknowledge they are forever learning.  I now see each tool as unique in itself, for a specific purpose and to achieve a different result even if the results are later combined.  Perhaps my way is different to something you have seen on the internet (YouTube is a great place to play and learn), but that doesn't mean I am right, or wrong.

Over coming weeks I will share with you how I have learnt to use my tools, some of the assumptions I made about them (often wrong) and how I see them fitting into the broad range of spinning tools that you will come across.  The focus will be on fibre preparation as the foundation for your end product.

So what is in my tool box?

 

• Viking combs
• Hand Carders
• Flick Carder
• Comb
• Wild Carder (now with Electricarder attached)
• Wool Picker

And I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised to know that I have a wish list set of tools somewhere in my future (hopefully).  These might include:

• A blending board 
• A motorised triple drum carder

Of course you can always get your fibre professionally processed, but even so, you may wish to have some of these tools handy for further processing.  I have 6 fleece from my best sheep with a processor at the moment and cant wait until I get some nice clean smooth roving back.  In the mean time I will continue to hand wash and hand process my other fleece, into clean smooth roving. 

Happy Spinning until next time...