So I Rolled Up My Sleeves....
Last summer (was it that long ago already???) I posted about cleaning and washing a pound of really nice natural black (although it borders on being Midnight Brown) Merino/Rambouilette cross fleece. At any rate, it's very soft and very dark and been very neglected! I made up my mind this summer I was going to finally get around to some of the stuff in my fiber stash that has been sitting around whining at me and this was definitely one of those lots of fiber! I think I left it so long partly because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it. Eventually spin it, of course, but if I was going to take the time to set up my drum carder why not blend it with something equally nice? Well it wasn't until earlier this spring that I finally had something that fit that description!
I purchased 20 ounces of beautiful silver-grey Alpaca fiber from Distant Star Alpacas as a special order. It was prepared as silky batts and I was told the fiber was seconds from the fleece. Well let me tell you, if this is "seconds" I'm dying to know how the "firsts" could have been softer or finer! It is gorgeous! So why didn't I spin it up? Because Alpaca, like cotton, has very little "memory" and tends to sag when knitted into anything larger than wrist warmers. As a general rule, if I'm spinning for myself, I prefer Alpaca as a blend with wool. Also, Alpaca is a mondo insulator meaning a little goes a long way if you want to make warm winter wear!
But before I could blend anything the Merino/Rambo needed to be carded. It had such an intense crimp I wondered if it would even card or if it would be one of those beautiful unruly fibers you love and hate at the same time. And yes, there's nothing wrong with the photo, the tips of the fiber are red! They used to be a sunburnt yellow but when I was dyeing last summer I had some red left over and thought it would be a nice way to hide the very pale tips as I didn't want them lightening the color of the fiber. I was so pleased with the end result as it didn't change the dark fiber but it sure smartened up those yellow tips! What's more, as I carded, they virtually disappeared into the batt so I felt I had succeeded rather well in my objective!
Honest, they are much darker in person, this photo is a bit overexposed. It actually took me an entire weekend to card out the pound of Merino/Rambo and blend it with the Alpaca. True, it was a more-or-less relaxing job but after a while it got a bit tedious. What it amounted to was that I wasn't going to quit until the job was finished because I simply couldn't leave the partly finished job strewn across my office for the entire week! Some things are just better not left to tempt fate! LOL!
The only other (perhaps) odd thing I did was wind the batts as tightly as possible as I took the finished blend off the carder. First, if I let that crimpy Merino/Rambo have it's way the batts, even though they were only 1 ounce each, would have taken up an inordinate amount of space. Second, I wanted to be able to spin them a bit like rolags, just drafting fiber out the end of the roll. It meant I fit the entire 2+ pounds into one of my regular tubs (ya, it was a bit of a squeeze) and the entire who's in control battle with the crimp is no longer an issue!
It's always interesting to see how things look when you're finished. Although the ends of these rolls look very silver I think the finished yarn is going to look darker, very marbled or heathered but certainly darker. I mean I could be wrong but I can't see how that much dark fiber could simply disappear. And yes, this is "one of the jobs I have on the go" that will have to get finished before I can dig into all that lovely Jacob fiber! Not that I'll mind as I'm looking forward to getting going on this soft silky stuff! Given the choice I'll take spinning over carding any day but with this fiber I couldn't do one without the other! I'm just glad the latter is over and the former is on the horizon! I imagine spinning this lot will take me well into September and maybe October but I don't think I'll mind. I'm confident the preparation is adequate, and if not, I know exactly who to complain to! LOL! Cheers all!
Left is the fiber after it's first pass through the carder. Still on the lumpy side and that crimp still holds sway. On the right is a batt after it's second pass through the carder. The fiber has relaxed a bit more, the fibers are more separate and it's light and fluffy. I couldn't get over how much longer it is than the first pass batt.
When I was done I had a stack of 16 batts. That amazing crimp sure held everything together! LOL!
When I was done I had a stack of 16 batts. That amazing crimp sure held everything together! LOL!
The only other (perhaps) odd thing I did was wind the batts as tightly as possible as I took the finished blend off the carder. First, if I let that crimpy Merino/Rambo have it's way the batts, even though they were only 1 ounce each, would have taken up an inordinate amount of space. Second, I wanted to be able to spin them a bit like rolags, just drafting fiber out the end of the roll. It meant I fit the entire 2+ pounds into one of my regular tubs (ya, it was a bit of a squeeze) and the entire who's in control battle with the crimp is no longer an issue!
It's always interesting to see how things look when you're finished. Although the ends of these rolls look very silver I think the finished yarn is going to look darker, very marbled or heathered but certainly darker. I mean I could be wrong but I can't see how that much dark fiber could simply disappear. And yes, this is "one of the jobs I have on the go" that will have to get finished before I can dig into all that lovely Jacob fiber! Not that I'll mind as I'm looking forward to getting going on this soft silky stuff! Given the choice I'll take spinning over carding any day but with this fiber I couldn't do one without the other! I'm just glad the latter is over and the former is on the horizon! I imagine spinning this lot will take me well into September and maybe October but I don't think I'll mind. I'm confident the preparation is adequate, and if not, I know exactly who to complain to! LOL! Cheers all!
p.s. Thanks a million again sis for the drum carder! I think of you with mucho amore every time I use it! The best gift I've received in a very long time! 
Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/9/2011 10:39 PM 
Categories: Spinning, Fiber
Tags: merino rambouilette fiber drum carder Made Well drum carder
Categories: Spinning, Fiber
Tags: merino rambouilette fiber drum carder Made Well drum carder
Lovely and great photos. Do you tease the fiber before carding? Doesn't look like it and I use to. Maybe I made more work than needed. Terrific present indeed and you are getting a lot of use from it which is great.
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