Unloved Fiber – Who Doesn’t Love a Party?

A pile of fiber ready to party!
A pile of fiber ready to party!

I got a lot of great suggestions when I asked about what to do with no longer loved stash fiber, fiber that is compacted or just not your favorite anymore. Lots suggested giving it away or selling it, over dyeing or carding. There were two great suggestion for felted fiber – using it for insulation and making dryer balls.

No one mentioned one of my favorite stash refreshers – a carding party! All you need are a couple of carders and a few friends that have unloved stash. My gang piles everything into the middle of a room, positions the carders around the outside and we take turns making batts.

This is especially great for those odds and ends of fiber that aren’t enough to make something on their own.

Eventually the pile gets separated into colors, and funky add-ins like sparkle or saari silk are kept in their own pile. It is great fun and everyone goes home with a pile of batts.

When I was in college we used to have clothes trading parties. I was thinking of doing something like that for fiber that is more swapable than cardable. Has anyone had a fiber trading party?

 

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Jillian is the​ author of the best-selling spinning book Yarnitecture. She is the editor​ of Knittyspin and Developmental Editor for PLY and PLY Books. She kinda loves this spinning thing and wants everyone who spins to love it too, so she teaches and writes a lot. She knits, weaves, and stitches and tries to do as much of it as she can with handspun yarn. She's always cooking up all kinds of exciting and creative things combining fiber arts. She likes her mysteries British, her walks woodsy, and to spend as much time as she can laughing. Spy on her on her website jillianmoreno.com

2 thoughts on “Unloved Fiber – Who Doesn’t Love a Party?

  1. Renee Anne

    I love the idea of a fiber trading party but I don’t know enough spinners where I live. Also, I don’t spin often enough to know whether something is unloved in my stash….I love all my stash. I might have a problem 🙂

  2. Karrie

    Great idea! I just got a carder. I don’t have anyone close by to join in either but still a great idea.

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