This weekend I managed to combine two things, getting to know my Struach Finest Motorized drumcarder a little better and working on fiber prep for my Knittyspin column for the next issue – spoiler alert, there are batts.
I’m using dyed Corriedale top from Louet in my batts, and here are three things that made carding easier for me.
Fluff top until it’s sheer. I fluffed my top until I could see through it. Lots of thin layers make batts more even, and it’s kinder to your carder. I make sure I can see the yellow warning sticker through my fiber.
Long pieces of top need a little help. I just rest my hand on the fiber when I use a long piece. If I let it go on it’s own it would bunch and become uneven. If I pull or add too much pressure I play tug a war with the fiber (and the motor). I make sure not to push (more bunching) too.
Using little bits? Handcards are a drumcarders best friend. For some of my batts I used just little bits of top (3″-4″), I found that if I did just one pass on my handcards first, just opening the fiber, the color spreads much more evenly in the batt.
What tips do you have for drumcarding top?
