CARDING ROMNEY WOOL

Yesterday I started carding the white Romney Wool I purchased and washed in the fall. I had such fun! This project was relaxing and rewarding.

Here is the wool while on the drum carder I borrowed from the spinning and weaving guild I belong to. This makes the job so much easier. I have seen this done by hand, but it is a long process. I've even tried it before, but I vote for this method! It combs the wool evenly and puts it into a "batt" for spinning. Once the drum is full, I ran a knitting needle under the wool to remove it from the drum. A lot of vegetation is combed out of the wool during this process, thus the old sheet underneath the carder to catch the debris. I decided the basement was the best place for this project!

This wool has a lovely sheen as you can see in this picture. The locks are long and curly. I pulled them slightly apart before carding to help get an even "batt."  As I carded, I suddenly realized that "Rapunzel" would be a great name for my first sheep! Here the locks are being placed on the tray and fed into the drum carder.

 

The growing pile of "batt." I was amazed at how fast this went and how much wool there is available for me to spin now! Amazing! A spinner's dream! I will be doing this again--purchasing fleeces, that is. If I can manage to get my own sheep, I'll do that too!  Blessings, LORI