Carding Some Wool
In a few weeks I will be at Fibrefest in Almonte Ontario. http://almontefibrefest.ca/ This week I have been making batts to sell there.
First I made a bat and then split it into thin layers.
Then I add the yarn pieces and feed it into the carder
This is the finished batts. This was all one, I split in half. The bats are difficult to manage in a 7 foot length.
Then I did some purple
I did some more purple and some blues
I also did a few textured bats that have nepps for texture Only one picture sorry. I will leave it big to make up for it. LOL
This is a video my husband made of the carder working
18 thoughts on “Carding Some Wool”
I could watch that carder all day! I sure would be tempted to buy some of those lovely looking batts. Good thing I live on the other side of the world. I am trying to use up what I have before I buy more 🙂
Thanks, Jane. It is a very cool machine. You know you can never have too much wool.
That’s a monster of a carder! Mine is like a toy one by comparison. Fascinating video – thank you for posting Ann.
The batts are lovely and will surely fly off your sales table.
Thanks, Lyn and Annie, It is big but I have a small hand-cranked one too. Sometimes it is too much. I hope people like them.
I could watch that machine all day
Thanks, It is a very cool machine.
Quite an operation. That is amazing. Where are you located? Do you also have sheep?😀
Thanks, Kate. It is amazing to watch. I am near Ottawa in Canada. I do have shep but they have very coarse wool. I do have some plans to use their wool. Time is my biggest problem.
Your batts look delicious and should fly out of your booth. Good luck at the show.
Thank’s Ruth, fingers crossed.
I will be at Almonte teaching and love the setting for this fibre festival. looking forward to seeing everyone and replenishing my stock
It is a good venue. What are you teaching? I haven’t really looked as I can’t go to any workshops. Do stop by and say hi. You will have to remind me how I know you I am terrible at remembering names.
Great color combos on the batts. I’m sure they’ll be snapped up in a heartbeat. That machine is awesome. I’d still be working in the first one with my little carder.
Thanks, Marilyn, we were very lucky to get it.
Love your batts I’m sure they will be snapped up very quickly. Watching the video (thanks for making it) the batts look very fine almost see through.
What an amazing machine, and so many rollers. It looks vintage. What is the age of it? How big is it? What is it’s story? Just curious. As written above my drum carder is a toy by comparison and takes ages of careful feeding & re-feeding & re-feeding & re-feeding to create anything decent. I’ve found the slower the better, so hours evaporate! Oh what one could achieve with multiple rollers……!!! I just have to watch the video again!
You have to feed it slowly just like the smaller ones. It comes off in a very thin sheet and accumulates on the last roller. It is an old Patrick Green cottage industry carder. It must be 50 years old now. I was told it was 30 years old when I bought it 20 years ago. The people I bought it from said they had done carding for others as a business.
Interesting – I’ve just looked at photos online of his carders. They are substantial machines.
Yes, he made some very good machines. He stopped making mine a long time ago. He made a fantastic one called an Elsacard. I don’t know why he stopped making them. The used ones are rare and they go for quite a bit of money. They are a better size for someone making their own batts. They make beautiful batts.