You're the only one I've watched who goes so in-depth with the mechanics - precise - on creating multiple rolags from one board. Because of your video, I can FINALLY make beautiful rolags that aren't so thick the ends won't smooth down. THANK YOU! 😊 I'm now a subscriber!
The Blending Board promo is now live! I'm excited to begin this community-based tutorial with you guys since I'll be able to give you content you really want to see. If you want to know how to X or Y with a blending board, please post in the comments so I can begin creating a tutorial list based on _your_ suggestions! Let's make this series awesome, together.
Thank you! I have been researching blending boards for a few months now. Trying to decide if what I want is a drum carder, hackles or a blending board. Since I'm not processing large amounts of fleece and dealing with smaller amounts of varying fibers, it seems the board may be more useful to me at this time. As always you do wonderful videos and I would be interested in some more videos dealing with other spinning tools as well.
Joan Collins-Parsons Thanks for watching! It's tough deciding which tool to get because we have so many at our disposal; unfortunately, we get lost in all the choices. Even if I had every other tool, I would still want a blending board. :) You can make mini batts and rolags with a blending board, so if you're just looking to make 4 ounces at a time for projects, a blending board will work out just fine. It won't align the fibers from fleeces quite as well as a drum carder, but with a combination of flicking and drafting as you make rolags, you'll still be able to deal with small quantities of wool locks. I have a hackle which will make it's debut at some point in the near future, as well as supported spindles. My new supported spindle should be arriving in the mail in about a week!
It seems like people use blending boards to create art Batts or rolags. I just finished a DIY blending board and I plan to use it to truly blend a custom color to match handspun yarn I have already finished. I've purchased 3 different pink/peach rovings and none are quite right. So I will make my own! Thank you for the informative video!
Yeah, it is difficult to use a blending board to randomize a blend (whether it is color or fiber type), but you can certainly make a blending board a multi-tasker if you're willing to spend the extra time to blend like you're saying. And I'm sure yours was way cheaper than mine! Since I already have a drum carder, the blending board is an extra tool for me. My carder is my work horse. But in terms of making rolags, blending boards are much more efficient than hand cards! Good luck, Cathy. :)
880raven: The rolags are used for the woolen spinning technique (woolen v. worsted). The fibers approach the drafting triangle somewhat perpendicularly. Fibers don't like to be bent in half, so the fiber tries to lay flat--but when you introduce twist, it is the opposing force which prevents the fiber from laying flat and keeps the yarn held together. The result is a kind of 'hollow' yarn which is fluffy, light, and airy, and incredibly warm. The worsted spinning technique uses a preparation where the fibers are all laying flat and approach the drafting triangle head-on. Since this is the relaxed state of the fiber, the twist prevents the fibers from drafting apart under tension. This produces a dense, smooth yarn. You can use rolags to spin a semi-worsted yarn. To make a semi-worsted yarn, you spin using the worsted method but the fiber is jumbled, meaning that the fibers aren't necessarily all laying flat against each other. I have spun many of my rolags in this way and it produces a lovely hybrid yarn: it's relatively smooth, but not extremely dense. To spin, you can do two drafting methods, in general (there are others, of course). Hold the rolag like a rope, barely holding it with your fiber supply hand. Add some twist to get started, then draft as you normally do. The other way is to predraft the whole rolag first, then sit down and spin as you normally do. If you know how to spin woolen (supported or unsupported), you just add twist and draft the rolag backwards, pulling out the slubs as necessary to get a nice, soft yarn. I got this blending board from another Etsy shop for Christmas, so I don't have any in my shop. My blending board and hackle came from this shop: www.etsy.com/shop/MoonsongFiberworks?ref=l2-shopheader-name I would love to carry tools some day, but for now, I only carry spindles. I have a big project in mind for this summer though!
880raven You're welcome. :) I like being the enabler, so don't wait too long to try this method--it's fun to just let yarn happen, and even if it isn't perfect (my yarns still aren't 'perfect'), it'll be a great experience and you'll make lovely yarn.
I enjoyed the video very much. I just started spinning with a drop spindle so all of this is new to me. Can you explain what the rolags are used for? How do you spin with them? Thanks! Oh....and I assume the Blending Board is available in your Etsy shop?
I think a blending board would give you maximum control over blending and effects, but if you need bulk fibers blended, a drum carder would be better. You can do effects on both, but if you're only working with smaller amounts, a blending board (or hand carders would be another good option for small projects) would be best.
Hi love the video. I'm not entirely new at blending boards but I have been struggling with using sari silk on it. I wanted to blend it with some wool and have been leaving the silk in longer pieces. Maybe I need to cut them shorter but what I find is unless I have wool already on the Blending Board then add sari silk and then wool on top when I card across it it all snags on my carder. Maybe I need to uses a brush instead? or cut the silk shorter? ugh
Lisa Krouse Are you placing the sari silk parallel to the left/right edges? Or are you placing them parallel to the top/bottom edges? When you blend, do you blend from side to side? You may need to alter how you place the sari silk to prevent snags, but I don't think you really need to cut them. I'll have to pull out my thrums stash to see if I can help you out with this issue. There's a hidden answer in there somewhere! :) I've mainly used pulled silk on my board, but I use sari thrums rather liberally in my fiber batts. As long as they're not more than 6-8 inches (depending on the swift diameter), I never have problems with using longer sari thrums.
I think the board itself is made of pine. You can look for 'carding cloth' online...get one that's 72tpi. Lots of people have made their own blending boards!
There could be two reasons for the knots. First, if the fiber isn't well carded prior to making the rolags, there will be knots from the fleece not having been processed enough. The second reason could be from how you transfer the wool from one card to another. If you transfer the wool too carelessly, the ends can get flipped around and create a loop which will act like a knot when you're spinning. I learned a lot of this when I was first starting out and I found it really helpful to start with combed top to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. If you're still having trouble, try to isolate the variables so you can focus on what's giving you the problem. Also, rolling the fiber too tightly on the dowels will make things harder during the spinning stage. A light, yet firm, touch is the best! Good luck!
I am super excited about my blending board arriving today, but I don’t have any desire to create a rollag, I want to create a pre-felt for my needle felt painting. Can anyone help me with that process? Steps needed? I can’t find any videos on that from a blending board either.
I hadn't considered using the blending board for this purpose! I would have to experiment a little before I made a tutorial, but I would suggest beginning with well carded fibers, like combed top or carded batts. Open them up until the wool is fluffy and thin, then place the wool in very thin layers. That will give you a nice base for your pre felt that has a fairly even thickness (unless you want chunky spots?). I'd apply and sparles, silk, etc. type fibers after you've removed the wool sheet from the board. You can remove the sheet like one giant rolag and unroll it after it's off the board. You can build up the background either way, but I would suggest building the layers bottom to top, back to front, so the final layers you add will be the right side of the felt (as opposed to the backside). I hope that gives you a starting guide. I'm basing this on my experience using the blending board for making smooth rolags that draft smoothly for long draw, as I think the technique I use for that will apply to your pre felt question 😉
@JanetBackhaus You can! My email is on my website (www.expertlydyed.com) and you can share it to me via Facebook (Expertly Dyed page), Instagram (@expertlydyed) or Twitter (@JenniferBeamer2) 😊 I'd love to see it!
Hiya! I explained this in my recent livestream. See if it helps, if not, ask me again and I can do a different type of video ru-vid.comIJ0tWBvGNCc?si=x5DMTPqDvXF6O6Y9
This tutorial was so detailed. Would you do a tutorial on spinning Alpaca. People have videos however not step by step. Especially if you can't keep the twist in it.
outsidethebox3 Sure, I have lots of alpaca on hand, so doing a tutorial would be really easy. Do you just want a video about how to spin it? Or did you need help preparing it too?
Hello. Definitely one on spinning it I know would be helpful to so many of us. I've seen videos on washing it however if getting it prepared for spinning is different than wool, yes please include this step also in the video. I just bought a half pound of Alpaca so I'll be anxiously waiting for your video. Thank you SO much.
outsidethebox3 Absolutely! Spinning alpaca is a wonderful experience. I'll see if I can add it to the video queue tomorrow. I might not be able to get to it until next week though. Perhaps I can give you a starter tip or two while you wait? I like to pull the soft parts of the fleece away from the rest and keep that part separate (for neck items especially). Alpaca fleeces don't keep their shape like sheep fleeces do, but let your fingers do the checking. I also rub locks on the inside of my wrist to check for softness. Mr. IT Guy gets a sensitive neck to coarser fibers, so I have to be very discerning in my wool choices for his next-to-skin items. The other tip I can offer you: Give the fleece a good shake, preferably outside on a still day. Dirt will come out of the fleece and so will little bits of hay and grass. That'll make the processing a bit easier. You can spin alpaca without washing it if it doesn't smell bad (like, other than dirt and 'animal') and if it isn't extremely dirty. I recommend washing white alpaca before spinning to prevent the yarn from becoming dingy.
I watched this video in parts so I'm sorry if the answer to this question was in the video and I forgot. How many ounces of fiber are you usually able to put on the board?
ashley hewitt The amount you can get on a board will vary because it depends on the surface area of the cloth, the depth of the tines, and the type of fiber used. For poofy fibers, like alpaca, merino, so on, I can get about 1 ounce to 1.25 ounces per board. For dense fibers like bamboo or silk, I can easily get 2 ounces. If I want to keep my rolags light and airy (for longdraw), I try to not pat/smooth the fiber into the board so densely; for those, I get around 25g, or just under an ounce per board. If I'm making a giant rolag for art yarn, I will overfill the board (maybe 2.5 ounces, max). I also predraft those before spinning because they're very dense. I don't think I answered this question in the video, so I'm glad you asked it! :)
It's a 72tpi carding cloth. You might try altering your method of applying the wool. If you find that everything is sticking, you can use a mister (or atomizer) with plain water and a drop or two of oil (or essential oil, like lavender). Shake it, then lightly mist it over your wool. It'll disrupt the static charge of the wool and make it easier to apply to the board.
I believe it is a 72tpi, which is a pretty standard size cloth for a blending board. My drum carder is 90tpi which is too closely spaced for a blending board. This has to do with the board being flat versus the drum being a curve.
It's a matter of practice, really. If you want to make rolags for longdraw, you'll want them to be light and airy (about 2g each). If you want more like a thick-and-thin or art yarn, you can go full on with 5-10g each. I've also made one giant rolag before--I drafted it like a roving and spun it as lofty as possible. On a blending board, I generally get 4 rolags. I make one full turn of the wool around the dowels, pull up and away from the board, then draft it away from the remaining wool. The wispy ends get brushed around the dowels lightly, then I remove the rolag. In total, it's about 2 turns if you count the bit you trap between the two dowels and the wispy bits at the end. If you want airy rolags, just put down less wool onto the board.
