Ok, it’s here! I am finding that carding alpaca fiber is more of an art than I thought. How it cards even varies from alpaca to alpaca. The lighter fleece requires some pressure (think carding a cotton ball or cotton candy without the sticky :-), the heavier fleece requires less pressure. I do find that I am using the slow speeds to card, this gives me better control and there is less fiber loss.
I can’t say enough about how great this carder is though! I haven’t had my carder lesson yet, and I’ve been carding away. I’m glad to have the lesson later though, this gives me a chance to find out what my questions are, and I can spend time learning more advanced techniques. Plus, my carding mentor has some neat tips and tricks to share.
I am keeping the ‘extra’ fiber in ziploc bags, the fluff that I pull off of the carder, and the fleece that is left behind in the carding cloth. A spinner might like these, but wouldn’t they be great for needlefelting?
I have carded both washed and tumbled fiber. So far, the washed fiber is easier to card, but that just might be because my first try at tumbling fiber was a large load. When I get Cassie’s light fawn fleece out of the nooks and crannies of the tumber I might just split the bag in 2 parts and run it through the tumbler again.
More on my handy dandy fiber tumbler in the next post! This tumbler is a work in progress, made by my husband and tweaked to meet my changing requests. So far, he has been very patient.
Tags: alpaca, alpaca fiber, alpaca fleece, carded fleece, drum carded fiber, drum carder, fiber, fiber tumbler, fleece
