MAKING AND USING ALPACA ROVINGWhat is the difference between a batt and a roving? A batt is run through the drum carder once or twice and it's done. The fibers are not aligned. A rovings' fibers are run through the carder but the fibers are kept parallel. To make a roving follow these steps: 1. To start making your own alpaca roving, comb the clean staples by holding the butt end (cut end) and combing towards the tips. We use a dog comb. Comb as many as you think you will want for your roving. Make sure your staples are all one length. 3-6 inches are good lengths to use for roving. Use all 3 inch or all 4 inch, etc. for your roving. 2. Feed one staple at a time tip first into your drum carder. You may have to draft out any staple that has a lot of fiber in it before feeding it into the carder. 3. After you have fed all the staples into the carder, remove them from the drum. Remember not to overload the carder with fleece. 4. Once your batt is removed from the drum, remove a small (approx. 1" section) from the side of the batt. Remove it very carefully so you keep the fibers parallel. 5. Draft this section. 6. Feed it through the drum carder again. 7. Remove the fleece from the carder. Your alpaca roving is now ready to spin, felt, needle felt, or label and store for future projects. If you have purchased roving or didn't label what length of staple you used to make your alpaca roving, then you will need to start by pulling out fibers to see how long they are. Just pull on one end of the roving so a couple come out. This will tell you how far apart your hands will be while you are spinning. Your yarn will come out much nicer if you prepare your fiber prior to spinning. The more time you put into prepping your fiber the happier you will be with your yarn. When we began spinning, we didn't do this. Our yarn was uneven and lumpy. After learning about pre-drafting, our yarns turned out much more even and spinning went faster. Don't skip this step or you will be unhappy with your yarn. To pre-draft fibers, depending on the length of fibers in your roving, draft out between 3-6 inches of fiber. Draft holding the roving in your right hand and pull fibers with your left hand. Don't pull out the fibers. You don't want them to come apart. You should draft twice. The first drafting is just to loosen the fibers. The second drafting will thin out the fibers. During the second drafting you should, also, be picking out neps (little knots of fiber) and vegetable matter that make those nasty little lumps in your yarn. Follow this method for making and using alpaca roving and you will create stunning alpaca yarn.
|
