Posted by Cecily Beierle on Wednesday, 3 August 2005, at 4:11 p.m.:
In Reply to: using raw fleece instead of roving posted by Kathy T. on Wednesday, 3 August 2005, at 11:24 a.m.:
Kathy,
What you need to do is "draft" the fluff you've carded.
After you card the wool, you need to prepare the fiber mass. There are two ways you can do this. One is to roll the carded batt so that the fibers are rolled over themselves. The second is to roll them so that the fibers are parallel (the result will be similar to the roving you've already used). Both of these are called a "rolag."
The next step is to draft the fibers into a roving.
Hold the rolag of fibers in both hands (in fists facing outwards) so that the your hands are about the same length apart as the length of the fibers. Gently pull your hands apart. The fibers will slide. Move your hands to another section of the rolag and repeat. You can keep doing this, to make a nice, long, and thin roving. Note: Avoid pulling so hard that the mass breaks apart.
Now, you have your own roving to spin.
One other way is to roll the fibers of the carders into a batt (over themselves), and spin from the fluff on one end. That's how I spun for years! I didn't know what drafting was! Now that I know how, I don't go back. The results are worth the time and effort!
Happy Spinning!
Cecily in steamy Minneapolis