Carded versus Not

I had to go without fiber for a few days. You can imagine my irritation. There I was, just beginning on the drop spindle, just getting to where I could actually do things with it, and I had to wait. Then one wonderful afternoon we came home from a day out and about (which included seeing a walking wheel! Also known as a great wheel) and found a box sitting on the front porch. Wha-hoo!

Here is the carded Corridale I got. At the time I didn’t realize it was carded, so when I started spinning it I was really suprised by how different it felt from the stuff I got at Hobby Lobby. It was much more . . . crinkled, and there were these little tiny knots or tangles that would come out of nowhere and put a big bump in my yarn. However, I figured it was the difference between wool breeds and kept spinning, despite the annoyance. (Top whorl.) I have come to the conclusion that I prefer the non-carded fiber because it drafts easier for me. Not that I wouldn’t like to try my hand at carding and blending fibers . . . (Carders are so expensive.)

And here’s some of the spun sliver. This is just the single, but it ended up three ply, Navajo plied, light worsted/sock weight.

The Agate Beach top had me stumped for awhile. (The picture is what it ended up looking like.) It was pretty enough that I wanted to figure out what I was going to make with it before I started spinning. That way I could get the yarn thickness exactly right. I found a shawl pattern that I liked, but I wanted to wait until I finished the carded to start on a new project.

At the time I had no idea of the beauties of a closet full of fiber, and I didn’t want to buy new stuff until I’d spun the old. Silly of me, wasn’t it? (Although, if my stash keeps expanding at the rate it has been I’ll have to move out of my room before Christmas!)

Well, let me just say that the carded got bumped to the end of the list as new and exciting developments came into sight.