I am a fairly new spinner, and I love it! I have begun dying fibers,
and blending them, getting subtle shading, which is coming out
beautifully. But I'd like to completely blend two
different types of fibers. I want it smooth, not portions of one or the
other. What is the best way to go about this? I am having trouble
finding info on fiber blending anywhere. I have standard hand carders,
and have bought a pair of small blender carders. Can you point me in
the right direction?
Hi, great question!
I think you are talking about blending fibers
together with a drum carder and this is certainly the best way to blend fibers for personal use. You can blend different types of fiber
like Cashmere and Merino or Alpaca and Merino easily with a drum carder, different colors are fun to experiment with as well. For best results
typically you want to have the same fiber hair length or staple length
as we call it. Also in general you want to have fibers that are similar
is softness but that is up to you and personal preference. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as blending goes and we do have resources for more in depth training on blending fibers. One book from Ashford called
The Ashford Book of Carding is a great starting place. Call or email anytime with questions or if you have a specific question on spinning fiber or blending, we're happy to help.
By
Travis RomineArticle ID: 9, Created On: 8/13/2012, Modified: 10/6/2012