Stripping vs. Pre-Drafting

March 25, 2008

in Fiber Preparation

A new issue of Spindle and Wheel was published recently, and it’s got a very informative article about preparing handpainted fiber for spinning. The article explains how to pre-draft or strip your fiber into the thickness you want for spinning, but more importantly, shows you how much difference the fiber preparation method you choose makes in the finished yarn you’ll end up with.

I encourage you to look at the article – you may be surprised at how dramatic the differences are between the pre-drafting, stripping, and combined pre-drafting/stripping methods. The pre-drafted sample shows a lot of color blending which more subtle color variations (although it’s hard to tell exactly now much because the single made from the pre-drafted sample as plyed with a white single), the stripping method resulted in a self-striped yarn, and the combined method resulted in longer, more distinct, stripes of color.

If you want to see the differences for yourself, buy some handpainted roving you like, prepare small portions of the fiber using the pre-drafting, stripping, and combined methods, and spin a sample from each of the small portions you prepared. Preparing small samples really is the best way to learn new techniques.

If you’re looking for a place to buy handpainted roving, check out the current auctions on eBay:

handpainted-bamboo-roving-spinning-fiber-spin-4oz-of Handpainted BAMBOO ROVING SPINNING FIBER SPIN 4OZ OF
US $12.99
End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 5:37:25 PDT
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handpainted-roving-soft-wool-blend-erin-4-oz Handpainted Roving Soft Wool Blend "Erin" 4 oz
US $15.00
End Date: Monday Aug-02-2010 6:52:48 PDT
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falkland-top-roving-handpainted-8-ounces Falkland Top Roving - Handpainted / 8 ounces
US $23.95
End Date: Monday Aug-02-2010 10:47:58 PDT
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falkland-top-roving-handpainted-8-ounces Falkland Top Roving - Handpainted / 8 ounces
US $23.95
End Date: Monday Aug-02-2010 10:51:51 PDT
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alpaca-roving-handpainted-8-ounces Alpaca Roving - Handpainted - 8 ounces
US $28.50
End Date: Monday Aug-02-2010 10:56:24 PDT
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merino-top-roving-handpainted-8-ounces Merino Top Roving - Handpainted / 8 ounces
US $27.50
End Date: Monday Aug-02-2010 11:17:51 PDT
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crazy-handpainted-100-baby-suri-alpaca-roving-^^envy^^ CRAZY Handpainted 100% Baby Suri Alpaca Roving ^^ENVY^^
US $4.91 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 7:51:37 PDT
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crazy-handpainted-mulberry-silk-brick-old-glory-roving CRAZY Handpainted Mulberry Silk Brick OLD GLORY roving
US $41.55 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 7:51:40 PDT
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crazy-handpainted-mulberry-silk-brick-sunstroke-revisit CRAZY Handpainted Mulberry Silk Brick SUNSTROKE REVISIT
US $46.92 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 8:03:06 PDT
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crazy-handpainted-silk-&-angora-rabbit-50-50-batt-spin CRAZY Handpainted Silk & Angora Rabbit 50/50 batt spin
US $4.50
End Date: Sunday Aug-08-2010 20:57:39 PDT
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