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:
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2 Bombyx silk caps bell hand painted spin / felt 22344 US $4.99 End Date: Tuesday Jan-06-2009 8:57:37 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Trio of Handpainted Suri Alpaca/Silk/Baby Alpaca US $16.02 (0 Bid) End Date: Tuesday Jan-06-2009 9:02:26 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
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Handpainted Roving Soft Wool "Maine Blueberries" US $9.95 End Date: Tuesday Jan-06-2009 9:03:41 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Handpainted Silk Top ****PASTEL LADY**** to spin US $8.95 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 19:38:36 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Duo of Handpainted Baby Suri Alpaca Yak & Merino US $12.75 End Date: Thursday Jan-15-2009 14:30:07 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Handpainted Cashmere & Mulberry Silk Top SOFT++++ US $17.95 End Date: Sunday Jan-18-2009 16:06:23 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Handpainted Silk Top BRONZE GODDE$$ Gorgeous US $12.00 End Date: Sunday Jan-18-2009 16:06:39 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Handpainted 100% Baby Suri Alpaca Roving ^^ENVY^^ US $9.75 End Date: Thursday Jan-22-2009 14:00:11 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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CRAZY Handpainted Natural Silk/Merino Textured Batt FUN US $9.95 End Date: Monday Jan-26-2009 17:23:07 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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