Script for

Episode 124:

Tools for Worsted Prep

Did you know that there are a variety of tools that you can use to prepare fiber for worsted spinning? I'm going to talk about them in this episode, including telling you about how you can achieve a worsted prep without wool combs.

Hello there, dear Sheepspotter. Welcome to episode 124 of The Sheepspot Podcast. I'm Sasha Torres, and my job is helping you spin more yarns you love.

I love combing wool. I think I actually enjoy it as much as spinning. I certainly find it as calming and meditative as spinning. And there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of taking a lock of fleece that's chock full of hay and other souvenirs from the field, combing it, and ending up with a lovely clean lock, all the fibers aligned nicely and VM banished.

Today I'm going to talk about different ways to achieve that lovely, clean lock. I'm going to tell you about the different kinds of combs, which are great for getting a large amount of fiber combed quickly. But one of the downsides of combs is that they can be pretty pricey.

If you're working on a small project or you're willing to take your time with the prep, or if you're new to preparing fiber and want to try it to see if you like it without having to spend a lot of money, there are several other, less expensive tools you can use to get a result very similar to what you would get from combs, but all of them require you to work with one lock at a time.

Let's talk about combs first. There are many different styles of combs, because different parts of the world have different sheep and thus have developed tools that work well with their particular fleeces. You may encounter references to "English" combs, "Viking" combs, and "paddle" combs.

Rather than trying to explain in this audio format how combing actually works, I'm going to link to a variety of good YouTube videos of people demonstrating working with a variety of different kinds of combs, so you can get a sense of which ones might work best for you.

Basically, though, combing works like this: fiber is loaded (or "lashed") onto the teeth of one of the combs, and the other comb is used to catch the ends of the wool, pulling it through the teeth of the first comb and depositing it onto the teeth of the second comb. Once the fiber has been moved back and forth between the combs a few times, the fiber is pulled off the combs as a nice, clean, aligned prep that's perfect for worsted spinning.

English combs were developed for working with long-stapled wool and thus have many rows or "pitches" of teeth or pins (generally, the more pitches the comb has, the longer the staple it can accommodate). English combs are used with one comb (the stationary comb) clamped to a table. The second comb is held in the hand.

Paddle combs are shaped differently than English combs (sort of like ping pong paddles), and designed for shorter fibers. In contrast to the English combs, both paddle combs are handheld, though some makers offer an optional system for clamping one of the combs. Traditionally they have one pitch.

Then there are "viking" style combs. Both combs are handheld (though some can also be mounted with an additional accessory). Again, I'll refer you to the videos to get a sense of how these are used. They are available in one- and two-pitch versions.

So why and when would you choose to use one style versus another? I use a stationary comb with four pitches when I'm combing lots of wool (i.e. an entire fleece) with a fairly long staple. I prefer hand-held combs when working with smaller amounts of fiber. That said, I haven't combed a whole fleece in years, so I mostly use my two-pitch hand combs, which work well on a wide range of fleeces, provided they have a staple of 3-4 inches and up.

Availability is another issue. Both traditional English and paddle combs can be hard to come by. Viking style combs are much more widely available, and they are a good choice because they're quite versatile and work well unless you are working with a very long staple. Later this month I'm going to review the Louet two-pitch mini-combs, a scaled-down version of a Viking-style comb, which you can get from any Louet dealer.

If you don't want to invest in combs, or if the motions of combing don't agree with your body for some reason, you'll want to use another strategy to achieve a nice aligned prep.

The first possibility is a flick carder. These are quite inexpensive (yay!)--about $30, and are made by a number of manufactures. My favorite is the Ashford. I'll put a link in the show notes to a video demonstrating how to use a flick carder. Flicking doesn't give you quite as perfect a prep as combing does, but I think I'd be hard pressed to spot the difference in a finished product.

A downside of flicking is that it is more than possible that you'll card your fingertips along with the lock you're working with. Check to make sure that your tetanus shot is up to date before you get started. And it can be hard on the hands generally. But it's a great way to start with prep without spending a lot of money.

You can achieve very similar results as flicking by dragging one end a lock of fiber through carding cloth while holding onto the other end. You can do this with a single hand card, or you can use a new tool developed by Clemes and Clemes, the "Lock Pop." The Lock Pop consists of a block of wood with carding cloth attached and can be clamped to a table (easier than clamping a hand card to a table). Here again, you just hold on to one end of the lock, drag the other end through the carding teeth, and then switch ends. Later this month I'll be reviewing the Lock Pop and talking about the various ways you can use it.

If you love worsted spinning and you know that you love doing your own prep, you may want to invest in a set of combs. But if you're new to prep and you're not sure you're going to like it, I'd start by using a flick carder, hand carder, or Lock Pop. All will produce a nice result and get you started without breaking the bank.

There's a dedicated discussion thread in The Flock where you can comment on this episode and discuss it with me and other listeners. The link is in the show notes for this episode, which you'll find right inside your podcast app. So just open up the description for this episode, click the link, and you'll be taken right to the thread.

If you haven't joined The Flock, Sheepspot's free online community for inquisitive handspinners, you should! You'll get access to all of the freebies I've created for the podcast, as well as several self-guided spinning challenges, our weekly spinning check-ins every Friday, and lots more. Join us at theflock.sheepspot.com.

Darling Sheepspotter, that's it for me this week. Thank you so much for listening. I'll be back next week with more on fiber preparation. Until then, spin something! We both know it will do you good.