# Spinning (drop spindle) from batt



## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

In the past 24 hours, I've gone a little crazy. :nanner: 

I flicked dirty locks, and spun from that then washed and carded appx a pound of that same fleece. I have tried making a rolag, but found it nearly impossible to spin from! I also tried "from the fold", but also found that very difficult. My best result so far was taking the batt and "pre-drafting" it into a somewhat roving. 

(Marchie: I found your YouTube on making roving, it's on my to-do list!) 

Anyone have pointers for spinning poorly shorn, meh-quality fleece for me?


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Ya, I'd say pre drafting is the way to go.


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

how did you make a batt?


----------



## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> how did you make a batt?



Ah, thank you WIHH, I used the wrong term. I assumed that the "blanket" I pulled off my cards was a batt. Not so it appears:

"-a batt is made on a drum carder and is like a blanket of fibers, carded, but more aligned than you typically get in a rolag. You can strip these, pre-draft them, tear off chunks, roll them up, and spin them with whatâs considered either woolen or worsted technique; and you can pull them or tear them into rovings."

Wishful thinking I suppose :-D!!

What do we call the fiber if it isn't rolled into a rolag?


----------



## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

A great list of definitions for noobs like me:

http://abbysyarns.com/2007/08/whats-are-batts-top-roving-and-so-forth


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I'd say it could still be called a batt, maybe a mini batt. I wonder why you are having a hard time spinning from the rolag :huh: Are you spinning from the very end, the rolled end? Pre drafting is always a good way to go.


----------



## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

March- after reading more terminology I think I actually made more of a "puni"(?), I rolled the fiber off of the card onto a chop stick, imitating the way the elusive blending board seems to work, or so I thought!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yup, that's a Puni . I've never spun from a puni. I should make a video on making rolags. Do you gave hand cards or are you using dog brushes?


----------



## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

I have cards! 









I am having far far far too much fun with this. I have spun 8 oz of the commercial roving I had for felting, plied two of those ounces, and JUST switched back to my clean piece of Ella fleece, and am carding (evidence in the photo!) and spinning it up as fast as possible!

From felting roving:








Plied, two felting rovings:








Ella (I have since stopped this piece and decided to restart it, wanna spin it finer!)


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here's a video by Ashford. It's pretty good. She overloads her hand cards in my opinion but..... Notice that the teeth of the cards do not make contact, much. You don't hear and grating or hashing of teeth. She hand rolls her rolags, which you can do. I tend to use the other card to roll the fiber off its mate. You'll get the idea. http://youtu.be/rDqY2mLooIw
Punis may be a little tight, especially if you have really long fibers.


----------



## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

I've been meaning to look up hand carding videos, Marchie. That one is great!


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Look at you go!!!!!!! :clap:


----------

