# First time spinner with question...



## misslilo86 (Jan 18, 2015)

Hello! I started learning to spin on a drop spindle back in august october of last year and was hooked! Now I am spinning on a spinning wheel and have been spinning nonstop! 
yesterday my darling husband blessed me to purchase me some raw fleece (tunis) that have already been skirted, all I did was try to finish up sorting it by taking as much leftover vegetation and other matters off of it before washing. 
I did that and washed it (it's so fluffy and clean), but still, there is very tiny grass and other - like things attached to the fleece. 

Will carding it help clean out majority of the vegetation to almost perfection? 

After carding, what can I do to turn what I carded into roving? Yes, I know about rolags, but... I really like roving and spinning from it. Also I want to acid dye my roving. But first I want to see how I can turn something that I carded into roving and not rolags... I did read somewhere that you can turn rolag into roving easily by dizzing it gently by two's, has anyone tried that?

Ok... i'm sorry for my rambling, I truly hope I made my questions clear? 

This is my first time on this forum, and on home steading today, so thank you for your patience!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Welcome!

We will gladly enable you! 

The more you prep your fleece before washing, the less VM you will have in it. I shake out the fleece, then go through it lock by lock, opening the tips and shaking out VM, removing short cuts. Sometimes I'll take a comb to it to remove VM. I'll separate it by hand (feel), length of staple, color or all three. The more VM you get out of the fleece before it hits water, the better.

Carding will remove more of the VM, but don't count on it removing it all. You'll still be picking VM out when you're spinning it and perhaps when your knitting/crocheting/weaving with it.

Do you have hand carders or a drum carder? You'll be able to make small roving using hand cards and longer roving using a drum carder. You use a diz to do this. There are many beautiful dizes out there but I bet you already have one in your kitchen! Remove the shaker top from one of your spice jars ... ta da!! You have a diz!

Using a crochet hook, scoop up and pull through a little piece of your carded fleece. Then by drafting it, you can pull it through the hole of the diz.

You can also do this when using combs.

What kind of wheel do you have??


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## misslilo86 (Jan 18, 2015)

Thank you so much for the response! I kind of have a feeling I won't have a "perfect" fleece free of VM. Heehee, I can dream, can't i? 

I only have hand carders, so I suppose short rovings it is! I have only dizzed using the blending hackle my hubby made me, is there a way I can put the carded wool on the hackle and dizz that way? Or would that damage it too much? 

Thanks again!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Sure you can! The more work you spend before you scour then the less VM work (and less scouring time) you need later

You don't need the hackle to diz.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Have you perused the Fermented Suint Method link?


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

WELCOME to the Fold, misslilo86 !! Sounds like you are on the right track !! You may need combs to get the result your asking about .... try the method MullersLaneFarms suggested , it may work like a charm for you !! 

Ask ALL the questions you need here, we love helping newbies !!!!!


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## misslilo86 (Jan 18, 2015)

Thank you! I should have thought of combing it... But I wasn't sure what I was doing for a first time, so I thought combing it would be more damaging than good, but now I know its all right! So I guess I'll have a bit more work ahead of me (taking as much VM out while carding and everything else) next time I think I won't let the fleece scare me to comb it! He he


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## misslilo86 (Jan 18, 2015)

Ooohh combing! Oh goodness I was thinking of something else. Yes wool combs! Sorry heehee, see? I need guidance. Haha


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Welcome to The Fold Misslilo86! Sounds like you are off to a great start. If you mess up once fleece there is always more. Wool and most other fibers are very sustainable


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

VM is the reason I bought combs. They get the gunk out much better than carders IMO. If you can&#8217;t get combs right now, consider using a dog comb. As you pick up and examine each lock, you can see if it can go straight to the carder or needs some combing. If it is really bad, discard it.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Welcome aboard, Misslilo86!

It's this way to the rabbit hole....  

We are all enablers here! 

I have cards and combs both and have to say I like the combs better when there is more VM in the wool. Here is one of my favorite vids on combs. 

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=noB8NnJzqoc[/ame]


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

It may seem sacrilegious to discard fiber likr Maura suggested (very common feeling for new spinners) but there *is* such a thing as wool thst is just not worth your time and energy to process!

If you just can't let it go right now then put it in a bag labeled with the date & type of fleece and set it aside. You'll gladly put it in the compost when you need room for other fiber!!!

Just remember, the sheep, worms, camelids & plants are growing more for you!!#


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## misslilo86 (Jan 18, 2015)

So I'm not a horrible person to toss wool that just has waaaayyy to much VM? Phew! I honestly felt as if like someone should smack me for tossing out some parts with waaaayyyy to much VM in it! So I'm not crazy! Oh happy day! Thank you!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Oh, you are not horrible at all!!!! Do NOT feel guilty. Just go get some nice clean fleece and have FUN!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

There are No fiber police at least not here . It makes great mulch and does really well in the compost heap. Toss at will and feel good about it.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

It is awesome mulch, especially the skirtings with the manure tags. Water gets through, the weeds don't and it lasts a long, long time. My grapes love their own wool blanket


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