blending colors

Saturday was my monthly spinning group at Nancy's Quilt Shop. This is more than a spin-along as Barb conducts a workshop with always interesting spinning techniques. This time we had a carding class for use in color blending. Drum carders, blending boards, and hackles were all present and available to use. First we had lessons on basic color chart use. With this knowledge in hand I grabbed colors and went to the carder, a Pat Green for Deb Menz carder. I was in a raspberry mood, and I am ALWAYS in a green mood so those were going to be my initial 2 colors. The green was too dark, so I tried mixing it with yellow.

Later white was added to the green mixture to lighten even more. Each pass through the carder made the individual colors less distinctive.

I blended the roving 2 different ways- as stripes (blue was added in because I needed a third color and since it was late, I wanted one that I wouldn't have to mess around with) and also on top of each other.

Laying the roving along side each other yielded:


Layering the roving:


Here's a closer look

I was fascinated by the different looks once spun. I was going to be the blogging superstar by plying them, but I can't decide if I want to ply them together or separately on themselves or with other roving. I do need to get them off those bobbins.

Hackles are used to make pencil roving. The roving is put on, and the pulled through a diz.


Blending boards make a bat. Basically the roving is combed onto the board and then pulled off.


Some more random pictures from the day.

striping vs layer

Llama fiber mixed with wool


Making sparkly yarn


This day really opened up my eyes to what a drum carder can do. I could have blended for hours. I want a drum carder (I know what a shock!) I don't know if I want one that is heavy duty ie can take a manky ol' sheep and turn it into combed fiber, or a more delicate one that is more into blending colors and already combed fibers.