Wool, Wool & More Wool
This is a Fancy Kitten Drum carder. You can process far more wool than simple hand carders. The bats that come off this well, we're jumping ahead a bit.
Well, there was some money owed me that recently got repaid! Thank You! (if you are reading this), so I decided I would get me one of these "toys".
But, first, you had to prep the wool - you have to clean the wool before you can use one of these babies. So, we start with this:
So, we start with some nice clean-ish raw wool. Break it apart into manageable sections and start filling up lingerie bags - the ones you put your fancy stuff into before you toss in the washing machine. Meanwhile, removing as much veggie matter and twigs, etc. as you can. Oh, we don't stuff the lingerie bags. Keep it loose.
Then we move to step 2:
Which is pretty much the same as washing the spun yarn, except - you don't want to disturb this wool too much, in fact - hardly at all - or else you end up with FELT. Nope, don't want no felt.
Then I had to rig up a contraption to help me with the drying process. Here's what I came up with:
I kept stuff in the bags at first until they were slightly drier. Then I took them out of the bags. Oh, best done on a nice sunny day. 
Unfortunately, this sunny morning turned a little breezy - which is good, all that air moving about, but the breeze would get a little too strong from time to time, then I had to pick up the tufts off the deck and put them back on the rack. Well, the sun and the breeze did quicken things up a bit and soon I had this:
Nice Fluffy White Clean Wool!!!
Then I had to wait for my new toy to arrive - which it did, quicker than I expected.
Here we are putting the wool into the carder - first carding - front of machine:
Then the second carding - which you basically, after removing the bat, you breaking into smaller layers, spread them out and reload the carder. You get more junk and stuff still attached out, and produces a fluffier, softer bat. This time from the other side of the carder:
Then it's full, you gotta take off the bat. NEVER CUT, pull gently using some kind of steel rod called a dopler (?) OK, so I don't know EVERYTHING. And you take it off in the opposite direction you carded it on.
Oh, doesn't that look neat! Here's the full bat:
Just two more steps:
Breaking the bat into one long roving strip:
Ok, most people would take the roving and braid it. But I made mine a little thinner than what I've seen, so it was very long. So, instead, I balled it:
Fiber Porn at it's best! Yum! Ready for the wheel!
But, I'm working on the grey stuff WEBS gave me when I bought the wheel. That's another "experiment", which I like working with. Another reason to buy the carder and make my own roving. I like spinning from roving.
When that's done, and pics uploaded - I'll fill you in on that in another post.
Mmmmmwwwwwaaaahhh!
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