Spin Off Fall 2023

Carding Bliss

Carding cloth—found on handcards, drumcarders, flick cards, and blending boards—is a spinner’s best friend. In this issue, we celebrate all things carding! You’ll learn from Roy Clemes how carding cloth is made, and then try creating five different fiber preparations with handcards. Read a Shetlander’s history of the classic woolly hap and make your own. See Amy Tyler’s collection of flick cards and learn two favorite techniques. Then, explore a stone-age approach to preparing flax for spinning, a spinner’s super squishy rib, wool pickers, and more. 

Contents

• Anatomy of Carding Cloth: Dissecting the Past, Present, and Future by Roy Clemes
• Carding a True Neutral: A New Take on Spinning Handpainted Braids by Meagan Condon
• What is Card Sliver? By Eileen Hallman
• The Many Uses of Flick Cards by Amy Tyler
• Testing Teasel: A Stone Age Approach to Flax Processing by Steph Horak
• The Classic Shetland Hap: Woolen Warmth and Shades from the North Sea by Elizabeth Johnston
• Create Fractal Rolags on a Blending Board by Heavenly Bresser
• Handcard & Diz: An Unexpected Pairing for Smooth Prep and Color Effects by Kim McKenna
• Wool Pickers: Friend or Foe? by Jurate Gertzbein
• Beginner Basics: Four Handcarded Preparations by Kate Larson
• Shetland Old Shell Hap and Half Hap by Elizabeth Johnston
• Spinner’s Squishy Rib: Scarves and Cowls by Kelly Knispel and Amanda Solomon