Answers to commonly asked questions. See a term you need defined? Check our Jargon page for a definition. Contact us if you don't find what you're looking for.


 When will you finish preparing my fiber?

 "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." - Niels Bohr, Physicist and Nobel Laureate. I process fiber on a first-come-first-served basis. So, it depends upon several factors. The primary factors are the number and size of the jobs already in the queue. Another big factor is that I don't make a living carding fiber. Unfortunately, I find it necessary to keep a day job so I work on fiber in the evenings and on weekends. If it's spring or early summer I will be out shearing. After shearing it's time to sharpen my tools. Also if its summer, I'm going to take the occasional weekend to do something completely different. But do not despair! I shall get back to fiber preparation and I will get your fiber carded.


 Why didn't you make roving from my fiber?

 I believe that the product of the carder should be a delight for the handspinner to spin. The fiber should produce a roving strong enough to survive the rigors of the bump winder. If the roving is too weak to produce a bump then it is likely that the same roving, loose in a sack, will be a source of frustration for the spinner. Frustration is not delight. When the fiber produces a weak roving I will card the fiber to batts which can be a delight to spin.


 Why is there so much veg in my roving?

 I do not add veg so what remains after washing, picking and carding was already there when I received the fiber. I know of two methods used by industrial fiber processors to remove veg: chemicals and mechanical crushing. Neither of these methods is available to me. One thing I can do is card your fiber twice because carding can remove substantial amounts of junk from a fleece. I will contact you if I think that your fiber would benefit from an additional pass through the carder. There is an aphorism that the computer industry stole from cottage carders: Garbage in; Garbage out. To get the best and cleanest, roving buy the cleanest fleeces. If you raise your own fiber animals keep their pastures and paddocks spotlessly clean. If you can, before shearing, clean the fleece while the animal is still holding on to one end of the fibers.


 What kind of fiber can you card?

 What have you got? The original owner of my carder purportedly purchased it to card cotton. It has since been used to card a wide variety of sheep, mohair, llama, alpaca, dog, qiviut, camel, tussah silk, and soy silk fibers.


 When do you get paid?

 As soon as your job is completed, an invoice is created and mailed to you, either via e-mail or postal service. Upon receipt of payment, I will immediately ship your job.


 Who are you anyway?

 I am...

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Last modified: 2010 Mar 27 1604:58 UTC