Blog Archives

Color Inspiration: Wheat Fields Batt

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Otto

Signs of the seasonal shift are starting to pop up and the first official day of fall will be here before you know it! We often think of the autumn harvest, but did you know that winter wheat is actually planted this time … Continue reading →

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Routine Maintenance for Strauch Ball Winders & Drum Carders

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Otto

Most fiber artists rely on our products to save them time, whether it’s through more efficient winding of yarn hanks on a swift and ball winder or speedily processing a large amount of fleece or fiber with a drum carder. Aside from … Continue reading →

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How to Card a 4-Color Striped Batt

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Otto

Striped batts are a great way to transform your fiber stash into unique batts you’ll love to spin. When your fiber stash gets out of hand, this is a wonderful way to put those leftover bits of fiber or orphaned braids of roving to good … Continue reading →

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How to Card a Three-Color Heathered Batt

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Otto

Each July, the Tour de Fleece has us thinking about fun new ways to combine stashed fibers to make easy-spinning batts. This year’s event is no different, and today we’ll show you how to make a 3-color heathered batt! If … Continue reading →

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Drum Carding Tip: Make a Fiber Sandwich

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Otto

Fluffy, slippery, short and very fine fibers can get stuck in the teeth of the licker-in and drum carding cloth when processing them  all on their own, requiring meticulous cleanup with the doffer brush before moving on to your next project.  You have probably experienced this issue … Continue reading →

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Free PDF Guide: Drum Carding 101

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Otto

Using a drum carder to process your fiber is not difficult by any stretch of the imagination – but it does require a little bit of knowledge and know-how to produce consistently excellent results. Like any new skill, practice makes … Continue reading →

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Meet Our Makers: Colorful Flock

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Otto

Last month, we attended the Fibernate festival in Falls Church, VA (click here to see where we’ll be next!). Here’s Otto hard at work in our booth: It was a delight to meet so many passionate fiber folk at this event … Continue reading →

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Fiber to FO: Our Finished Project & Pattern Ideas for Handspun Yarns

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Otto

If you’ve been following our Fiber to FO Blog series, you may be wondering what we would be making with our example project.  Today, we’re pleased to reveal our Finished Object, a pair of handspun mittens! We used The World’s … Continue reading →

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Fiber to FO: Planning & Spinning for a Specific Project

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Otto

Welcome back to the third installment of our Fiber to FO blog series. Previously, we talked about how to turn “forgotten” fibers lurking in your stash into beautiful, spin-worthy batts. Next, we covered some approaches for working with the resulting … Continue reading →

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How to Give “Forgotten Fibers” a Batt-Tacular Makeover

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Otto

Most spinners have a stash of fibers at the ready for when inspiration strikes – and if a new fiber doesn’t make it onto the bobbin right away, it may get pushed to the bottom of that stash. Forgotten fibers run … Continue reading →

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