Welcome to our blog! As a new Bison sponsor for Spinzilla, we are looking forward to this October’s event to see which team can spin the most yarn. Seasoned Spinzilla spinners probably know that fiber prep ahead of time is key to racking up those Monster Miles – and we have the best-made tools around to get the job done:

The Strauch Story began in 1991 as a hobby making hand crafted floor Swift/Skeinwinders. This grew, prompting an expansion in March of 2000 , when we purchased the drum carding portion of a small west coast company and formed the Strauch Fiber Equipment Co. We made several improvements to the original drum carder design, and the series of Strauch drum carders have now become known as “The Standard of the Industry.”

The Strauch team is dedicated to quality & craftsmanship.

 

 

If you’re looking to prepare your fiber ahead of time, you can’t go wrong with batts. They’re fun to make and easy to store for spinning at a later date – just make sure they don’t get compressed while waiting for Spinzilla to arrive. Simply put, a well-carded batt is a pleasure to spin from. In terms of spinning production, it’s a dream: the fibers are already opened up and easy to spin, and you don’t have to spend time predrafting as you would with a prepared top or roving. Those batts will quickly turn into singles and fill up those bobbins!

If you have roving or fleece that has been compacted while in storage, using a Strauch drum carder to process those fibers into a batt can breathe new life into your fiber stash (click here to get inspired with this tutorial video featuring the Mad Batt’r). Fine fibers, which can sometimes be a challenge to spin due to their short staple length and often slippery nature, can benefit from being blended with other easier-to-spin fibers when you have a need for speed, but still want your finished yarn to be soft and luxurious.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to making batts; you are really only limited by the fibers you have available, and your imagination! We have lots of tutorials and tips to help you get started here on our YouTube channel.