Fiber for beginning spinners....I think it depends at least to some
extent on what spinning method you're using at this point.
Are you still spinning short draw, or are you moving to a long draw
method? And are you learning to slow down your treadling, or are you
still treadling like running to a fire? :)
If the short draw, it doesn't much matter what you're spinning, although
shorter fiber will be easier than longer when spinning any sort of short
draw.
Long draw is easiest with a light, airy fiber prep. Not much commercial
top fits in that category, not all commercial roving does. Hand
carding, drum carding, and hand-combed top can all be spun long draw
with ease. Fiber length dictates best prep method--fiber length up to 5
or 6 inches for handcarding; fiber 4 inches or longer for combing; while
most drumcarders can take any length up to about 8 inches.
If you're still treadling very fast like many beginners, short, fine
fibers like Merino are ideal and love the extra twist. If you can
control your treadling to *just* what's needed to keep the wheel going
round, then longer, coarser fibers are practical.
Although many people recommend Romney, it's not a fiber I personally
like very much--it's always seemed quite coarse to me. I prefer Border
Leicester, which has always been softer than any Romney I've seen, while
having similar length and crimp. The length is good for drumcarding it
yourself. Shorter wools of this general type can be handcarded, longer
(over 6 inches) is easier combed than handcarded.
If buying raw wool, make sure (except for Lincoln, Icelandic, and a
couple other breeds that grow 12" or more in a year) to get a
full-year's growth of wool. I've seen far too many medium-breed sheep
with a staple of only 8" sheared twice, and that makes for unpleasant
spinning and a wiry yarn.
And of course, make sure the wool is decent quality, whether raw or
processed. Hold roving up to the light to see if it's full of VM
(vegetable matter) or any 'lumps'. Pull just a little fiber from the
tip to see what the length of it is, and whether there's lots of short
fibers mixed in with long that shouldn't be there (some wools are
double-coated, and would have 'legitimate' short fibers--other wools
aren't and unless there's a blend of other fiber in with the wool, short
bits mean broken fibers from processing). Make sure it doesn't feel
greasy or sticky--means not all the grease was scoured out before
processing, a problem with cottage mill roving I've often found. The
fibers should pull out smoothly and with little effort.
Hope some of this helps--it's a surprisingly difficult question to
answer for a beginner, since so much depends on where you are in your
spinning experience, what equipment and fiber you have available, and
how much experimentation you're willing to put in :)
Holly
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