Learning to card and spin has been an adventure to say the least. I started out with hand carders which are fine, but labor intensive. I was given an awesome electric drum carder, that needed repair. The gift was great, but the cost to repair exceeded my budget. I purchased a small drum carder that is operated by turning a crank. This small carder has been working quite well for me. I purchased a Baby Brother and while this is a vast improvement over the use of hand carders for me I am still thinking about buying a larger drum carder. I am still mulling this over.
I purchased a Fantasia Spinning Well a year or so ago and have improved my spinning ability by leaps and bounds from where I first began. I am finally getting this, it is a little like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time, it takes coordination and of course patience. I will eventually post a few photos of some of the fiber that I have processed.
My shearer will be here this month and will take more photos of the entire process so that I can share with you. First the clip, then the skirting (sorting out fiber by class and length), then either picking or washing, carding and spinning. I am so looking forward to a great year of fiber processing!