Thank-you for the the wonder vids. I'm getting a set of combs from the Martin Hills who bought Peter Teal design for Christmas and I'm really happy to see such clear directions and demoing.
Hi, Glad to have been of help. I really like UA-cam, it is a great way to share info! Video clips are the next best thing to taking an actual class! Thanks - Bye for now! Amanda
Hi, You warm the combs to soften the oil and get it all working smoothly. Combing is for worsted yarn. You remove short fibres, and if you keep the fibres aligned while you spin and keep the twist out of the drafting zone you create a true worsted, which will be smooth, sleek (lustrous if the fibre has a lustre) and drapey. Carded fibres (usually shorter and ideally under 3in), trap air and when spun with the correct technique to maximise this produce a lofty, fuzzy very warm fabric.
Excellent series of videos. That first diz - the one you think is plastic that came with your combs - is actually a cownhorn diz made by Peter Teal. Guard it well - or let me adopt it to replace mine as I've dropped it once too often and it's simply beyond repair now.
It's wonderful to watch someone with so much skill work. You make all of this look so smooth and easy, which is reassuring for a novice spinner like myself.
Hi Amanda, thanks for your videos! Now I understand how to make it. Unfortunately the combs are rare (here in Germany) and too expensive for me. I hope I can get some used combs soon, because I washed the wool of 3 sheeps (only the good parts) and now I know that I enjoy spining with combed wool a lot more. Sorry for the bad english, I hope you understand. Greetings from Northern Germany Märry
Hi Kerry, In my opinion Wingham Wool Work of Yorkshire England make the best full sized English comb set. They have worked closely with Peter Teal and his wife Jaquie to get them as near as possible to the sets that Peter used to make himself. I'm not sure how much the shipping would cost, but I'm pretty sure that Ruth and Alan of Winghams are happy to ship out of the country. If you google them you'll easy come up with their website and be able to contact them.
@Cherizac Carding on the other hand (providing your fibes aren't too long - they don't want to hang more than and inch or two over the front edge of the cards) will give you a lighter airy yarn, but it won't be as smooth and lustrous. The best advice is to try it both ways and see which you like the best, and which suits what you want to make from the yarn. Hope this helps! Amanda
Thank you for making this video. I'm definitely going to be looking to see if you have more videos, too. Your video is the first place I've found that helps me understand how hand carded fleece might be turned into sliver. I'm so glad to see how you did it. I've only started spinning (with a top whorl drop spindle) and now I dream of learning to comb or card by hand. Maybe with your videos I can tackle it and make it work. Thanks again!
Excellent series of videos. That third diz - the one you think is plastic - is actually a cownhorn diz made by Peter Teal. Guard it well, or let me adopt it to replace mine :D
If you are just starting learning to comb, you will probably only have a small load on the combs, and can easily manage to pull the sliver off one comb in one go. For larger loads it is easier to split the batch and leave half of the fibres on each comb ready to pull off. Also it is very difficult to get every last whisp of fibre to transfer, and if you pull a sliver from each comb you get those last whisps too! Pleased that you found the clips helpful!
@Cherizac Pleased to hear I could be of help! I did once manage to comb a very long suri alpaca fleece, the results on that were very good, haven't actually tried combing the Huayac.... oh well you know - the fluffier sort! It should work OK. You probably have to consider what you want the yarn for. Combing will take out all the short fibres and noils and give you a very smooth lustrous yarn, with alpaca unless it is spun very fine this could give a heavy yarn.
Hi, For combing all you need to do to prepare the fleece after washing, is to pull out the individual locks. But if you want to pick open a fleece before carding it, a woolpicker is a great tool, I use the Kaydessa one. Havn't got a link handy, but I'm sure if you Google the name you'll find the details. Thanks for watching! Amanda
Hi, Ooh Angora, is that bunnies or goats? Lovely either way! The fleece was washed and then re-oiled, before I started combing, with a neat's foot and water emulsion. The vessel I use for warming the tines is an old electric jug kettle (I got a new one for the kitchen). It is the perfect shape, as it is just big enough to submerse the tines without getting the wooden head wet. Hope this helps - if you have any further questions please get back to me! Thanks - Bye for now Amanda
Thank you for a super set of videos. Very well explained. I hadn't realised how much work went into combing. As a new spinner, I'm going to stick with commercially prepared roving for a bit longer, but I can see the attraction of taking raw locks and converting them into ready to spin little clouds!
Pleased you found them interesting! It isn't quite such a longwinded process as it seems, I slow everything down so I can talk you through it. If you are concentrating and no one is watching, you can get into a nice rhythm and get lots done!
Thanks for the nice comments, and glad you found the clips useful. I have had years of practice, but when I teach combing most people pick it up and become quite proficient fairly quickly
Glad you like them! The Diz may have been made of horn once, but mine definitely looks like plastic, and I'm sure it would feel heavier too if it was real horn and that thick. I like a much smaller hole anyway, and me and my husband have had a go at making horn diz with quite reasonable results. I'm going to get him to use up the rest of the horn as the dust makes me ill.
Total newbie here, and I seem to ahve missed something ... why warm combs? Why comb rather than card (is combing for long staple and carding for short?)? I've seen something else which says to discard the waste from combing, but it seems like such a waste (!) so I was glad to hear it could be carded - presumably it could also be used for felting? Such a good series of videos - thank you very much!
Hi Lynette, Thanks for the comments! Hmm, know what you mean about being regarded as an oddity ;-)! So, is the combing technique in Australia fairly similar then? Amanda
Amanda, thank you so much for these videos! I purchased a set of combs several years ago, but have been completely intimidated by them and afraid to use them. Your clear instructions, excellent video, and soothing voice have made me so confident I'm going to try my hand at them tomorrow! I do have one question though; are combs appropriate for alpaca? Or is carding more suitable? (I'm also intimidated by those!) Thank you again for the lovely videos and instruction!
Hi, Pleased to hear that you found it useful! For smaller hand combs using carded fleece can be helpful, but with the larger pad mounted combs you can work straight from washed fleece. Amanda
Thanks for watching - glad you found it helpful. I have one or two more video clips in the pipeline, hoping to get soom free time to work on them this summer!
Pleased to hear you are going to have a go! The fleece I was using was a Blue Faced Leicester that I got from my local Wool Marketing Board Depot. Thanks - Bye for now! Amanda
Yeah, I have a ram's horn in my stash, I'll turn my hand at diz-making when the weather cools and I can work outside more comfortably. In the meantime I'm stocking my fiber shelves with nice combed top that I'm dizzing through a button.
Just a few questions, the wool you are working with, have you washed it first, or is it in the grease? I raise angora for spinning, but I want to learn about wool, I know how to handle sheep - but i don't know how to process wool. I am learning about all the combing and carding and all the work that goes into it before spinning. where did you find your comb warmers?
You have solved a problem for me, long suri alpaca fleece cannot be carded (what a mess) these combs look like the answer to my prayers! But where do I get them? I live in Tasmania (Australia) nad have been doing some research and from what I read the Peter Teal designed ones are best now made by Martin ? do you know how I can contact the makers/sellers of these combs - hope you can help and thank you for the great videos
Some of the best instructional video I've seen. Such a great teacher!
Thank-you for the the wonder vids. I'm getting a set of combs from the Martin Hills who bought Peter Teal design for Christmas and I'm really happy to see such clear directions and demoing.
Hi,
Glad to have been of help. I really like UA-cam, it is a great way to share info! Video clips are the next best thing to taking an actual class!
Thanks - Bye for now!
Amanda
That was fantastic. I'm a beginner, and you explained it so well; I'm not a bit afraid to forge ahead. Thank you so much!
Hi, You warm the combs to soften the oil and get it all working smoothly. Combing is for worsted yarn. You remove short fibres, and if you keep the fibres aligned while you spin and keep the twist out of the drafting zone you create a true worsted, which will be smooth, sleek (lustrous if the fibre has a lustre) and drapey. Carded fibres (usually shorter and ideally under 3in), trap air and when spun with the correct technique to maximise this produce a lofty, fuzzy very warm fabric.
Thanks - all 4 videos brillant. Shows me I've been doing it wrong so now I'll have another go!
Excellent series of videos. That first diz - the one you think is plastic that came with your combs - is actually a cownhorn diz made by Peter Teal. Guard it well - or let me adopt it to replace mine as I've dropped it once too often and it's simply beyond repair now.
It's wonderful to watch someone with so much skill work. You make all of this look so smooth and easy, which is reassuring for a novice spinner like myself.
Thanks so much for this. I have some border leicester fleece dyed with cochineal that I want to comb. Now I have some idea how to go about it!
Hi Amanda,
thanks for your videos!
Now I understand how to make it. Unfortunately the combs are rare (here in Germany) and too expensive for me. I hope I can get some used combs soon, because I washed the wool of 3 sheeps (only the good parts) and now I know that I enjoy spining with combed wool a lot more.
Sorry for the bad english, I hope you understand.
Greetings from Northern Germany
Märry
Hi Kerry,
In my opinion Wingham Wool Work of Yorkshire England make the best full sized English comb set. They have worked closely with Peter Teal and his wife Jaquie to get them as near as possible to the sets that Peter used to make himself. I'm not sure how much the shipping would cost, but I'm pretty sure that Ruth and Alan of Winghams are happy to ship out of the country. If you google them you'll easy come up with their website and be able to contact them.
@Cherizac Carding on the other hand (providing your fibes aren't too long - they don't want to hang more than and inch or two over the front edge of the cards) will give you a lighter airy yarn, but it won't be as smooth and lustrous. The best advice is to try it both ways and see which you like the best, and which suits what you want to make from the yarn.
Hope this helps!
Amanda
Thank you for making this video. I'm definitely going to be looking to see if you have more videos, too. Your video is the first place I've found that helps me understand how hand carded fleece might be turned into sliver. I'm so glad to see how you did it. I've only started spinning (with a top whorl drop spindle) and now I dream of learning to comb or card by hand. Maybe with your videos I can tackle it and make it work. Thanks again!
Excellent series of videos. That third diz - the one you think is plastic - is actually a cownhorn diz made by Peter Teal. Guard it well, or let me adopt it to replace mine :D
If you are just starting learning to comb, you will probably only have a small load on the combs, and can easily manage to pull the sliver off one comb in one go.
For larger loads it is easier to split the batch and leave half of the fibres on each comb ready to pull off. Also it is very difficult to get every last whisp of fibre to transfer, and if you pull a sliver from each comb you get those last whisps too!
Pleased that you found the clips helpful!
Thank you so much for your efforts. This is the best video I have seen on wool combing.
@Cherizac Pleased to hear I could be of help!
I did once manage to comb a very long suri alpaca fleece, the results on that were very good, haven't actually tried combing the Huayac.... oh well you know - the fluffier sort! It should work OK. You probably have to consider what you want the yarn for. Combing will take out all the short fibres and noils and give you a very smooth lustrous yarn, with alpaca unless it is spun very fine this could give a heavy yarn.
Hi,
For combing all you need to do to prepare the fleece after washing, is to pull out the individual locks. But if you want to pick open a fleece before carding it, a woolpicker is a great tool, I use the Kaydessa one. Havn't got a link handy, but I'm sure if you Google the name you'll find the details.
Thanks for watching!
Amanda
Pleased that you found it useful!!!!
Thanks - Bye for now!
Amanda
Hi,
Ooh Angora, is that bunnies or goats? Lovely either way!
The fleece was washed and then re-oiled, before I started combing, with a neat's foot and water emulsion.
The vessel I use for warming the tines is an old electric jug kettle (I got a new one for the kitchen). It is the perfect shape, as it is just big enough to submerse the tines without getting the wooden head wet.
Hope this helps - if you have any further questions please get back to me!
Thanks - Bye for now
Amanda
I'm very new to spinning - Thank you for all the very informative videos - Much appreciated.
Thank you for a super set of videos. Very well explained. I hadn't realised how much work went into combing. As a new spinner, I'm going to stick with commercially prepared roving for a bit longer, but I can see the attraction of taking raw locks and converting them into ready to spin little clouds!
Pleased you found them interesting! It isn't quite such a longwinded process as it seems, I slow everything down so I can talk you through it. If you are concentrating and no one is watching, you can get into a nice rhythm and get lots done!
Thanks for the nice comments, and glad you found the clips useful. I have had years of practice, but when I teach combing most people pick it up and become quite proficient fairly quickly
Glad you like them! The Diz may have been made of horn once, but mine definitely looks like plastic, and I'm sure it would feel heavier too if it was real horn and that thick. I like a much smaller hole anyway, and me and my husband have had a go at making horn diz with quite reasonable results. I'm going to get him to use up the rest of the horn as the dust makes me ill.
Thank you for posting this series of videos!!
Total newbie here, and I seem to ahve missed something ... why warm combs? Why comb rather than card (is combing for long staple and carding for short?)? I've seen something else which says to discard the waste from combing, but it seems like such a waste (!) so I was glad to hear it could be carded - presumably it could also be used for felting? Such a good series of videos - thank you very much!
Hi Lynette,
Thanks for the comments! Hmm, know what you mean about being regarded as an oddity ;-)!
So, is the combing technique in Australia fairly similar then?
Amanda
Thank You! This 4 part series really helped!
Brilliant instructional videos. Thank you for making them.
Thanks! Pleased you found them useful.
Amanda, thank you so much for these videos! I purchased a set of combs several years ago, but have been completely intimidated by them and afraid to use them. Your clear instructions, excellent video, and soothing voice have made me so confident I'm going to try my hand at them tomorrow!
I do have one question though; are combs appropriate for alpaca? Or is carding more suitable? (I'm also intimidated by those!)
Thank you again for the lovely videos and instruction!
Thanks for watching, and I'm pleased that you found it useful.
Bye for now!
Amanda
Nice! Thank you!
Hi, Pleased to hear that you found it useful!
For smaller hand combs using carded fleece can be helpful, but with the larger pad mounted combs you can work straight from washed fleece.
Amanda
Sorry forgot to add that, yes, with a bit of care suri alpaca can be prepped on these combs, I have tried it myself!
Why is it best to end up with half on each comb rather than all on one?
Very helpful videos, it's easy to see clearly what you're doing.
Really well done thank you!
Thanks - pleased to hear you enjoyed watching!
Glad you found it useful, thanks for watching!
Amanda
@relussier
You're welcome, glad you found it interesting!
Thanks for watching!
Amanda
@oxnyxws
Glad you found them useful!
That's a smashing Christmas present - Happy combing!
Thanks for watching - and pleased that you found them helpful!
I can't reach everyone with my classes, so this is the next best thing!
Thanks for watching - glad you found it helpful.
I have one or two more video clips in the pipeline, hoping to get soom free time to work on them this summer!
wow, beautiful tutorial, thank you!
You're welcome - thanks for watching!
Amanda
Pleased to hear you are going to have a go!
The fleece I was using was a Blue Faced Leicester that I got from my local Wool Marketing Board Depot.
Thanks - Bye for now!
Amanda
Pleased you found it useful - glad to be of help!
Yeah, I have a ram's horn in my stash, I'll turn my hand at diz-making when the weather cools and I can work outside more comfortably. In the meantime I'm stocking my fiber shelves with nice combed top that I'm dizzing through a button.
Just a few questions, the wool you are working with, have you washed it first, or is it in the grease? I raise angora for spinning, but I want to learn about wool, I know how to handle sheep - but i don't know how to process wool. I am learning about all the combing and carding and all the work that goes into it before spinning. where did you find your comb warmers?
Thank you so much for your help - I will try to contact Wingham Wool Work.
You have solved a problem for me, long suri alpaca fleece cannot be carded (what a mess) these combs look like the answer to my prayers! But where do I get them? I live in Tasmania (Australia) nad have been doing some research and from what I read the Peter Teal designed ones are best now made by Martin ? do you know how I can contact the makers/sellers of these combs - hope you can help and thank you for the great videos
Glad to be of help - let me know how you get on won't you!
Pleased you liked them! Hope I have helped.