The purpose of Hand Carding is to disentangle, separate, clean, straighten and blend Fibers together for spinning into yarn.  Carding is a type of woolen preparation, where air is introduced between the fibers and can be trapped as you spin, resulting in a loftier yarn. The tools used are called Hand Cards.  Hand carders look a bit like hair brushes, and consist of two wooden paddles with sheets of fine metal teeth that brush out the fibers. Carding opens up locks of fiber and then aligns the individual fibers to be parallel with each other. Carded fibers are generally shorter, with longer and shorter fibers mixed together, and not completely smooth and even.  The result is a batt or rolag of lofty fiber that can them more easily be spun into yarn.

The Hand Cards available in our Online Store are made in the USA, by Strauch Fiber Equipment.  Watch the video below to see how to use them.

You may want to check out a great article on how to properly and efficiently use hand cards called “Care & Feeding of Handcards”  from the Earth Guild in Asheville, NC.

For a great class on fiber preparation, check out  How To Prepare Wool For Spinning.  It is a Craftsy online class that you can watch at your convenience, and go back to when ever you want.  See more Spinning Classes here.