Monday, August 4, 2008

FibreFffft!

So I finally finished that ball of fiery-colored roving - and decided I didn't care for it as is. I decided to make it a bit lighter, and to do that decided to mix in a nice soft sparkly bit of bamboo fibre into it.

Turns out that while I love bamboo in finished products, the process of getting the bamboo into those products is a little more interesting than I was really prepared to deal with.


Bamboo, like silk, loves to stick to everything, and doesn't like to stay lined up neatly on the carder - it wanders all over the place. Also like silk, bamboo is... floaty. And it has shorter fibres so they float into the air and get all over the place: on the floor, in my hair, up my nose. And since it is very hot and muggy, and I am slightly damp, it sticks to my skin and itches. Or tickles. Or both.

But it's a learning process, and I've learned a few valuable things from the experience. I think this roving will be pretty once it's spun up. I hope. The carding-in process and the whiteness of the bamboo means that most of the variation in the color of the roving is going to get pretty much washed out - it will be very subtle. I will now have to figure out what to ply it with, to give it some visual interest. Next time I'll want to card in the bamboo with the separate colors (possibly darker ones) before mixing the colors together, in order to get more contrast in the mix.

Hmmm.... later on (next year?) it will be even more interesting, when I get around to dyeing.

Something to look forward to!

1 comment:

mrspao said...

Looks like candy floss. You're a brave woman - I'd hate getting fibery bits up my nose.