Combing wool & Certificate of Achievement (June 16th June)

By Chris -
 These two topics may not appear that obviously linked, but the combing of wool is the ONLY way in which you can produce pure worsted preparation fibre to spin the required skeins for the Certificate of Achievement. Not just any combs but ideally the huge English combs with four rows of long sharp teeth 16.5cm long and a hefty 0.75kg weight each. The fibre pictured here - Cotswold combed sliver, made from a Pickwick Flock fleece, shows how aligning the fibres using combs really brings out the lustre and shine in long staple wool.

In Getting Better At … Using Combs, Chris and Jo will show you how to use English combs and give you a chance to try these - under supervision and with health and safety warnings in place! They will also demonstrate and give you an opportunity to use the smaller handheld 'mini' combs which can cope with all but the longest fibres and create a similar effect. Come along to this 90 minute session and try different types of combs (Dutch, Valkyries, Vikings and minis) in Extra Fine, Fine and standard weights. Bring some of your own clean fleece or locks to use and see how combing improves it and removes the grot. If you have your own combs please bring them along.

After lunch Chris will show her Certificate of Achievement work and talk about some of the things she learned along the way - also some of the mistakes she made. Her work is very tactile so fondling is encouraged! (The cushions she made as her project are pictured - can you guess what they represent?)