Hi Dee Dee,
I'm afraid I'd have to buy more than one suitcase to get the
goodies home.
Have followed the thread on breaks and testing with interest.
Everyone is right in their own way. The ultimate test is the
"MACHINE". If the fleece is weak, tender or has a break, the
machines will tell you and the resulting processing will have
either one or all of the folowing, neps, noils, or short fibers
mixed with longer unbroken fibers. I have found that fleeces with
staple length of 4 to 6 inches and a break right in the middle
will often times card up beautifully. It will have shorter fibers
than what you started with, but few neps and noils. Breaks closer
to the ends, especially weak tips tend to break off and form neps
and noils in the processed webs.
Sometimes manual picking or hand teasing will salvage a weak
fleece, but not always. I like to do a test on a little of the
washed fiber before running the whole fleece. Saves me time and
the customer money for a product they're not going to be happy
with.
In talking with other processors I know we all try to put out a
good finished product. You win some, and lose some, depending
upon the quality of the product you are sent. Sometimes the
choices you make don't work out, even tho' you try very hard to
get a good product back to the customer.
In picking a sound fleece, the machine has the final say. That is
if you are going to commercially process it. Combs,handcards and
most table top drum carders can handle a weak fleece and you can
produce a spinable yarn. The yarn, however, is going to inherit
the weakness of the fleece.
Gail White
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