I decided over the weekend that I should try and process some of Ruttiger's fluff... just to see what it would be like. I have 2 good sized shoeboxes full of "combed" fur, aka the stuff that tangles around the wire comb when I am grooming him, and even though the little poofs are tangled, I wondered what a little pass on the handcards would do to them.
Well here is the result! I did not measure or weigh anything. I simply layered the 3 fibers and carded gently.
I started with just a barely visible wisp of natural ecru Merino top, then teased open a layer of the soft Grey angora and carded. Next I put a barely visible layer of gunmetal gray carbonized bamboo, then again a layer of the angora. I repeated the process for a total of 4 layers (Merino+Angora, Bamboo+Angora, Merino+Angora, Bamboo+Angora) and then removed the batts from the carders and "pulled" them like you would prep a batt for spinning (Not as rolags) This gave me a semi worsted strip of fiber, which were promptly rolled into light airy nests! The lumps and bumps in the angora teased out and carded up beautifully! A perfect homage to the fluffy fella the fiber came from :)
This photo shows a batt or two with the latest handspun mittens... using the yarn featured a few weeks ago on Yarn Candy Monday. I think I might use the batts to make the lining, though that means I have a bunch of carding to go. The bowl shown above has 10 batts/nests in it... which weighed just under 0.5 ounces! (seriously it's like carrying an empty bowl, if you were to sneeze, it would blow away!)
Happy Monday :)