Each July, the Tour de Fleece has us thinking about fun new ways to combine stashed fibers to make easy-spinning batts. This year’s event is no different, and today we’ll show you how to make a 3-color heathered batt! If you’re new to drum carding, you may want to first brush up on the basics by downloading our free PDF guide, Drum Carding 101.
Supplies (To Make Four 1-oz. Batts)
- Strauch Drum Carder – we used a Petite Model for this tutorial
- 1 lb. dark purple wool (we used Eggplant Mauch Roving wool fiber from Kraemer Yarns)
- 1 lb. light purple wool (we used Juju Fruit Mauch Roving wool fiber from Kraemer Yarns)
- 1/2 lb. pale yellow wool (we used Jelly Bean Mauch Roving wool fiber from Kraemer Yarns)
A note about choosing colors: Heathered batts are fun way to experiment with color, and some of the prettiest batts we’ve seen were made with unlikely combinations. If you’re struggling with your color choice, check out this blog post for some tips on using basic color theory to create harmonious combinations with a bit of “pop.”
To Card Each Batt
For each batt, we used .4 oz dark purple , .4 oz light purple and .2 oz pale yellow wool. Begin with an equal amount of dark and light purple wool to create a good base layer on the drum.
Begin adding small amounts of pale yellow wool, alternating between the purples and the yellow until you run out of fiber. You may wish to end with a bit of pale yellow wool to create a more pronounced color contrast for your batt.
And that’s it! Remove batt from carder and repeat as many times as you wish to create heathered batts you’ll love to spin.
We’d love to see what you’re carding and spinning over on Instagram – be sure to share your photos using the #strauchfiber hashtag!
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