What’s Your favorite: a contest June 1, 2007
If you are not a spinner, just hang in there. There is something for you at the end
I have had this nagging in the bag of my head telling me that I want a drum carder. I have looked into it a few times but never bought one. I want one primarily for blending merino wools with fine fibers. It should be able to handle the slightly coarser wools that I like - Romney and wensleydale for instance. And it should be able to handle the occasional fleece. Ultimately I would like to be able to make blends with soy silk and camel down and other finer fibers. I think the one that might be right for me is a Strauch Petite. I like the petite-ness (studio apartment) and the fine cloth. The only complaints that I was that when processing fleeces on the fine cloth, the second cuts didn’t get separated but that seems preferable to not being able to card fine fibers. And I shouldn’t forget to mention that the comparatively low price is a major factor.
Here’s where you come in… What do you think? Do you know anything about carders or own one that you have an opinion about? Leave me a comment and let me know! You will be eligible to win a prize from me if you do.
Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about drum carders, you can still be eligible to win a prize. Just leave me a comment and tell me about your favorite knitting/ crafting material or tool. For instance, you might tell me that you you couldn’t survive without medium-weight Socks that Rock. Or that your Bernina is your most dear possession. Or that you cannot resist alpaca yarn. I want to hear about what you like!
The contest will be open until next Saturday, June 9th when the winner will be selected at random. I’ll send you some sock yarn, and a sock knitter’s needle case. If a non-knitter ends up as the winner, and doesn’t want the prize we’ll figure something out.
Want to see the prizes?
The red yarn was dyed by me, but never made it into my etsy shop. I dubbed it “unphotographable red” and had to screw with the photo in photoshop to get it to look kinda normal. The colors go from a red-orange to a medium red and it si a superwash wool nylon blend. The Needle case was hand sewn by me in the style of the ones in my shop. Perfect for circulars, DPN’s and crochet hooks. I threw in a little crochet hook that I got at Daiso - you’ll get that too. Finally I added two skeins of Brown Sheep Handpainted yarn. Nice traditional wooly sock yarn. So get commenting!
Hands down. My rotary cutter and cutting mat.
Have a great weekend!
The Ball Winder! it is a life saver for those skeins of petite sock yarn and lace weight and well any yarn in a skein.
I don’t think I could live without my knit picks circulars for sock knitting…..slippery and super sharp!!!
i love my ball winder and my swift.
okay, i also love my spinning wheel. hubby made it for me for christmas—and it works!!
i’d love a drum carder some day too….
I LOVE the Barbara Walker Treasuries. They are a great source of inspiration! Sorry I can’t help with the spinning question.
As an ADD knitter with numerous WIPS at all times, I could NOT live without my lovely collection of WIP baskets. I collect pretty handled baskets of different sizes and loosely line them with fun and whacky fabrics. Each one gets a WIP with its pattern and any other accoutrement needed for that project. They look quite lovely around my knitting chair and I can carry them from room to room as needed.
Tape measures. I have tape measures everywhere. If you’re out and about with me and need a tape measure, chances are there’s one somewhere about my person.
Oooh, a contest! I just couldn’t knit without my reliable little plastic row counters. Such amazing little conveniences, and so handy!
I don’t know if this is quite what you had in mind, but I cannot knit anything more complicated than dishcloths without my notebook and pencil. I’m much too prone to making changes to patterns, and even if I don’t I find I need some way to mark my place.
I’m sorry I can’t help with the question about carders.
Oh man, I wish I knew something about drum carders to help you out, maybe there will be something in the craftster forums? As for my most essential knitting material, well (apart from the yarn) I guess it would be my 32\
oops, lost some of that post there.
32″ addi turbos, I love them for sock knitting. [my denises are a close second
]
I ran this one by hubby, to see what he said. I’m going with his answer, because he’s so stinking funny!
My favorite knitting tool is…..
MY DH! (I don’t work outside the home…I am blessed to be able to stay home with the kiddos and knit while they are at school). He brings home the ‘bacon’, so I can go buy more yarn!
Yeah, he’s witty like that. all.the.time.
Favorite tool? Hmmm….I\\\’m a bag lady, so any kind of unique purse/bag to carry around the WIP of the day. Oh and my swift–I just love watching it twirl around! My 3 yr-old niece thinks it\\\’s a spinning \\
Sorry, posting issues today. She thinks it’s a spinning “rain kite” (her term for umbrella)!
Is my webpage eating your comments? If you tried to comment and it gave you trouble, email me and let me know what happened so I can try to fix it. In the mean time, I love reading all of these!!
Sorry that I know nothing at all about spinning, but from what I\’ve seen and read about it, a drum carder would be fabulous! Good luck finding the information that you need.
I was going to say that my favorite tool is my ball winder and swift. But since these have already been mentioned, I\’ll list my second favorite tool, which are the itty bitty hair clip/claw thingies I got 12/$1. I use them to hold seams together while doing mattress stitch or whatever seaming I\’m doing. It\’s easy, fast, and was a very cheap alternative to the commercial products out there which do the same thing.
I love my serger! I am mostly a knitter, but when I get the itch to sew an outfit or some curtains, that thing rocks!
I agree with the commenters above that my ball winder and swift and Knit Picks needles are very dear to my heart. But I have recently fallen in love with Cider Moon yarns … and have acquired quite a collection! Glacier in particular is a really wonderfully soft DK weight and the colors are gorgeous.
Sorry I can’t help with you with your drum carder dilemma. Spinning is one fiber craft that I haven’t tackled yet!
I’ve only used hand carders, so unfortunately I’m no help there. But my favorite knitting gear is the little see-through colored rubbery plastic tip protectors/holders that my sister (Andria from Oakland, who you know) got me at Article Pract. Hopefully someone knows what I talking about.
ADDI TURBOS!
hi karrie, hope you\\\’re well! i love your blog - bunny sent me the link and i\\\’ve been sneakily reading it ever since. so far i\\\’m about 50% of my way through the artfibers stash
anyway, i am really sorry but i can\\\’t help with the spinning stuff. however favourite knitterly things are:
addis 4mm, 40cm - so versatile; 3.5mm crochet hook - because i\\\’m still very incompentent and drop stitches; stitch counters - said incompetence also means i tend to forget what row i\\\’m so this is invaluable…
I don\’t spin (yet), but I want a drum carder. Get one, Karrie!
Oh, and I\’d be lost without my 2.75 mm DPNs for socks.
I don\’t do any spinning, so I can\’t help you there. But I do love my circular needle ID tags - they make it so easy to keep track of those things!
hm…my fave knitting-related item is…
(no big surprise here) Merino Wool.
In any shape or form, i love me some nice soft merino wool. i’ve found some merino wool yarn that’s softer than cashmere. (or as soft as).
and roving? merino wool is my staple. not as slick as silk or tencel or bamboo, but not too scratchy like some other wools. It makes me want to do a good job on my spinning.
ahhhhh, (deep inhale) i love me merino. :o)
Row counter, hands down. I use one for every project, from socks to lace!
i am in love with my ball winder and jordana paige knitting purse. without those i just don’t know what i would do!
Im cannot live with out my Grandaughter holding freshly made dyed yarn us spending time winding it up. She is my joy and tool for winding up yarn. butif i must pick a tool it would be my crochet hooks then knitting needles. I love yarns, knitting crochet and just plain fabrics work as you can see on my blogs i just started yoyo along to bring back the fun yoyos what a good contest im trying of thinking of one giving away books..hmm ty hugs kat
I\’m a sucker for variegated yarns. I hate using single color stuff. I especially love mercerized cotton variegated yarn. (Like Schaefer Yarns, Laurel). True to my sometimes contrary nature, I also love ribbing and am constantly trying to find a way to combine these things (without using another carry-along stretchy anything). The search is futile, yet continues.
I\’m also addicted to addi\’s. It just occured to me that those words start the same way. ADDIcted/ADDI, hmmmm.
I have a Louet Carder, the full sized jobby. It just doesn\\\\\\\’t seem to card as finely and as smoothly as I\\\\\\\’ve seen others do. I wish I would have done lots more research than what I did!
I would also check out the Spinning and Weaving Housecleaning Pages-can\\\\\\\’t think of the link off the top of my head-for people looking sell used equipment.
Good Luck!
i hate to add on to the “i don’t knows”about the drum carder, but i haven’t been hit with the urge to spin yet. sorry i’m of no help.
as for my faves, currently i am loving Fiesta Ballet yarn for socks. but my consistent can’t-do-withouts are my denise circs and post-it notes. the circs are obvious, but the post-its are the greatest multi-taskers. i can mark my place in a pattern, make notes on pattern changes, i.d. a wip, sketch ideas…
thanks for doing a contest! take care.
I love my knit picks options!
I most certainly couldn’t do without my denise interchangeables! I bought them secondhand for a great price and they have certainly served me well.
That Strauch Petite just KICKS SERIOUS BUTT. I bought one earlier this year and have never regretted it. I worried that the belt drive might not be enough (vs. the chain drive), but it works like a charm and blends like a dream. Get it, get it, get it!!!
/end enabler
I couldn’t do without my Knit Picks Options.
I just stared spinning about 1 1/2 years ago and am still working on just the spinning part, I’m not ready to try to prepare my fibers myself yet, so unfortunately no drum carder info here either.
For the thing I can’t live without…ANGORA!! And fortunately (or unfortunately for my wallet) my spinning guild has a woman who sells her angora bunny fiber, I always have to stay away from her if I don’t want to buy any!
I gotta have a book on tape going when I knit, or a movie. I just can\\\’t live and knit without those!Unless I\\\’m with a group of knitters, then I can talk.
I did have a Clemes & Clemes carder for a while, but discovered I rarely used it (size and heft — it stayed put away — and that I generally spin combed fibers — I do have combs as well). I sold it a while back and replaced it with hand cards for when I do want to card some compacted fiber or blend something special. I find I much prefer the control and output with the handcards, and they ended up getting used much more often. YMMV, of course, it all depends on what you\’re hoping to accomplish with it…
And my most important tool, well, this week it\’s my wheel, though I might have said my Knitpicks needles last week, or my CelticSwan needles the week before; we do love our tools, don\’t we?
I don\’t know anything about carders except that I almost bought a pair of hand carders for kicks and giggles the other day. I can\’t live w/o my row counter. It saves me on all patterns, but especially those with charts.
I have a Patrick Green drum carder, I think it’s the Deb’s Delicate Deluxe model. I highly recommend the Pat Green carders - they’re easy to use, well-made, hold a ton of fiber, and are just nice.
Good luck with your decision! I’m sure you’ll love having a drum carder - it’s a very useful tool to have!
I couldn’t live without my crochet hooks - I drop so many stitches….
I can’t live without my now dogeared copy of the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. The color inspirations are the best!
I just bought a Strauch petite several months ago and it is just the best purchase I ever made. Unless you do production carding, the petite is quite adequate for your needs. I saw Mr. Strauch himself at SAFF and asked a lot of questions and came away convinced it was what I wanted. It will do fine to course fibers. It will blend–I have blended (or seen it done) mohair with wool and angora both by itself and with wool. I\’ve seen it do dog hair. Hint of the day, since I was new totally to drum carding and had to learn this: run each batt through 3-4 times depending on what you\’re carding. That way it is totally carded and spins up like butter. Second tip: do a real good job of picking before you get started and the carding will be all that more smooth. Get the Strauch. It is SO worth it.
Nice! Carders are great. I bought an Ashford carder back in October, and I really like it. But. The thing i didn\’t even consider when i bought a carder, was how much fiber it could hold on it. I can\’t even get an ounce of fiber on it at a time. If I had known, I would have bought one that could hold way, way, more. But I do have fun carding up wee bits of crazy colored fiber into little batts, and mixing up the batts as i spin them!
I just got my first spinning wheel (a week ago) and don’t think I could live without it now. So far I’ve been buying roving already blended togother (and cleaned) by others. What benefits do you get from doing all the carding yourself? I’d be curious to know if that’s something worth messing with for me.
I’m also new to sock knitting and am totally in love with it. Just about donw with my first pair (Jaywalkers). Can’t wait to explore all the fabulous sock yarns.
Hi- I don\’t spin… yet! And I have way too many fovorite things. My Addi Turbos are my favorite circular needles. Ziploc bags are my favorite small project and balls of yarn containers (keeps things separated and crumb-free in my big bags…), and post-it notes are probably my favorite little helps- I mark pages in books with patterns I love, I mark my place in current patterns, and I keep track of patterns with many repeats by making tally marks on my post-it note stuck to my pattern!
So there you have it!
Oh- and my favorite new toy is my little drop spindle- I told you, I\’m not a spinner yet, emphasis on yet!!!
ali
Hi,
I don\’t have a drum carder myself yet, but read lots of spinning lists, and hear lots of favorable talk about the Strauch, and don\’t remember any negative talk. My favorite tool…my spinning wheel, a Lendrum DT. love love love love my wheel. huggy huggy my wheel.
Janet H.
Favourite for me would have to be my wool winder and must have would be a swift some day
amber
I\’m not a spinner so my favorite knitting material is Rowan Calmer. So soft and stretchy!
My favorite knitting tool is my KP Options needle set. It has every needle size and cord length I need, the tips are nice and pointy and the joints are really nice. I can’t imagine having to buy specific size needles and the money it would cost and am glad I don’t have to do that anymore.
sock yarn with silk…like Appelaine!
I know absolutely nothing about drum carders! My latest knitting want? Sock blockers!
I know what a drum carder is! But that\\\’s about all the help I am in that arena. I just bought my wheel a little over a month ago. But my absolute favorite, can\\\’t do without it, knitting and spinning \\
hmm, it cut my reply off… my “tool” is my knit/spin group and my mom (who’s knit for 40+ yrs.) without them I wouldn’t be a knitter or a spinner!
Wow…what a question….you’re making my brain hurt….
I would have to say my fishy stitch markers I made. They are currently being used in a lace project and when I get frustrated, my little fishies make it all better!
If we ever do Sheep to Shawl again (hahahahahahaa!), I totally want to see if we can sneak in a drum carder like the kiddie class head because it was niiice but I do like hand carders we used.
Definately the umbrella swift and ball winder are my favority knitting tools. All I know about drum carders is that they are expensive and that one size doesn\\\’t card all fibers. As a result this is an item for a die-hard fiber processor. Good luck.
I have to say my very favorite item for knitting is my many, many, bags. They are a great way to keep yarn away from the cats, keep the wife guessing how much yarn I have and projects together. Good luck deciding on a drum carder.
I couldn\’t survive knitting without the internet! A great resource for patterns, instructions, and fellow knitters!
I love my extra long addi turbo circulars for Magic Loop sock knitting!
mmm drum carder
I hear lots of good things about the Strauch Petite - I myself had an Ashland Bay carder, with the finest cloth they had, and used it to card merinos and the batts were wonderful. I have upgraded - to something that is probably overkill and definitely large for your apartment - a Patrick Green machine (I have a supercard) - They make smaller carders, though because they are motorized, they are quite heavy and are not easy to move around. You may want to have a look at the Louet Carders too
This is dumb because it has so little to do with the knitting process, but I have to have those little plastic sheets to shove my patterns into! And I do love my sheep needle gauge.
I started spinning in November 2006 and I couldn’t live without my ball winder, swift, and niddy noddies. I would eventually like to get a skein winder but that will have to wait. I have started using a hand carder but I imagine a drum carder will be something I will have to decide on at some point in the future.
Great question! I\’ve been reading up on carders too and I\’m thinking of getting a Strauch Petite in the fall. Can\’t justify the purchase until then, but I\’ve heard very good things about them.
I can’t live without my Chibi! It’s just the best little needle carrier, and it makes such a jolly sound rattling around in my knitting bag. OK, I need to get out more. Plus, I really love kitchener stitch, and Chibi needles are essential for that.
I don\’t spin (yet)…..but for now….my must have knitting item are all my tote bags and baskets to stash my various WIP!!
hmm…tie between my ball winder and my chibi. i love my little chibi!
The only drum carded that I\’ve ever used is a very very old one that belonged to a friend of mine. I leared from her that an older reliable drum carder is much like your grandmother\’s favorite pair of bamboo knitting needles. It doesn\’t so much matter how old it is as long as you care for it properly. From this I would say it\’s almost good to buy an older model on ebay or something, they can all handle a beating but need to be oiled regularly and never over stuffed though you can put them to the test. You should have no problem finding something for what you\’re wanting to do. And as for after you get one, your greates advisary will be a dog brush and an old knitting needle that you don\’t use (aluminum is best) to help you work of the carded wool. Good luck!
I have no personal opinion on carders, but I’m told that Patrick Greens are very very good. My favorite toy is the niddy noddy/swift/ballwinder trifecta!
I only wish I were ready for the big-time! I don\’t even have hand-carders. Of course, I just started spinning on a spindle, so I suppose first things first.
As for what I love? I guess right now, my huge bunch of super-soft rovings from href=”http://www.thesheepshedstudio.com”>Sheep Shed Studio
Right now my favorite knitting tool is my Addi Turbos - I taught myself magic loop because I was breaking my bamboo DPNs, and I\’m sure I\’d lose stiches on metal ones. I want to try Knitpicks circular needles, but I\’m not sure about the whole exchangeable cable thing.
It\’s too bad that no one reads your blog. Holy crap - could you have more comments?
As you know, I have the Strauch Petite, which you can try the carder out yourself next week. (I also still have 8 sheeps worth of fleeces in my garage….)
Faves…swift…winder…needles…yep, and stitch markers. The Clover safety pin types are awesome. Handmade ones are lovely too, but the mint green/salmon ones from Clover are devine. Oh, and I really like those curly plastic things from Clover for holding needles together.
I can\’t say that this is my *favorite* accessory, but the one I always have with me/is used the most: Dental floss. In a plane and need to cut the yarn? Small metal slicer. Lifeline necessary and no mercerized cotton handy? Dental floss. Emergency stitch marker? Dental floss. Spinach in your… oh, never mind. I think you get it.
I\’ve got mixed feelings about drum carders, which have nothing to do with the fact that I\’m still saving for one (ahem).
On the plus side, they are wonderful tools for blending different fibers/colors, and they make relatively short work of a big fleece.
On the minus side, contrary to popular opinion they aren\’t any faster than hand cards due to the amount of prep time needed for the fibers (so that you can be kind to your Big Financial Investment).
My favorite toy is my Bosworth Mini spindle. Pretty, easy spinner - I just love it.
I\’m going to go with my row/round-counting stitch markers. You even inspired me to write a post all about them!
As strange as this may sound, the Salvation Army thrift shop is one of my favourite knitting things. Being on a pretty tight budget, I can’t afford much yarn, but I’ve found sweaters in cashmere, silk, linen, merino, even camel for not more than a couple dollars apiece. Unravel (ok, that’s a lot of work), maybe re-dye, and voila, luxury yarns to knit with.