# Odd roving....what kind is it



## Cdambro

My daughter works close to a store that sells roving and spinning things. I asked her to stop and tell the staff I am a new spinner and wanted roving that would be good to use. I have alpaca but it is so soft that I just cannot manage it with the wheel. It continues to break after a few turns. Anyway, this is what the woman gave my daughter. It is certainly not like what I have.....feels very rough and actually feels like it is leaving something on my fingers as I work with it. Plus, it has many, many lumps or clumps and the staple is not smooth or going in a long direction like the alpaca does. The label says....Romney 4 oz hand dyed roving. Is this good for spinning? I am having a terrible time using it. It clumps and it seems like pretty quickly, my bobbin doesn't want to turn. Here is a pic. What kind of roving do you experienced spinners recommend for a newbie?


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## Linda6885

I am not real experienced, but Romney is a type of sheep. I suspect those clumps are designed to give you an 'artsy' type yarn. Shetland is a good roving to start with. It is easy to draft and sticks to itself making an easy spin. I'd see what others say about your roving, but if you find it very difficult you could card it again.


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## Cdambro

Linda6885 said:


> I am not real experienced, but Romney is a type of sheep. I suspect those clumps are designed to give you an 'artsy' type yarn. Shetland is a good roving to start with. It is easy to draft and sticks to itself making an easy spin. I'd see what others say about your roving, but if you find it very difficult you could card it again.


Thanks. I also think it is supposed to make an artsy type yarn. I am trying to learn to do the pedal, wheel and draft and it doesn't draft very easy. Just wasn't expecting this to learn on. I can do this....I can do this....lol


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## mama879

You can do it. YOU CAN DO IT. Romney is very course roving/yarn It does look like it could be a artsy yarn when it is finished. Try drafting it or pulling it out before you spin it The couple times I used it that's what I did and pull it then you can make a little light ball to spin out of kinda wad it up in your hand loosely.


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## mousepotato

Linda6885 said:


> I am not real experienced, but Romney is a type of sheep. I suspect those clumps are designed to give you an 'artsy' type yarn. Shetland is a good roving to start with. It is easy to draft and sticks to itself making an easy spin. I'd see what others say about your roving, but if you find it very difficult you could card it again.


No, those little clumps are second cuts. I recognize them having learned to shake as many of them as I could out after hubby sheared my flock.


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## Cdambro

mousepotato said:


> No, those little clumps are second cuts. I recognize them having learned to shake as many of them as I could out after hubby sheared my flock.


Do you have a suggestion as to what to do? I can pick out those blue clumps but there are so many. The blue is the worse as they run all through it. It feels so coarse that I cannot imagine having it against my skin.


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## mousepotato

Cdambro said:


> Do you have a suggestion as to what to do? I can pick out those blue clumps but there are so many. The blue is the worse as they run all through it. It feels so coarse that I cannot imagine having it against my skin.


You can pick them out as you come to them if you want, or, IMNSHO, you could simply knit the roving on large needles and felt it into something like a hot pad. I suspect it is coarse because it has all those short bits in it and it won't spin easily or into a smooth yarn. You can also leave the noils in and spin it that way, with the understanding that the resulting yarn is going to pill. Romney isn't all that soft to start with. It's more an outerwear wool. This is why this type of roving is sold to beginners, it won't sell to experienced spinners who know better and look for things like this, and beginning spinners usually start out with "art" yarn (treasure that, trust me, one day you'll want to learn to spin this way again), and that's about what this is good for. See how much you've already learned??


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## wordancer

It looks yucky! ????


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## Longtimer

Agree that the nubs are second cuts. Romney is a very easy wool to spin. I would suggest recarding the roving and making your own rolags.

I was teaching fifth grade when I started spinning many years ago. One little boy in my class got very excited because his grandfather raised sheep. Now, as a newbie I'd learned about wool producers and meat producers. So I asked the child what his grandpa was raising the sheep for. He proudly answered, "He raises them for the fair!"

They turned out to be Romney with some if the nicest wool I've ever spun.


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## Cdambro

mousepotato said:


> You can pick them out as you come to them if you want, or, IMNSHO, you could simply knit the roving on large needles and felt it into something like a hot pad. I suspect it is coarse because it has all those short bits in it and it won't spin easily or into a smooth yarn. You can also leave the noils in and spin it that way, with the understanding that the resulting yarn is going to pill. Romney isn't all that soft to start with. It's more an outerwear wool. This is why this type of roving is sold to beginners, it won't sell to experienced spinners who know better and look for things like this, and beginning spinners usually start out with "art" yarn (treasure that, trust me, one day you'll want to learn to spin this way again), and that's about what this is good for. See how much you've already learned??


So much to learn so I hope my brain cells hold up. It does not spin easy with the wheel but as I am not experienced, it could my fault. I did spin some of it with my spindle and it went fine other than as you say, it is not smooth. I actually like the arty look but don't know what to make it into when I am done spinning since it isn't soft at all. It doesn't get away from me when I am spinning it like the alpaca does. I am learning new stuff in the fiber world every day. Thank you.


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## Cdambro

Longtimer said:


> Agree that the nubs are second cuts. Romney is a very easy wool to spin. I would suggest recarding the roving and making your own rolags.
> 
> I was teaching fifth grade when I started spinning many years ago. One little boy in my class got very excited because his grandfather raised sheep. Now, as a newbie I'd learned about wool producers and meat producers. So I asked the child what his grandpa was raising the sheep for. He proudly answered, "He raises them for the fair!"
> 
> They turned out to be Romney with some if the nicest wool I've ever spun.


That's a great story. Thanks.


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## Cdambro

wordancer said:


> It looks yucky! ????


And, it feels yucky. Lol


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## Cdambro

mama879 said:


> You can do it. YOU CAN DO IT. Romney is very course roving/yarn It does look like it could be a artsy yarn when it is finished. Try drafting it or pulling it out before you spin it The couple times I used it that's what I did and pull it then you can make a little light ball to spin out of kinda wad it up in your hand loosely.


Thanks, I will try that. Tomorrow. Will give an update on my Brillo yarn. That's what it feels like.


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## Cdambro

Linda6885 said:


> I am not real experienced, but Romney is a type of sheep. I suspect those clumps are designed to give you an 'artsy' type yarn. Shetland is a good roving to start with. It is easy to draft and sticks to itself making an easy spin. I'd see what others say about your roving, but if you find it very difficult you could card it again.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you. I agree it will look very artsy and that is fine with me. I will see about Shetland.
Click to expand...


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## mama879

Stop putting your self down. Yes you just started out. But with everything practice makes perfect. I'm still learning and I have been spinning for years. Don't you think we all have made well lets just say mistakes or bought something we regretted buying. I bought roving in Romney combed carded because it was in expensive I like the color and thought it would be nice and soft it looked it till I got it home it was still course. I had fun spinning it the yarn was so pretty but I had to use it on a scarf on outside of clothing. I still have about a lb or so of it to spin in my stash. Maybe a pretty shawl for my black coat when I get around to it. Practice Practice and mistakes we learn from them. Type in google types of wool for spinning see what comes up.


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## IndigoSpinner

It sounds like something an experienced spinner who has scoured wool and has carders could deal with. It does _not_ sound like it would be a good wool for a beginner. I'd advise setting it aside until you have more experience and carders.

I believe that Ashford has some nice carded Corriedale wool available in a decent selection of colors.

https://www.paradisefibers.com/products/ashford-solid-colored-corriedale-sliver?variant=18726722054

It's nicely carded, and easy to spin.


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## Cdambro

mama879 said:


> Stop putting your self down. Yes you just started out. But with everything practice makes perfect. I'm still learning and I have been spinning for years. Don't you think we all have made well lets just say mistakes or bought something we regretted buying. I bought roving in Romney combed carded because it was in expensive I like the color and thought it would be nice and soft it looked it till I got it home it was still course. I had fun spinning it the yarn was so pretty but I had to use it on a scarf on outside of clothing. I still have about a lb or so of it to spin in my stash. Maybe a pretty shawl for my black coat when I get around to it. Practice Practice and mistakes we learn from them. Type in google types of wool for spinning see what comes up.


Thank you for your advice. I know I need to practice. A great thing is I thought I would never get the hang of the drop spindle but last night, I put the artsy roving on it and spun with no problem at all so I am making progress and was very happy. This will be the same and I will be spinning along.


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## Lady Kaira

Can't help you with the spinning, but laid out like that it looks like a desert painting. Maybe you could use it as wall art


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## Cdambro

IndigoSpinner said:


> It sounds like something an experienced spinner who has scoured wool and has carders could deal with. It does _not_ sound like it would be a good wool for a beginner. I'd advise setting it aside until you have more experience and carders.
> 
> I believe that Ashford has some nice carded Corriedale wool available in a decent selection of colors.
> 
> https://www.paradisefibers.com/products/ashford-solid-colored-corriedale-sliver?variant=18726722054
> 
> It's nicely carded, and easy to spin.


Thanks. The colors are beautiful so I expect I will be ordering some.


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## Cdambro

Lady Kaira said:


> Can't help you with the spinning, but laid out like that it looks like a desert painting. Maybe you could use it as wall art


Now there's an idea. ????????


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## mousepotato

Cdambro said:


> And, it feels yucky. Lol


I won't suggest that you rewash the roving, but definitely plan to thoroughly wash the yarn in hot water with some grease cutting dish soap in it. By hot water, we're talking 180 F. As long as you don't agitate it it won't felt. Let it sit in the water for about 20 minutes, remove it (if you let the water cool completely the lanolin will settle back into the yarn), then rinse it in the same temperature water with a good half cup of white vinegar in it, and then rinse it again. Then hang it to dry.


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## shepherd

Too bad this was your introduction to Romney wool - it can be very lovely. We used Romney to do a weekend sheep-to-shawl demo some years ago and made 3 shawls of it - I have one and it is soft and yummy. The ram it came from belonged to my friend who spun with me. We decided we didn't want to spin purely raw wool so she shampooed "George" before the Fair! Romney is more greasy than some - my Cheviot is quite dry. Poor George was mortified, and I never did it before or since. Anyway we decided to call it "the George Shawl" and some gentleman who came by said it should be the "George Bernard Shawl"! We got over $100 for the one we raffled off. If it is a nice Romney to start with and properly prepared it is wonderful to spin, as it is long staple and drafts well. The bits are probably second cuts and the fault of the shearer. I pay for a good shearer to do mine - I trained him. He wanted to start a "niche market" for spinners so I stood over him and yelled a lot. Second cuts happen when the shearer doesn't get close enough to the skin and goes back to re-cut a spot. Disaster! If there are only a few they should be picked out by hand before processing. His first ewe looked like a small child had attacked her with play scissors, but there were few second cuts! Now I need to make an appointment with him by Christmas to get an April shearing date! He was in security and quit his day job and started his own company so he could have shearing season open. (I still get a discount ;-). All breeds have sheep with varying quality fleeces - this was a poor choice by your LYS. Nice color does not = nice roving. The processing also left a lot to be desired if it felt "icky". It probably was not washed correctly nor rinsed well. Lanolin is good for your hands, but too much left in the wool makes it sticky to draft. That is why Karen shampooed George. I grade my fleeces as I take them from the shearer (shearing day is long and tough). They are rough-skirted on a table right then - all manure, undesirable belly, leg and other wool removed. Later I finish skirt them, picking VM (vegetable matter) and second cuts out. I use a good mill to process them - they machine-pick them, wash them, and then card into roving. That costs about $10/lb. So you can see where the cost is in that in a LYS. I can, and do, process one occasionally but it is very time-consuming. Mills vary, too - I tend to stick with one I know and trust. 

Handle roving before you buy - don't be sucked in by interesting dye. You will feel roughness, grease, and see second cuts if you examine it carefully. Actually put your hand in it and feel it - a reputable seller will understand. Pull out a strand and pull it between your fingers to test the draft. Run your fingers over it.

In the old days women spun "in the grease", as washing took a lot of water and was wasteful of it. They just carded or flicked it and drafted from that. Breeds differ in the amount of lanolin in the wool and some can be almost un-draftable.


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## BirchPoint

Try Corridale. Lovely crimp, easy to draft. Make sure your wheel is oiled. Proper adjustment and oiling make a huge difference in how easy fiber is to spin.


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## BirchPoint

Try Corridale. Lovely crimp, easy to draft. Roving, not top. Make sure your wheel is oiled. Proper adjustment and oiling make a huge difference in how easy fiber is to spin.


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## Pam in LR

Imho those nebs were saved and dyed. They were added back in the final carding to produce a tweed yarn. It will be beautiful. You can just leave them where they lie on the surface of your yarn. If you do a hot to cold water dip or just thwack your skein a few times while it's wet, the tweedy nibs will hold better in the finished garment. They do make consistent 
drafting a little iffy, creating even more texture. ut


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## jenjoyo

It doesn't sound like a very beginner-friendly roving to me. I started with some Corriedale roving that is beautifully smooth and soft. The staple is long enough for a beginner to get the feel of the wheel without constantly worrying about the yarn flying out of her fingers before the twist gets where she wants it. You shouldn't have to card the darn stuff. As a beginner, you should get some roving that is all ready to go so that you can simply concentrate on the mechanics of spinning. Good grief.


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## ilmacheryl

Cdambro said:


> So much to learn so I hope my brain cells hold up. It does not spin easy with the wheel but as I am not experienced, it could my fault. I did spin some of it with my spindle and it went fine other than as you say, it is not smooth. I actually like the arty look but don't know what to make it into when I am done spinning since it isn't soft at all. It doesn't get away from me when I am spinning it like the alpaca does. I am learning new stuff in the fiber world every day. Thank you.


You could knit hot pads or pot holders or coasters & felt them. You don't need soft for any of those things. My favorite pot holder is a swatch that I knitted & felted to see how it would felt. I crocheted a loop to hang it with. If I make felted slippers for gifts, I always felt a swatch because different wools felt differently. I enclose the swatch with the slippers and they have a matching mug rug!


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## BirchPoint

Double post. Sorry


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## IndigoSpinner

jenjoyo said:


> It doesn't sound like a very beginner-friendly roving to me. I started with some Corriedale roving that is beautifully smooth and soft. The staple is long enough for a beginner to get the feel of the wheel without constantly worrying about the yarn flying out of her fingers before the twist gets where she wants it. You shouldn't have to card the darn stuff. As a beginner, you should get some roving that is all ready to go so that you can simply concentrate on the mechanics of spinning. Good grief.


If your yarn keeps breaking while you're spinning it, your wheel has too much take-up, or if you're using a drop spindle, it's too heavy.

The wheel should have just enough take-up to draft the fiber for you.


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## shepherd

Great to see so many responses - this just proves we have a new outlet for all the spinners out there!


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## jenjoyo

Yes!????????


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## RetiredPacaMama

That's what I was going to suggest. It sounds to me that it wasn't carded very well. It's difficult for me to see in the picture but the roving may have large crimp which you mentioned as being bumpy or clumpy. I also think you should wash it before spinning as wool has lots of lanolin in it that is sticky. Dying roving also causes it to be sticky as you're trying to work with it. You can wash it with Dawn dish washing soap in a warm water. Gently squeeze it with a towel and dry flat. Alpaca is slick roving and has shorter length fiber than wool so it is more difficult to spin. Once you can spin the wool go back to spinning the alpaca and you'll find you'll be more successful.


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## Cdambro

Thank you everyone for all comments and suggestions. I so love this new category and all the suggestions, advice, pictures and information posted here daily. I will keep you posted on my end result.


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## Southernhatlady

I think the lady at the store made a big mistake with that roving as that is not an easy project for a new spinner. Romney usually is very easy to spin because it hold together very well so you can get into a rhythm. All those extra colored bits are messing you up. Perhaps it would be best to put that aside until you have more experience as there is no point in getting frustrated with yourself over something that is not your fault. Spinning is not simething that one does perfectly the first day or month. I'm not sure I would visit that store again if that's the type of "help" you get.


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## Cdambro

Thanks for your response. Here is where is I am with it......I couldn't spin it on the wheel barely at all so I thought it might be ok with my Navaho spindle. One nice thing is because it is coarse, I could handle it ok so I actually learned the Navaho using it and it is pretty much spun. I also spun a bunch of it on my drop spindle. Now, I am plying it with a lace yarn I have in a solid color on my Navaho. I was determined to figure this out. So, one yarn I spun and one is just a sore bought yarn. The grand results are yet to be determined but I will post the yarn when I am finished. I am using this roving as a learning tool. I have alpaca roving but am finding it just pulls apart very easy and I am not able to manage it really well. And, of course, I have my shopping basket on Paradise Fibers slowly filling with more roving that I hope will be just what I need.


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## IndigoSpinner

Get some nice Corriedale sliver!

It will give you some practice with fiber that isn't fighting with you, and that will give you some confidence in your abilities.

Eventually, you'll get to the point where you'll get carders or combs of your own, but first, you need to have a chance to spin wool with a medium crimp that's well-prepared. You'll find out what well-prepared fiber looks and feels like and how it spins, and gain some confidence in your own abilities.

This is all stuff you need to know to advance to learning other skills.

BTW, when you switch from one batch of fiber to another, you'll discover that each batch drafts a little differently.


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## Cdambro

IndigoSpinner said:


> Get some nice Corriedale sliver!
> 
> It will give you some practice with fiber that isn't fighting with you, and that will give you some confidence in your abilities.
> 
> Eventually, you'll get to the point where you'll get carders or combs of your own, but first, you need to have a chance to spin wool with a medium crimp that's well-prepared. You'll find out what well-prepared fiber looks and feels like and how it spins, and gain some confidence in your own abilities.
> 
> This is all stuff you need to know to advance to learning other skills.
> 
> BTW, when you switch from one batch of fiber to another, you'll discover that each batch drafts a little differently.


I actually have some sitting in my 'shopping basket'. Just need to check the budget. Lol. I feel like I fought my way through this but I was obsessed to finish it. It is spun and ready for a soak. I am hoping this was the tough one and now it will just seem much easier. And, the great thing is that I was able to learn the Navaho spindle with it. I actually think the coarseness helped me control it better.


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## IndigoSpinner

Nicely prepared wool will make a world of difference!

I spun some nice wool in the beginning, and then got two pounds of a nice Lincoln/Merino carded wool, and it suddenly spun like a dream! It was _much_ easier to spin.

I wish I could be there to adjust the wheel for you, but quality of fiber will help.

The quality of the fiber can make a _BIG_ difference!


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## Cdambro

IndigoSpinner said:


> Nicely prepared wool will make a world of difference!
> 
> I spun some nice wool in the beginning, and then got two pounds of a nice Lincoln/Merino carded wool, and it suddenly spun like a dream! It was _much_ easier to spin.
> 
> I wish I could be there to adjust the wheel for you, but quality of fiber will help.
> 
> The quality of the fiber can make a _BIG_ difference!


I wish you could be here, too. If anything needs to be slightly adjusted, I really don't know it. I am mostly on the blind with this but I will get it. YouTube has become my friend and all of you experienced spinners are a wonderful help. My skein is soaked and now hanging to dry.

I do have a question.....I am loving art yarn and know that the orifice isn't big enough for that. I did see that I can get a large one for my ashford traditional. Notice the terms don't flow off my fingers but I know you understand what I am asking. Is that correct that I can get one for the art yarn? Large bobbin and large orifice for the yarn.


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## IndigoSpinner

It looks like you're right about that.

http://woolery.com/spinning-wheels/ashford-spinning-wheel/ashford-parts-accessories/ashford-jumbo-flyer-single-drive.html

Bear in mind that it only includes one bobbin, and you might want more than one.


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## Cdambro

IndigoSpinner said:


> It looks like you're right about that.
> 
> http://woolery.com/spinning-wheels/ashford-spinning-wheel/ashford-parts-accessories/ashford-jumbo-flyer-single-drive.html
> 
> Bear in mind that it only includes one bobbin, and you might want more than one.


Thank you so much. Just what I want.


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## IndigoSpinner

Cdambro said:


> Thank you so much. Just what I want.


I just picked a place that carries it at random for the link. You may be able to find a better price or better shipping terms if you look around, so be sure to do that. And you might want to get another bobbin or two.


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