# Wool combs



## Knitted by Nan (Aug 3, 2013)

I have just received a very interesting email from Interweave regarding wool combs. I receive emails from the Spinning Daily news site.

http://www.interweave.com/article/spinning/five-good-reasons-to-buy-and-use-mini-wool-combs/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=wt-tsa-nl-161219-FiveGoodReasons&utm_content=908257_SPE161219&utm_medium=email

Five Good Reasons to Buy and Use Mini Wool Combs
December 19, 2016 | Author: Anne Merrow

1. Chaff and vegetable matter, begone!

Combing removes undesirables such as vegetable matter and deposits them behind the rows of teeth, leaving you with only the prime fiber. If you have an otherwise perfect fleece that has a little extra hay in it, a few passes with combs will take that right out. (Spread a cloth in your lap to catch any veggie matter that falls out.)

2. You love to spin worsted yarns.

Short forward draw is my favorite technique, and it wants to make a smooth worsted yarn. Combing the fibers to make them parallel prepares the fiber for a worsted draw.

3. You like to spin off the beaten path.

There are more prepared fibers available today than ever before, but not every fleece is available as combed top. If you want to comb and spin a greater variety of fibers, at some point you will need to prepare them yourself, and some fibers really want to be combed. (Listen to them.)

4. You are tired of spinning compacted commercial top.

Commercially prepared fiber has a lot going for it, but between when it is combed and when it is in your hands ready to spin, it can be squished and rubbed (and dyed and felted) and generally roughed up. It is also been pressed to subdue the natural crimp. Lively and airy, hand-combed top is delightful to spin, no predrafting or stripping required.

5. You like to make your own fiber blends.

Mini combs are a perfect way to blend colors and textures. Layer different elements and use the combs to create a custom fiber prep.

Top left: Lash wool locks onto one comb, anchoring the butt (cut) end behind the tines. Top right: Turn the second comb perpendicular to the first and gently run it through the locks. (Always point the combs away from yourself and others.) Bottom left: It is easy to pull off the combed locks for spinning, leaving behind waste. Bottom right: Combing two colors or textures of fiber together makes a spectacular custom blend. Top left: Lash wool locks onto one comb, anchoring the butt (cut) end behind the tines. Top right: Turn the second comb perpendicular to the first and gently run it through the locks. (Always point the combs away from yourself and others.) Bottom left: It is easy to pull off the combed locks for spinning, leaving behind waste. Bottom right: Combing two colors or textures of fiber together makes a spectacular custom blend.

Just edited to remove all those nasty extra symbols. When cutting and pasting the " and ' just do not come through and are replaced by all those stupid AAAA's etc.


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## Goodshepfarm (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks! This is what I plan on doing soon as I will be getting combs!


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## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

Check out the different kinds of combs before you buy. 

The combs shown in the photo are mini combs, or close to that size. I have Viking combs, and they're big compared to the ones shown in the photos.


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## Ochosi (Nov 16, 2014)

Mini combs are great for delicate, fine fibers but I really don't see using them for everything they're claiming. Most mini combs don't come with a base to hold one of the combs. I'd go up to a slightly bigger, sturdier comb with a minimum of two rows of tines if you are planning on doing any more than a one-time play. 

I liked my 5-row English combs from the Woolery in Kentucky and also my set of St. Blaise 2-row combs from Vermont. 

Enjoy! Combed prep is a joy to spin.


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## Knitted by Nan (Aug 3, 2013)

IndigoSpinner said:


> Check out the different kinds of combs before you buy.
> 
> The combs shown in the photo are mini combs, or close to that size. I have Viking combs, and they're big compared to the ones shown in the photos.


My combs are small but not mini combs, they would be two to three times bigger than the combs in the photos. They are only two rows but not as big as some Viking combs I have seen. We are at a loss in Oz and especially in West Oz as we do not have a manufacturer here locally. We have to import them from either the USA or UK. No way to try before you buy. One local fibre supplier does have mini combs manufactured by a well known spinning supply manufacturer but they are very light, too light in fact.


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## Teardrop (Oct 23, 2011)

I use my Viking combs to prepare my Alpaca fiber before washing it. I don't use both though, I hold the comb in one hand and a hank of fiber in the other and comb the fiber being careful not to prick my fingers. This gets rid of a lot of chafe from the fiber and puts it in line so that when I wash it in my pond baskets it is a lot more managible and easier to run through the drum carder. also I have a couple of Cormo sheep and after I have washed it, I just open up the ends of the fiber with the comb, again only using one comb, and then spin. I find if I card the Cormo it pills and is not as easy to spin.


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

Yes I saw this ad and the combs (kit) was more then if I bought the combs by themselves. I am going to get some in the new year.


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## RobynMay (May 14, 2012)

I would love a set but they are so expensive. I am keeping my eyes out for a second hand set now.


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## dtjacobson (Mar 25, 2012)

Mini-combs are useful for sampling, but you really need a set of English combs if you're going to comb a lot (pounds, rather than a few locks) of fiber.

I can't look at the "kit" F+W/Interweave is flogging (I'm getting a 502 Bad Gateway error), but if you're interested in a set of mini-combs, you might want to contact the maker of these combs directly. 99% of the companies in the fiber arts community are very small businesses, and buying directly means more $$$ is going into the pocket of the maker.


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

Take care with the used ones. I looked on eBay and they were VERY used and still asking a high price. Yes direct to the maker of if you have any local spinning/weaving guilds they may have a source for them that is much cheaper. I have seen a youtube video on the English wool combs. They scare me half to death. What a weapon.


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## dtjacobson (Mar 25, 2012)

They're intimidating, until you learn how to use them properly. Then, they become your best fiber prep friends. Fortunately, there's a good DVD--"Combing Fiber" by Robin Russo--that can get one started without taking a workshop with an experienced comber.

A new set of Indigo Hound (IH) English combs, runs $105-145, plus shipping. You can spend a lot more (IIRC, my Peter Teals were about $450), but the IH combs are serviceable and durable--I've had a set since 1997, and have combed pounds of fiber with them.


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks for that information. The mini combs I was looking at ran $130 with no shipping.


dtjacobson said:


> They're intimidating, until you learn how to use them properly. Then, they become your best fiber prep friends. Fortunately, there's a good DVD--"Combing Fiber" by Robin Russo--that can get one started without taking a workshop with an experienced comber.
> 
> A new set of Indigo Hound (IH) English combs, runs $105-145, plus shipping. You can spend a lot more (IIRC, my Peter Teals were about $450), but the IH combs are serviceable and durable--I've had a set since 1997, and have combed pounds of fiber with them.


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