Carded and Combed Spinning

Spinning begins with the sorting and washing of the fiber. After that, the fiber is opened and beaten to remove dust and impurities. Fine and long fibers are used for the production of worsted yarns and are transformed into a ribbon called sliver: the fibers are first parallelized and then wrapped around themselves. In this process, short fibers are eliminated, resulting in a strong and very fine yarn. Using machines equipped with combs, the long fibers are straightened and laid parallel to each other, forming a combed ribbon called top. Short fibers are used to create carded yarns; unlike worsted spinning, the fibers are crossed in every direction, transformed into a carded sliver, and then spun. The result is a bulky roving, less resistant and less fine (more ordinary) than worsted yarn. Carding removes residual impurities and creates a ribbon where the fibers intertwine. In industrial processes, these operations are carried out using specially designed machinery that prepares the fiber for combing and transforms it into tops (for worsted spinning) or carded sliver (for carded spinning). Twists are applied to the roving, transforming it into a strong, homogeneous, and continuous yarn. Afterward, plying is performed by twisting two or more threads together. The plied yarn consequently has greater strength. Finally, the yarn is coned, meaning it's wound onto cones to be subsequently processed according to its intended use. If the yarn is destined for knitting machine work, it will not undergo any further transformations before going into the machine. Subsequently, the product made by the knitting machines will undergo finishing, or more simply, washing. If, on the other hand, the yarn is destined for manual work, knitting or crocheting, it will undergo further processing to be placed on the market in hanks or balls, with some exceptions, such as ours, for example, where we sell our stock yarns directly on cones. The characteristics of the finished products made with these yarns will be light and fresh if obtained from worsted fibers, and full-bodied and warm if from carded fibers, with the exception of noble fibers like cashmere. florencecashmereyarn.com