Hand-Pulled Rovings: What and Why.

The picture above shows my newest shop item-- hand pulled roving. (Aura, 1.8 ounces of alpaca, bamboo, silk noil mix.)

What is hand pulled roving?

Well, its fiber that has been blended by putting it though a hackle, which is like one big long comb. Once the fiber has been placed into the hackle, it is then carefully dizzed off, which is pulling the fibers through a small hole in a tool that is similar to a button.

So whats the difference between hand-pulled and commercial roving?

Hand-pulled roving requires almost no preparation (also known as drafting) before you spin it, so its almost effortless in comparison to commercial roving.

The big difference with commercially prepared roving is that the fibers get compacted and requires alot more drafting to give the fiber back some loft/fluffiness before you can spin it into yarn.
From my own personal experience with some of my hand pulled roving is that it feels like drafting butter in comparison to the commercially machine made version.
 
So, there you go! Here are some pictures of the other hand pulled rovings I have featured in my shop for your eyes to feast on. (Click the images to see them in my Etsy shop.)

Above Woodland (1.2 ounces of Merino, Buffalo, Bamboo, Silk Noil)
Below Interstellar Dust (1.2 ounces of Merino, Romney, Angelina)