Dressing my distaff with dizzed sliver or carded roving has been an evolution. In the beginning I placed the lengths of dizzed sliver/roving in a bowl (see above).
As my lengths of dizzed fibre became longer, I needed to figure out a better system. This is when I turned to the distaff I use when spinning line flax.
My first few attempts were pretty sloppy and the top layers of fibre kept bedding into the bottom layers. Now however, I think my system is working pretty well and I can load the distaff with 50 grams of dizzed fibre at a time. Below are some pointers. I am right handed. If you are left handed you may need to adjust accordingly.
- holding the distaff in my right hand, I anchor the roving to the finial at the top of the distaff
- holding the sliver/carded roving in my left hand about 18 inches downstream from the finial, I rotate the distaff either clockwise or counterclockwise
- rotating the distaff clockwise adds S-twist to the sliver/carded roving
- rotating the distaff counterclockwise adds Z-twist to the sliver/carded roving
- once I have added a bit of twist, I roll the length of fibre onto the distaff, move my left hand downstream another 18 inches, and repeat
- you are aiming to add just enough twist to keep the layers of sliver/carded roving separated
- I usually add twist to the fibre prep in the direction opposite to how I will be spinning the singles. This is because it can be difficult to draft fibre that is twisted in the same direction I wish to spin. If however I am working with a very slick, silky fibre that just wants to waft apart, it sometimes helps the fibre prep to be a bit more cohesive if I add twist to the sliver/roving in the same direction as I plan to spin.
Enjoy and all the best in the new year!