What To Do With Combing Waste?

Sometimes it’s worth squeezing every bit of clean fiber out of a fleece and this is how I do it : )
Your only options are not to card it into rolags to spin ‘rustic’ yarn (unless of course that’s what you really want), felt it or discard it. With some more time put in, you can get much more clean, beautiful fiber out of it!
Thanks for watching and please share yours thoughts and questions in the comments.
- Kimberly
To purchase Valkyrie combs: valkyrietools.com
Strauch Hand Cards: strauchfiber.com
Jenkins Spindles available here: yarntools.com
My website: thenaturalspinner.com
To contact me directly, please send email to: [e-mail]
Find me on Ravelry: TheNaturalSpinner
If you’d like to see things I’ve made to sell, check out my Etsy Shop:
www.etsy.com/shop/TheNaturalS...
For some older blog posts: kimberlysheirloomcrafts.blogsp...
If you would like ‘in person’ help, I’d be happy to Facetime/Zoom/Skype with you, just email to set up a time.
Periodically I offer classes on fleece selection, combing and spinning. Check my website for the current list of offerings. If you, your guild, or someone you know is interested in having me come and teach, please send me an email.
-Kimberly ☺

[@kellieh4807]

I loved your last comment about the time you put in to get that fiber out. If working with fiber brings you joy, then this is just more joy to be had. What a great outlook on a beautiful craft.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Well said! Thank you!! - Kimberly

[@spinningdownunder]

Thank you for making this video. This is pretty much what I do with a good fleece as I hate waste. I do it at night, thats what evening tv is for! Its surprising how much you can get done just watching the news, and its when I get my drop spindles out too. 🥰 Its a very productive part of the day and I am always surprised at how much I have done!

[@thenaturalspinner]

It's definitely worth the time if you have a really nice fleece!

[@dianaroche1114]

I'm so happy you've put this podcast up, even if it was made a year ago. I've watched your scouring, combing and skirting video's over and over. Please share more! Just listening to your calm voice and sharing your knowledge is of great value to me. I've had angora goats and angora rabbits. Recently I spun paco vicuna and thought of watching you prepare vicuna to spin. I find what you do fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing with us!

[@thenaturalspinner]

Diana, Your words are so kind! Thank you so much. I enjoy sharing what I know, in hopes that it will help those who have interest in these processes with wool. How did you like the Paco-Vicuna? Thank you for posting. - Kimberly

[@dianaroche1114]

@@thenaturalspinner Hi, I really enjoyed spinning the Paco-Vicuna, nothing like your Vicuna I'm sure! I tried combing it but a very gentle hand carding into rolags worked really well. I spun a 2 ply almost sock weight yarn. Of course it was woolen spun, a long draw, so nice and airy. I look forward to your videos and learn so much. Thank you!!!

[@simonamaloney5258]

Thank you for the video, I gained 592 yards of a 2 ply yarn! Please keep posting, I personally need all the help I can get with my spinning.

[@thenaturalspinner]

That's awesome!

[@tinaa4522]

I want to thank you for taking the time to make these videos. They are extremely helpful and so very appreciated. It is also a pleasure to watch them. It shows in your videos how much you truly enjoy taking time to create beautiful yarn. Anything you can post would be wonderful! Thank you. Hope all is well.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Thank You for your lovely words! I'm getting back into video making mode soon!

[@ellenkoolen9216]

Thank you for putting this Fibre Waste video together! It was not only very instructional, but a great visual demonstration on how much nicely usable fibre can be extracted from the fibres left behind from the principle combing process. Yes, it's fibre joy! Appreciatively, Ellen

[@thenaturalspinner]

I like your choice of words, I've never been great at choosing the best words to describe things. I may use the term extract, as it is such a fitting word! Thank you! ~ Kimberly

[@tameralynmc]

I really appreciate your video. As I've been sheering my sheep differently because of my back. I have been looking at each part of the fleece as it comes off and I've wondered how to utilize every bit of wool I can. You've showed me how to do it. Thank you so very much!

[@melaniehellum1281]

I like your video. I to am a person who doesn't like tossing out usable fiber . I experimented with a extremely dirty bit of fleece . This fleece had good length of fiber at the neck but it was absolutely full of hay and chaff. I broke it apart each lock and brushed it with just a simple slicker dog brush .. the kind that looks like a carder. The long locks looked clean and lovely. I had a tub of gross garbage so I spun it chaff and all and knit a dog bed .. put it in the wash and then the dryer . It felted into a very good dog blanket. This could work for a rug as well. I am not fearful of a little veg now

[@roaddoggman]

Thanks for the spectacular lesson. I was wondering what to do with combing waste.

[@thenaturalspinner]

You're welcome!

[@myownlittlehouse471]

Fiber Joy :) It's good to visit your channel again. I save the bit of fiber "trash" I get and use it when making pillows or stuffed animals (little ones) or for other projects. But YES - it's so worth it to recomb and get all you can from it!

[@thenaturalspinner]

There is always some 'gold' hiding inside the 'waste' ; ~)

[@jamiehabeck3761]

Thank you for this video! My first alpaca fleece came in the mail yesterday and this will be such a helpful guide in how to use it to my best ability

[@thenaturalspinner]

Sounds wonderful! I hope you have fun with it!

[@hollynoscar3534]

so happy to see a new vid from you! love your tips and techniques you so graciously explain. i too squeeze every little bit out of my fleeces... it's all gold to me!!! xo

[@thenaturalspinner]

Thank You for your kind words! :~)

[@Strevale]

I love how different the colors are in the piles.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Yes! It is a beautiful range of colors.

[@crowznest438]

Subscribed...I am greatly in favor of not wasting any of the fiber off of combs. Love your technique..jenny

[@SeareanMoon]

I love working with fleece too, I dont mind the "tedious" either, I enjoy the fleece too.

[@thenaturalspinner]

As an afterthought, I wished I hadn't used the word 'tedious' as it's more of a negative word...when doing this extra work is really a pleasure! Any excuse to spend more time with fiber in your hands! : ) Thanks for your comment. - Kimberly

[@1aliveandwell]

I was dreading what to do w some very dusty alpaca, washed it then, tried carding then used old hair son had. That worked ! Using old carder or dog comb then hair pic, outside. Was at a handweavers guild meeting and they had a bag of wool that know one wanted to worked with (was soft and nice crimp ) as so dirty. I tried, then left as mulch under the lemon tree but after winds and rains, it showed back up near patio, Much cleaner and barely felted . Thank you for your inspiring ideas and showing.

[@thenaturalspinner]

You are so welcome! Thank You for posting your comment! I hope you are successful cleaning up the fiber.

[@friendship6668]

Fiber joy! Yay! Thank you! Sooo very informative

[@thenaturalspinner]

You're so welcome and Thank YOU!

[@ADHUK]

Oh I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one who will recomb and then card to get every scrap of useable fibre! I usually go with finer and finer combs, hadn't thought about using the carders that way - thanks for the tip!

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hello Amanda, It's surprising how many fiber folks stop at combing it just once when there is so much more good fiber in there! I wish I could remember how I came about the cloud making. I am sure I didn't invent it, I must have seen it somewhere. I love how it works, down to the shortest of the short fibers, perfect for rolags and woolen spinning : ) I sought out a set of Peter Teal English combs after watching your combing videos! Thank you for that! And thank you for posting your comment. - Kimberly

[@Ahlathein]

Wow Kim, this is awesome! I recently purchased your blue mountain handcombs. Love em! And i see some interesting combs there! Full size superfines! Walnut small superfines!? Seeing this makes me wish i hadn’t just sold off my superfines, but i will try it with extra fines. Thank you. Its great to see a new video from ya!

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hi Alison! Good eye...I hadn't noticed the unidentified combs in the background. There's still only one size of Superfines. The combs you noticed are a prototype. The wood is Cherry and they are somewhere between the Supers and Extrafines. Can't say much more than that. I'm going to do my best to upload more often. So many things to share!! - Kimberly

[@Ahlathein]

TheNaturalSpinner how exciting! I’m happy to hear you will be sharing more videos!

[@jenoakborn]

Thanks for this amazing video! I have a huge bag of waste that I was wondering what the heck to do with! I am working my way thru my waste bag and adding in some very short staple stuff I bought (knowingly). I am using my much finer homemade combs (used onion slicers) and getting amazing yield. I know have burgeoning bags of 2nd combings and am even blending with some lovely mohair locks. This is so WONDERFUL! I plan to hit the "2nds" with the hand cards next!!

[@deejcarter2003]

Wow, this was impressive 😍 I’ll be trying this on a beautiful Lincoln fleece I have.

[@thenaturalspinner]

I don't know anyone who does this with their waste (of course I don't know everyone though, LOL) probably because it's so time consuming, but...it can be well worth it... I thought it was worth showing in case it helps anyone else. Good luck with the Lincoln! -Kimberly

[@maribethclark2798]

Thank you, as a newbie I was astounded how much waste, best 💡

[@thenaturalspinner]

I know I use the word waste, but it’s really untapped potential! Working with the leftover from combing isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly ok, but if you are like me and want to get the most out of any fleece, the steps I show can really increase the useable percentage of fiber in a fleece. Happy spinning :)

[@bigturtle57]

Great suggestions for saving some beautiful fibers - I hate to waste it too.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Thank You! For a little more work you can get quite a bit more.

[@eatoffthegoodchina155]

Thank you! I love your teachings.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Thank you, glad you enjoy it : ) - Kimberly

[@conniedaniels6855]

Thanks for the awesome tips! I’ve never thought about combing the waste again. I have used the method with the hand cards on some really dirty fiber that I didn’t want to throw away.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hi Connie, Simple actions with great results! : ) - Kimberly

[@crosbyethan2761]

Instablaster.

[@beverleylawton6899]

Thank you for such an informative video. I was only thinking this afternoon about the bucket of ‘waste’ from combing that I binned🙈... I am a newbie spinner and fleece processor and am keen to learn - thank you 🙏

[@thenaturalspinner]

My pleasure to be of help! I hope you have much less binned fiber after seeing this : ) - Kimberly

[@christineborgatti3760]

OK, I just went ahead and grabbed out some pretty nice waste. I miss stalking you at Sheep and Wool. Really good seeing this video.

[@thenaturalspinner]

I missed MD Sheep & Wool soooo much!! Not just all of the beautiful fleeces I missed getting my hands on, but seeing friends, many who I only get to see there. Good to hear from you Chris! - Kimberly

[@sherrilindstrom3064]

In some fleeces the last combed fiber is very fine and soft. It is almost like down. You can add it to other wool for color or a tweed effect

[@thenaturalspinner]

Great idea!

[@annettemixon1264]

I love that! Thank you 🙏

[@thenaturalspinner]

You're welcome! - Kimberly

[@elenap9069]

this is great! I am going to try this with some qiviut "waste" I was given.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Qiviut is very expensive, so every 'drop' you can get out is like gold! Good luck! -Kimberly

[@4vrceltic]

So happy your back! 🙂 Could you use that last bit of fibre you were going to throw in the compost in a dogs pillow or bed? 🤔

[@thenaturalspinner]

You could use the leftover for stuffing, yes. As long as it doesn't contain a ton of stiff vm that would poke through. - Kimberly

[@lisacotter6227]

I wish you would make more videos!

[@thenaturalspinner]

Me too! LOL I'm working on it...thanks for the motivational comment! :)

[@jennywren2395]

Kimberly, I was so excited to see you again, I keep you on my list just incase you pop up. I am just beginning to comb a fleece so I will experiment with the waste to see what I get. It is a Polwarth grey and I have sorted it into lighter and darker. I absolutely love your prepping table set up behind you armchair, everyone should have one, I use my dining table but a permanent setup is perfect. Do you knit pure alpaca into garments and what precautions do you take to prevent stretching? Would you ever show us your finished and or knitted handspun? I have now signed up for your website updates. Thank you. Jenny(NZ)

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hi Jenny, I have only knit one thing with handspun alpaca (brown cria), a small shawl and it turned out beautiful.Thanks for the idea of showing what I've made from my handspun. That's a great idea! The whole stretching thing...not sure. I've not the experience personally. A tighter gauge to account for any future stretching?, but not really sure if that would be good or not. The arm chair is my spinning chair. The table was a lucky find at a previous job. I intend to post more blog posts on the website. I haven't been giving that the attention in should be getting. Polwarth is one of my absolute favorite fibers to work with! You should easily be able to get more out of the waste using either or both of the methods I show. Tossing it or using the waste like it is, full of neps and vm and whatever...doesn't appeal to me, so I love being able to make smooth, clean fiber out of the waste! I hope you find it worth it : ) Thanks for your message! - Kimberly

[@oakmaiden2133]

Wet felt it into pet mats or hot pads. Something utilitarian.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Yes, lots of options other than the trash bin.

[@deborahcherry1735]

I spin from the cloud,only use carders ,just do a small amount at a time.

[@destitute8493]

Respect the fleece.

[@twisteddyekitchenmyfiberjo4577]

So happy to hear your voice and learn more from you...thank you! I kept some of my "waste" and I will try the methods you discussed. I will weigh and see what I can come up with if for just curiosity. I am curious if you are on Instagram?

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hi Sheri, No instagram. I probably should, but I likely never will, just too time consuming. I hardly even look at Facebook. I mainly share via my YT vids and my website. Sometimes the time does pay off to further prep this 'waste' fiber. - Kimberly

[@twisteddyekitchenmyfiberjo4577]

@@thenaturalspinner So glad to know you have a website too! I will reach out to you through there if I need help, thanks again!

[@Crochetkingdoms]

Can you put the cloud on a blending board to make rolags that way? I don't have a drum Carder

[@thenaturalspinner]

Absolutely!

[@KawaiiPandasWorld]

Loved your video now the first fiber you got from the waste can that be used as still for doll hair? Also of you don't have all them multiple combs as you did how can you do this? And is it worth it to somone who don't spin?

[@thenaturalspinner]

I don't know much about doll hair. I think it could be used if you wanted the brushed look. Cat and dog slickers and flat combs are a cheap alternative for processing fiber. You would flick the ends for the longest fibers, then what you flicked (brushed) out could be turned into the cloud to get the most out of it. This is primarily a technique for spinners to get more fiber, but someone who felts could use the fibers for felting. Hope that answers your questions. -Kimberly

[@amandastern4327]

Wonderful video, thank you! Can I ask the maker of your heckle?

[@thenaturalspinner]

Glad you like the video! The combs and hackles I use are made by Valkyrie. Links should be below the videos, but a search should bring up some retailers. - Kimberly

[@christineborgatti3760]

I have been working much more with drop spindles, decided bottom whurl are my favorite and I now think I am going to pick Turkish spindles as my absolute favorite. Do you have a favorite way of winding on?

[@thenaturalspinner]

I just wind on the basic way of over 2 under 1, but then when it seems to get more rounded on the top, I reverse that and build up on the bottom. Seems to work ok. I know there are many ways of winding on. I haven't really tried any others yet. I'm not a huge spindle spinner, but do love the Turkish and the Jenkins are in a class of their own. I always dreaded spindle spinning until I tried a Turkish. It's so much fun to watch them spin! And their balance is very good. - Kimberly

[@karena2737]

Great video! Inspired to do more combing and spinning.

[@user-tf5pz8rz2m]

تحيه طيبه ممكن كيف احصل على هذه منتجات لغزل الصوف والتي تستعملها في صوف كامله ممكن مساعده

[@thenaturalspinner]

أنا آسف لأني لا أعرف من أين في بلدك قد بيعها. إذا كنت يدوية، يمكنك محاولة لجعل بعض الأدوات نفسك. (I used a translator app to try and answer you.)

[@cynthiasuniga9050]

I have been working on blending some silk with some corriedale cross fiber. Needless to say I have quite a bit of "waste" but most of it is short waste. I am thinking about putting this waste on my drum carder to blend them together. I don't think the wool is long enough to comb it out again. Any thoughts, or anything I should look out for? There wasn't much vm in this fleece.

[@thenaturalspinner]

Hi Cynthia, If you want to drum card it, give it a go. If you say there isn't much VM in it, you should get decent batts. Some VM will fall out during carding too. I would suggest teasing open the clumps of combing waste prior to feeding onto the drum carder. It might be worth a try to comb it again as it's possible to comb fiber down to 2-2.5", but that depends on the combs you are using. The Valkyrie Superfines are able to comb really short fibers. I have found that many times the waste fibers seem short, but when loaded on the comb and worked, it is possible to get more top. How short is the silk you blended it with? You may or may not get as much silk or wool out, it would just depend which is longer. Although, the way I diz, with a hard angle, I usually can get the longest and medium together. So many options with fiber prep! Thanks for your question. - Kimberly

[@cynthiasuniga9050]

@@thenaturalspinner The starting length was about three inches or less. Thus the waste looks to be much shorter. The silk started out being a bit longer (it is Tussah silk). I think I will try drum carding it. I may try combing a bit of it too. I just don't know at this time. :)

[@thenaturalspinner]

It never hurts to experiment different ways to find what will work best. It's all fun!! - Kimberly

[@sueoconnell3260]

So interesting! Can I ask what the TPI of your carders are please?

[@thenaturalspinner]

I'm pretty sure these are the 112 tpi Strauch regular wool carders.