So I have been using the Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum Carder for several months now, and I have to say, I absolutely love it. The handle is easy to crank and the drive band is solid, never slipping. It holds quite a bit of fiber, approximately an ounce and a half if I mush it down real well, and about an ounce not packed as tightly. For someone like me who likes to spin on the finer side, its the perfect amount for an evening of spinning.
I did go with the finer cloth on this one as well, simply because of my love for spinning lace weight. I have produced mostly smooth batts with the carder, but I did do one or two with some mohair locks plopped on the outside, and it was able to handle those just fine too. I did however put them on after the last pass, and sandwiched them between a bit of fiber as I did, making sure to push them down with my brush as well as I went.
I love how compact and portable the carder is, and fairly light weight too. I took it for a demonstration in a series I did with my knitting group, about how there is more to picking a yarn for knitting than just color and price. The group loved learning about how woolen vs. worsted, what fiber content and how number of plies effect the final knitted piece.
The only down side is now my husband says I already have a kitten, so I don't need to think about getting a live one.
All in all I say the Fancy Kitty was a great investment, and I am looking forward to years of use with it.
Brittany.
Labels: batts, Drum carder, fancy kitty, kitten, mohair, wool