Pick A Carder, Any Carder...
Hand carders are considered an essential tool by most handspinners, we don’t always have the cards that work best for our own individual spinning. So how do we choose the right cards for our purposes?
First, let’s look at what a hand carder actually is. Every hand carder consists of a rectangular paddle with a handle. On one side of the paddle, there are rows of closely spaced little metal teeth. These teeth are spaced in rows across a leather or canvas pad, referred to as the cloth. The teeth are bent at a uniform point in their length, called the knee. Variations in the size and shape of the carder paddle, the spacing of teeth on the cloth, and the position of the knee are what sets carders apart from each other.
There is a range of sizes in the paddles themselves, though most hand cards on the market fall in the 25 cm (10 inch) range in width. Many spinners find anything wider than this paddle size unwieldy and difficult to control. Very often, spinners who use larger paddles find that they tire out more easily. As well, there is a tendency amongst spinners to spread the fibre out across the full width of their carders. With wider paddles, this can lead to less stable fibre preparation as there will be spots where the fibre is more thinly distributed.
The backs of carder paddles come in both flat and curved shapes. There are advantages to both styles, and the choice of which works best for you will depend upon the body mechanics of your carding. Curved-back carders are becoming increasingly popular, though. They are generally considered to be easier on the wrists, offering an easy rocking motion for the spinner. This motion also reduces the tendency to pull the cards back and forth across each other, reducing shoulder strain from the tugging motion.
The number of teeth on the cloth is the next big consideration. Cloth quality is measured in points per square inch, or ppsi. A carder with a 54 ppsi cloth is considered a coarse cloth and is best suited for carding coarser fibres, such as longwools, mohair, and flax. These carders are very durable and there tend to be a lot of older coarse carders available on the second-hand market, but they are not well-suited to many of the fibres preferred by modern spinners.
The most common cloth count on the market is 72 ppsi, which is a good all-purpose carder. This density of the teeth will still handle most coarser fibres, but is also well-suited to finer fibres such as merino and alpaca. These carders are also very well suited to blending fibres of different degrees of fineness and for novelty blends like heathers and noils. There is enough space between the teeth to allow the fibres to be well distributed, but not homogenously blended, unless the fibre is well worked.
Fine carders have cloth counts between 120 and 190 ppsi. These carders are best suited for fine fibres like merino or silk. The choice of cloth count in these carders becomes a personal preference, depending upon the fineness of the fibres being carded. Blending on these carders will result in a more homogenous blend with only a few passes, making them ideal for color blending or for blending fine fibres like alpaca and silk together. The downside to fine carders is that the fine, closely-spaced teeth are more prone to breaking and bending. If too much pressure is used in carding with fine cards, fibre tends to get pushed down into the teeth, resulting in tangling and breaking.
Cotton carders are carders with a fine cloth count of up to 224 ppsi, but the position of the knee is lower to the paddle. These carders may have shorter teeth to accommodate the lower knee, as well. The reason for the lower knee in these carders is so that the short, fine cotton linters do not get pushed down into the teeth and trapped. The fibres are, instead, worked across the upper part of the teeth and subjected to less pressure and breakage. These carders are well-suited for not only cotton, but any short, fine fibre, such as cashmere and bison.
In the end, the choice is yours. But it is well worth taking a moment to consider your carders, and make sure that you have the best ones for you and your fibres. Your wrists, and your yarn, will thank you.
by Michelle Boyd
