Stalking the Elusive Drum Carder

I’d been dreaming of, and scoping out, drum carders for a while now.

The thing is, they are a little spendy.

I would get all excited about one, and then talk myself out of it, saying “Oh Denise, you don’t really NEED a drum carder. You have perfectly nice hand carders. Yes, it is slow going- turning washed fleece into perfect little rolags. But isn’t it relaxing? And surely it’s good for the arm muscles”

But in the next breath I said to myself “There have to be old, serviceable drum carders hiding away in people’s attics. I just have to wait for these people to clean out their attics and unload their drum carders on the web.”

So I kept a close eye on Craigslist.

Bellingham
Seattle
Portland
and further.
Much further.

And after a time, I thought that maybe the universe was telling me that I wasn’t supposed to have one.

And I was OK with that.

.

.

.

Then, out of nowhere, comes Clem.

Isn’t he handsome?

Here he is from the other side:

He still needs a drive belt. But I’ve got that ordered from Clemes and Clemes already.

For right now, he’s making do with a double thickness of jute twine.

And here is my first batt. East Friesian wool from Quiet Water Farm. Fluffy and beautiful.