The Spinner's Blending Board Bible: From Woolen to (Nearly!) Worsted and Everything in Between

by Deborah Held

Overview

Take advantage of the full potential of your blending board with The Spinner’s Blending Board Bible, where expert Deborah Held reveals innovative techniques for transforming your fiber preparation into a creative adventure!

As more and more spinners delve into fiber preparation for intentional spinning, the blending board has become more popular than ever before. It’s space efficient, lightweight, and far less costly than investing in expensive blending tools and machinery (Held even includes instructions for making your own budget-friendly DIY board). While most spinners know that the blending board makes lovely rolags, few are aware of the many other ways it can be used in one’s fiber preparation practices.

In The Spinner’s Blending Board Bible, lauded spinning teacher and writer Deborah Held explains the many ways to use a blending board to its fullest capacity. Step by step, she reveals secrets for maximizing the board’s carding and blending properties, providing an as-yet untapped level of know-how for putting the blending board to use in color management, combining fibers and mix-ins, and for creating specific yarn structures in spinning along the woolen and worsted continuum. Beginners and advanced spinners alike will find plenty to learn from her beautiful and instructive photos of fiber, detailed explanations of techniques, and numerous blending “recipes.”

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811773676
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Deborah Held is a freelance writer and international fiber arts educator. She’s a recurring contributor to Spin Off magazine and its blog, PLY Magazine, and the SweetGeorgia blog. She teaches courses online for the School of SweetGeorgia, as well as in person throughout the U.S. and abroad. Debbie lives on an urban farm in Atlanta, Georgia, with a Persian cat named Stanley. Both Debbie and Stanley enjoy watching the spinner’s flock of Shetland sheep roaming outside their windows. Write to them (all) at http://debbieheld.com.

 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword (I will ask one or two friends who are extremely well known in the industry and who have published their own books to write my foreword.)

Introduction

1. Why the blending board is my go-to, “desert island” tool for fiber processing

1. Cost
2. Space
3. Ergonomics
4. Nearly limitless uses, including

1. Rolags (smooth or textured)
2. Roving (pulled or dizzed)
3. Batts
4. More (thoughtful placement of color and texture, such as tweed)

1. The board’s impact on final yarn in terms of color, scalability, and structure
2. Adding a few inexpensive items you likely have at home opens a whole new world of possibilities
3. Reading this book will change the way you see and use your blending board

Chapter I: Your blending board: the all-in-one fiber processing tool

1. Comparison, including photos, of fiber processing tools: drum carder, hand combs, hand cards
   1. Drum carder [photos of a couple of models]
      1. Best suited for: Blending fibers (textures and colors) well; aeration and loft, great for batts; good for rolags; color play, repeatable results
      2. Cons: expensive (anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars); large footprint; requires mostly minor but ongoing maintenance; unless you have the most costly electric drum carder(s), ongoing use can lead to wear and tear on your spine/neck and shoulder; your blending is limited by the teeth per inch of the cloth on your drum [Graphic: illustration of teeth per inch]
   2. Hand combs and hackle [photos and examples]
      1. Portable; mobile; small footprint
      2. Can blend color and fibers, even repeatables, but only with smooth ingredients
      3. Removes second cuts and smaller pieces of the locks/fiber, then aligns the fiber strands
      4. The results are always smooth/worsted, especially when combined with a diz. Combed and dizzed top is the baseline preparation for a true worsted spin
      5. High-quality combs are costly, and you may require more than one set for the fibers you like to spin
      6. Combing fiber is time consuming
      7. The repetitive movements can put strain on your joints
   3. Hand cards [photos and examples]
      1. Closest to the blending board, IMO, but much smaller. Low footprint, portable, and affordable, and may be used in many ways.
      2. Good for true woolen preparation (the only true woolen prep is a hand-carded rolag), and even for mimicking a combed preparation when the lock of fiber is flick-carded into alignment
      3. You could also card the fiber into alignment and then roll it sideways (cigar style) off the card, or diz a roving off of your hand card.
      4. Good for color blending and for combining textures and fibers
      5. Good for carding almost any fiber—cellulose or wool
      6. You could make punis, puni-style rolags, and actual rolags (each yields a very different result)
      7. The small surface size means that the process can be time consuming, especially if you are working on a garment’s worth of fiber or other large spin
2. Blending board [with photos]
   1. Affordable, portable, and easily stored in small spaces. Can be moved from area to area within your home with ease. With the adjustable keel attachment, you can adjust the board to the most comfortable angle and even from your most comfortable standing to sitting angle within seconds. The flat surface makes for easier scalable loading, for those who’d like to spin a good amount of fiber that works well together
   2. Excellent for releasing (and discovering) creativity
   3. Holds and blends as much as an average (7–8” wide drum) drum carder
   4. The flat surface allows for intentional placement and loading of fibers and decorative elements
   5. Easy on the body
   6. The alignment of the teeth means that you can replicate a worsted result easily, but you could also card a true roving. With the extra knowledge gained in this book, you can card fiber through the entire spectrum of woolen to worsted prep
   7. Good for fiber play and experimentation, especially since you don’t have to load and entire board’s worth of fiber if you don’t want to
   8. Can replicate any preparation or blend as a drum carder, including gradients, placement of color/texture for a variegated result, true color blending, and more
   9. While different TPI (teeth per inch) are available and are part of selecting the board that’s right for you (see Chapter II), the hidden blending power lies within the accessories you use with it. One board can help you do it all
   10. Accessories and additional tools are affordable and often found lying around the house
   11. Turns fiber prep into fiber play
   12. Most people just don’t realize all the blending board can do, especially since spinners tend to focus more on combs and carders, and which of those they should get first
3. How to choose the blending board that’s right for you
   1. TPI of cloth
   2. Directionality of the teeth/how this differs from drum carder cloth
   3. Size of the carding cloth
   4. Does it have a keel?
   5. Price
4. How to DIY your own board (see appendix A for supplies list, schematic and full directions)
5. List and photos of board makers used in this book (will be using course 48 TPI, standard 72 TPI, 90 and 120 TPI and comparing results)

Chapter 2: Industry secrets for unlocking the hidden powers of your blending board

1. Brushes

1. An assortment of brushes picked up around the house, at dollar stores, grocery stores, etc. and how these bristle types make all the difference in the blending/carding of the fibers
2. Vs. the brush(es) that typically arrive with your purchase

1. Loading

1. Order of your fibers and mix-ins
2. Importance of building up the overhang
3. Best staple lengths
4. How much can it hold (and why you shouldn’t overload the board)?

1. Dowels

1. Size of typical dowel
2. Size you should go have cut and the difference this makes
3. Sanding your dowels for best results

1. Diz

1. Styles and materials
2. Sizes to collect
3. DIY and other options

Chapter 3: Carded rollups: rolags and batts

These preparations are excellent ways to become comfortable with your blending board

1. Supplies needed:

1. Wool
2. Silk, Tencel, bamboo or other shinies
3. Angelina and/or sparkle (optional)
4. Scissors or snips
5. Bits of fluffy handspun or yarn
6. Random wool locks

1. Smooth
2. Textured
3. How-to

1. Gradient
2. Variegated
3. Random

1. Rolling off a batt
2. Make it a double (batt)

Chapter 4: Roving vs. top

1. What is roving?
2. How to create it

1. Easy way (from a rolag)
2. From a roLOG
3. From a batt
4. Dizzing a roving

1. How top differs from roving
2. Replicate a combed top using the blending board

Chapter 5: Totally tweed and other texture

Texture can be subtle or bold, and anywhere in-between

1. Supplies needed:

1. Wool
2. Silk noil
3. Angelina and/or sparkle (optional)
4. Silk threads
5. Assortment of locks
6. Scissors or snips

2. What is tweed?

a. Example #1

b. Example #2

c. Example #3

3. Freeform textures for spinning

a. Example #1

b. Example #2

c. Example #3

Chapter 6: Color play

1. Create a fractal-style spin (3 different ways)

2. Repeating stripes

3. Variegated yarn

4. Color blending

Chapter 7: Scalable blending for large, multi-board projects

Chapter 8: Going off board

Other uses you may never have considered

1. Flick carding locks

2. How to make a carded cloud

3. Batty bumps

Chapter 9: Blended recipes and patterns (4 or 5 total)

Ultimate sock yarn with pattern (top down)

Cabled, tweed vest with pattern

Wacky, woven scarf recipe

Gradient shawl pattern

Textured singles yarn with hat pattern

Appendices

DIY blending board (supplies needed, schematic, instructions)

Comparison chart of all brands of blending boards used in this book (makers to include Ashford, Louet, Daisy, Majacraft, and possibly Clemes and Clemes)

Resources (a list of makers for all items, including fibers, used in this book)

What People are Saying About This

Jillian Moreno

“How many ways can you use a blending board? If you are just making rolags, you are missing out on an adventure! In this exciting book, Debbie Held gives you the keys to use your blending board for a variety of preparations and loads of ways to play with color. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for the process show you that if you have a blending board, you have the ability to create unique blends and colorways at your fingertips.” —JILLIAN MORENO, author of Yarnitecture: A Knitter’s Guide to Spinning—Building Exactly the Yarn You Want

Editorial Reviews

Debbie’s book is a delight, because in these pages she shares her deep love of fibre preparation with a humble, accessible, and unassuming tool—a blending board. I love how Debbie demonstrates how a simple DIY blending board can provide just as much blending capability as a more expensive piece of fibre prep equipment.

With a blending board, Debbie shows us an incredible number of ways to play with different colours, textures, and fibres to create everything from rolags to punis to batts, and so much more.

As I read through Debbie’s instructions, I got that creative itch to grab my blending board, pull out my spinning fibre stash, and just play. The photographs will spark inspiration and your imagination. You’ll soon discover that with blending boards, the possibilities are endless. Whether you love spinning woolen yarns from rolags or smooth worsted yarns from near perfectly aligned top, the blending board can create all these fibre preparations. Debbie shows us that one tool can rule them all!

Felicia Lo

How many ways can you use a blending board? If you are just making rolags, you are missing out on an adventure! In this exciting book, Debbie Held gives you the keys to use your blending board for a variety of preparations and loads of ways to play with color. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for the process show you that if you have a blending board, you have the ability to create unique blends and colorways at your fingertips.” —JILLIAN MORENO, author of Yarnitecture: A Knitter’s Guide to Spinning—Building Exactly the Yarn You Want

Encompassing both Debbie’s artistic creativity and logical, reasoned, technical information, this book fills a niche sorely lacking in the world of fiber arts. Prior to reading this book, I had never given the blending board much credit as a preparation tool, but since then I have been converted. The sheer versatility demonstrated is staggering both for initial preparation and blending. Almost no stone is left unturned as Debbie discusses various techniques ranging from fiber blending, add-ins, fleece preparation and more. I feel that this book would be an asset on the bookshelf of any fiber artist, whether they be experienced or beginner. It has certainly made me want to grab my blending board and start experimenting, and I have no doubt it will do the same to you! —James Perry aka LongDrawJames

“Whether you love spinning woolen yarns from rolags or smooth, worsted yarns from near perfectly aligned top, the blending board can create all these fiber preparations. Debbie shows us that one tool can rule them all!” —FELICIA LO, founder and creative director, SweetGeorgia Yarns

From the Publisher

Encompassing both Debbie’s artistic creativity and logical, reasoned, technical information, this book fills a niche sorely lacking in the world of fiber arts. Prior to reading this book, I had never given the blending board much credit as a preparation tool, but since then I have been converted. The sheer versatility demonstrated is staggering both for initial preparation and blending. Almost no stone is left unturned as Debbie discusses various techniques ranging from fiber blending, add-ins, fleece preparation and more. I feel that this book would be an asset on the bookshelf of any fiber artist, whether they be experienced or beginner. It has certainly made me want to grab my blending board and start experimenting, and I have no doubt it will do the same to you!

James Perry aka LongDrawJames