This is where you, my select group of loyal readers, come in.
I have three choices, all coincidentally starting with the letter "B":
1. The bag.
- Good: Easy to package, easy to toss on a shelf, easy to keep the wool clean.
- Bad: Not so easy to see and feel the fiber. Plus there's the whole plastic-bag aspect (and as I am one who actually washes out plastic bags to use them again, I hate the thought of being responsible for sending scads of them out into the world.)
2. The ball.
- Good: Shows off the colors, allows for touching, fairly easy for me to put together, fairly easy to work with when you are ready to spin.
- Bad: Takes up a fair amount of room and may be harder to deal with when I am putting them out for display in the booth (I do have some of those cube thingies to contain them, though).
3. The braid.
- Good: Braids are All. The. Rage. right now and it seems that every indie dyer worth her salt is braiding her goods. More compact and easier to store and stack.
- Bad: My very least favorite, for several reasons: it is a pain in the patootie to make up; when I go to spin it is a pain in the patootie to undo; and I think it crushes the roving I am using, which is fairly light and airy.
I have put a poll thingie over on the right hand bar of the blog, and I will leave it up for three days. Please let me know what you think! Fiber addict or not, which one appeals most to you? showcases the roving the best? and most importantly, would cause you to have an irresistible urge to purchase vast quantities of dyed roving?
You don't need to answer that last one. But seriously, any and all votes and comments are much appreciated.
I'll be very interested to see the results, as I struggle with the very same issue. One thing to bear in mind - if your booth is going to be in a dusty place, you may want to protect your roving with the plastic bags.
ReplyDeleteI opted for braiding my roving - it looks nice, shows the colors well, and is easy to store. I though of using balls but had visions of them rolling all over the place at a show, plus they are really bulky to display.
I love how you braid your roving but I think I have the wrong kind -- it is fairly skinny, so I have to double and triple it back on itself for one "strand" of the braid, and then a hopeless tangle is just moments away. Or perhaps I am just doing it completely wrong, which is always a distince possibility.
ReplyDeleteHello...not what you may want to hear. The bag is nice and neat, the wool would be protected from the elements and has a professional look. However, any spinner, knitter, or artist NEEDS to feel the goods. SO...have a sample of the rovings on a ring (embroidery hoop) so that buyers will have the ability to "cop a feel", and you can keep your bins vermin free.
ReplyDeleteI never seem to be able to answer a multiple choice question, without needing another option.
Sibling of the Occasional Domestic and Livestock Overseer
Can you braid a few for display in your open baskets, then actually sell the ball in a recycled grocery bag??? Thus no new plastic... pretty to look at and feel... and all the work is just in your display models... Thanks for coming over and visiting my blog. Had to return the favor! If I ever get ambitious enough to build one of those wool rove saddle pads... I may be back to buy! ;-)
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