Carding refers to the crucial step that opens and aligns fibers into a parallel structure, preparing them for woolen spun yarn manufacturing. This process helps to remove any remaining impurities and prepares the fiber for spinning. It also determines the weight and thickness of the yarn, which is computer-regulated for precision.

Carding settings can be adjusted for fine, coarse, or mixed-micron fibers to maintain quality and consistency across woolen and man-made inputs. The carded wool yarn is known as pencil roving, a uniform, airy fiber bundle ready for spinning high-performance textile yarns.

What is Pencil Roving?

What is Pencil Roving?

Pencil roving is a thin, soft, untwisted strand of fiber, about the thickness of a pencil — hence the name. Pencil roving is…

  • More refined than the wide carded batts used in felting
  • Not yet yarn because it hasn’t received a twist
  • Soft, airy, and uniform — ideal for spinning on woolen systems

To learn more about why pencil roving is important, hover over each topic below.

The Carding Process
The Carding Process - Step 1

Feeding the Blended Fiber

The fiber blend is fed into the carding machine, which has fine metal teeth on rotating rollers.

The Carding Process - Step 2

Opening and Straightening

The fibers are combed through rotating rollers, aligning them in a parallel fashion.

The Carding Process - Step 3

Impurity Removal

Any remaining debris or short fibers are removed.

The Carding Process - Step 4

Formation of Pencil Roving

The aligned fibers are formed into soft, continuous strands called pencil roving, which are then wound onto spools for the next step, which is Spinning.

Crescent Textile Solutions

Next Step:
Spinning