Sunday, December 7, 2008

My new granddaugher born at 6:18 pm 7lbs 6 ozs











Saturday, December 6, 2008

Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum Carder Review

This is my brand spanking new Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carder! I ordered it from Ron's etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=68456 . I was at a loss to what drum carder I wanted to buy. I had considered a Strauch Petite, but was really not happy with a smaller drum width-6 1/2 ". Not to mention it was more expensive. I had heard good things about Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carders, so I looked Ron up on Etsy, and checked it out! Hmmmm, well for starters
the Kitten has a 8 1/2 inch wide drum. It also comes with the brush attachment. (The Strauch you have to pay extra for! ) The drums are adjustable...yes, I like that feature. So I emailed Ron to check out what his response would be, and he was ever so nice and very prompt. (Good to know in case I needed to get a hold of him!) So there you have it! I ordered my Kitten!

I was sooooo surprised! It got here in 3 days!!! And it was packaged up like a ming dynasty vase... that baby could have fell off a moving truck and still made it intact!!! I was soooo impressed with the workmanship! It's not a cheapo throw together home made object. It is professionally constructed with great attention to detail! My Kitten was a fine tuned machine and I was estastic!!! What a bargain!!! (Let's just say the money I saved bought a whole lot of fiber, OK?) Mr. Ron did a follow up after it arrived to make sure everything was ok, and to give me his number in case I should have questions! ( Whaaaat? He still is supportive after the sale???? These days and times, that is just about unheard of!)

Ok, now for the nitty gritty!

I had to give her a test run, so here we go! The first pic is my first pass with some yellow merino and some white wool roving I got from the sheepshedstudio.com . I took my roving and fluffed it up and added thin layers until I got this. The drum carder works like a dream and was very smooth. Note I do not have it clamped down....didn't need too. I had no problems at all, and went through the first carding with ease. Say....this is fun!

On the second pass, I added some red/purple roving and some gold angelina. Wow, the carder is doing a great job, huh?

This is after the 2nd pass, let's run her through just one more time! I want it a bit more blended, and with my new drum carder...that won't take but a minute!

Here is my first batt! In this photo, the angelina isn't showing up as well in this photo, but trust me...It is really sparkly throughout. I am pleased with the results of my Kitten and I give the Fancy Kitty Kitten a 10 out of 10! I'm please with the transaction, and the customer support. The product is exceptional, and I had it up and running in minutes. It is completely as advertised. Ron is a bit modest though....I was married to a wood worker once, and let me tell you...he didn't just throw this together. There's a wole lot of detail put into the Kitten. All edges are smoothed, joints are precise, the tray slides with ease, I could go on and on....Ron is a master craftsman. So if your in the market for a drum carder...this is it! You won't be disappointed at all!
You could pay a whole lot more...but why? I'd rather buy more wool...and I did! ( Some choice Angelina fiber from Loop on etsy too!)