| When making blends or combing tops on machinery the wools can sometimes get stuck, fall off, or "lap" themselves around the drums. These then have to be cleared and are put into a big bag, so making Laps. We also have lots of odds and ends from making up some of the special blends. At the start and end of a blend things are not always quite right, but still good quality fibres, so these also get added to the laps bin The wool itself is in perfect condition and suitable for using just like any other of our fibres. It is not a lower quality product.. It will be dyed fibres, single colours and rainbows, though there may be animal fibres like alpaca or mohair, it's purely the luck of the draw but we do try to ensure that there's a good mix. We do not include any synthetics.
*Is this waste fibre? Laps are often described as wastes, though the term doesn't really transfer well: When blending and carding hundreds of kilos of fibres, then the 2 foot of wool tops or end of run on the carder that didn't go through the machinery are waste. It's these bits that are put together to make up the laps, so to a home spinner or felter it's just like getting a mixed bag of wools. It is clean and safe to use just like any of our other fibre. |
