Ready to card
Dyed wool is dry and ready to card.  Carding will mix the colors together, and the number of passes through the process can control the extent that the colors mix.

Hand Carders
Hand carders are the traditional method of carding wool.  They come in various sizes.

Hand Carding
The paddles are identical.  A small amount of wool is placed between them (not shown) and then the wool is combed between the paddles with the paddles held opposite to each other (handles in opposite directions). Pulling the paddles against each other takes some strength. Hand carding can tire you out!

Drum Carder
To speed up the process, a drum carder can be used.  It still takes a strong arm to turn the crank, but the overall process is much quicker.

Comparison
The width of the hand carder is compared to a typical drum.

Feed wool into carder
The wool is feed slowly into the carder.  Care must be taken to keep your fingers away from the rollers which can do serious damage.

Wool on drum
The wool is straightened and blended. Depending on the desired outcome, several passes through the carder might be necessary.

Removing the wool
When the carding is done, a special tool is used to pull the wool off the carder.  Fiber that does not come off easily is removed with a small paddle designed to pick up the lost fibers.
The wool is ready to be spun.