Punis

I also found that the punis held up better over time (they stayed more compact and did not fluff up as much) when I sent them in the mail to customers and in bringing them to and from fiber shows. So I decided to sell my blending board and take on punis instead. I spent time practicing carding and rolling up punis, and once I got the hang of it started offering them in my online shop. While it does take longer to make punis I feel that the end result and spinning experience is worth the time put into them!

punis

Punis originally references a fiber prep for cotton. Cotton has an extremely tiny staple length and so carding it up and rolling it up tightly on a stick created an easier way to spin and work with the fiber. Now the fiber community is also referring to other fibers as punis when they are prepped in the same way. Basically your fibers are carded and blended using hand cards and then carefully rolled up tightly on a stick or knitting needle to create compact, easy to manage little bundles of fiber for spinning!

Blending board rolags are made in a similar fashion but they are not as tightly rolled, dense, and compact as punis. Still fun to spin they are a little larger, fluffier and not quite as easy to hold while spinning, especially when using a spindle. Making Rolags on a blending board is similar to punis in that the fibers are wrapped around dowels but you can see below the difference in size and compactness of a puni and a blending board rolag. My hand is in the photo below as reference, you can imagine the difference in holding these two differently prepared fibers while spinning.

As a spinner who naturally finds it easier to spin a worsted yarn I appreciate spinning from punis because it allows me to have a more woolen type of finished yarn. Punis are a woolen form of fiber prep which is perfect if you are looking for a loftier, more airy, warmer yarn. So they are perfect for long draw spinning on a wheel or spindle. Long draw spinning is enjoyable to many (if you are brave enough to let go of a little control) ;) because it is a faster way to spin and gives you more yardage and a lighter weight yarn. Also as mentioned before the size of punis makes them easier to hold when using a hand spindle as opposed to a wheel. This also makes them a perfect fiber prep to bring while traveling as they are compact in pre-portioned amounts if you spin in the car or out and about in public. So no more need for separating and drafting roving and keeping it in a big bag! And did I mention how cute they look and how fun they are to spin?!?!

I find that depending on what kinds of fiber I use and how much fiber I put on my hand cards I will get varying sizes in punis. I am still working to fine tune my puni rolling skills as it takes practice but I hope this little bit of sharing today has helped you learn a little bit more about punis and hopefully makes you feel less intimidated to give them a spin! Feel free to comment below or message me if anything is unclear or you have more questions or more knowledge to share with me as I am not an expert myself!

Remove only one of the dowels (Figure 5). Using the palms of your hands, roll the fibers on a flat surface in the same direction they were wound onto the rods (Figure 6). Continue to roll until the fibers are tightly wrapped around the rod. Slide the fibers off the rod, and the first of many punis to come is complete (Figures 7 & 8).

Using handcards to create sweet little punis is as easy as using dowel rods. Lightly load one of the cards with the top by brushing the fibers across the teeth by hand (Figure 9). This is an excellent time to include a smidgen of Angelina, bamboo, silk, or other add-ins if desired. Loading several colors on the carding cloth at one time will allow for ombré blending effects and richer colors. As with the dowel rod technique, do not cram too much fiber onto the card at one time.

Hold the cards as in the last step. This time, in two passes, brush a portion of the fiber sticking out from the edge of the loaded card onto the empty card (Figure 11). Pinch the ends of the fiber transferred to the second card with the dowel rods and pull it from the teeth (Figure 12). Complete the puni with the rolling technique. Repeat until the fiber from the loaded carder has been completely used and you have a neat little pile of punis.

Step 1. Load the handcards with a thin layer of cotton. Keep the layer about 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick. If you're in doubt, take some off. Too much cotton will make fat punis that don't spin well. I am blending three colors in this batch of punis but you can of course use as many or as few colors as you'd like.

Step 5. Remove the puni. Gently ease the needle out of the puni and voila! A little tube of cotton. If you rolled the puni too firmly in the last step, the needle will be difficult to remove. Do the best you can and be a little gentler on your next one!Step 6: Storing the punis. I like to store punis in a plastic container. These little tubes of cotton are rigid enough to stand up on their own. (I also think it's kind of cool to see all the hollow centers of the punis lined up in a rather abstract design...)

[Note, October 2008 Since I wrote this tutorial six years ago, there's been a lot more information about cotton spinning and preparation published on the web, including small videos available on YouTube. In all these sources, the basic principles of preparation are the same. But each spinner has their own style and preferences about the finished product. I prefer small, light punis because they draft effortlessly into near-perfect thread. They're the closest thing to joy I've ever found when spinning. However, many people make larger, dense punis because they are easy to store and don't take as much time to prepare. By all means, experiment and find the preparation that suits you the best.]

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