Carding Wool Ready for Spinning

Carding being demonstrated by a volunteer at Colne Valley Museum. The two wooden ‘paddles’ are fitted with rows of metal staples like teeth. The tangled wool is put between the paddles and one paddle is moved against the other, teasing out the knots. This process is repeated until all the tangles have been removed. This job would usually have been done by the young children of the family, who rarely, if ever would have gone to school.