Description

Roving

A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber. Rovings are produced while spinning yarn from wool fleece, raw cotton, or other fibers. Their main use is fiber prepared for spinning, but they may also be used for specialized knitting or other textile arts.

After carding, the fibers lie roughly parallel in smooth bundles. These are drawn out by hand or machine and slightly twisted to form lengths suitable for spinning. These unspun strands of fiber are the rovings. Roving can also mean a roll of these strands, the strands in general (as a mass noun), or the process of creating them.

Because it is carded, the fibers are less parallel than the wool top (which is combed) and are not of uniform length. Carded rovings look fluffier than the combed top, which looks smooth and has a high luster. The fibers in the combed top tend to be of a reasonably uniform length due to the preparation method. However, drawing it into strips may line the fibers up a bit. Roving is not to be confused with sliver, as there is a twist in roving.