Rovings are produced during the process of making spun yarn from wool fleece, raw cotton, or other fibres.
Their main use is as fibre prepared for spinning, but they may also be used for specialised kinds of knitting or other textile arts.
These are drawn out, by hand or machine, and slightly twisted to form lengths suitable for thread spinning.
The fibres in combed top tend to be of a fairly uniform length due to the method of preparation.
Knitters also use pencil roving, similar to Lopi style yarns, or when making a thrummed item.