Cotton
Cotton fiber spins up into a yarn that is perfect for warm weather knitting or crochet projects because it is fairly lightweight and breathes well. However, when working with cotton fiber, you’ll want to remember that it sags when wet and that if you use it for a heavier garment it can lose its shape very easily.
Cotton fiber for spinning comes in many forms – roving, pencil roving, and punis to name just a few. Pencil roving may be the easiest fiber preparation to work with because you’ll probably want to spin cotton very fine.
Current eBay auctions for cotton fiber are listed below – click a picture or description to get more information or to place a bid!
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Candlelight Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:28:05 PST Add to watch list |
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Brown Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:30:48 PST Add to watch list |
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Green Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:32:14 PST Add to watch list |
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Khaki Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:33:58 PST Add to watch list |
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RGW Red & Green Cotton Stripe Spinning Wheel Fiber US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:39:50 PST Add to watch list |
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RMW Red Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:41:59 PST Add to watch list |
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GMW Green Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:43:57 PST Add to watch list |
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BMW Brown Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:46:11 PST Add to watch list |
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Pima Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:54:40 PST Add to watch list |
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Lovely White Cotton Fiber to Spin 8 oz Free Shipping US $9.95 End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 13:44:29 PST Add to watch list |
You may also want to check the listings for cotton fiber at Paradise Fibers. They have a good selection of organic cotton fiber as well as conventionally grown cotton fiber and blends.
Cotton fiber can be a bit tricky to spin, especially for the beginning spinner, because the staple length of cotton is generally quite short. Cotton fiber has traditionally been spun with a charkha, but you can use a spinning wheel. You’ll just need to spin slowly and use minimal tension. Supported spindles such as takhlis also work well for spinning cotton.
Cotton is also a great fiber to work for hand dyers because it takes up dye really well.