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!

candlelight-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving-top Candlelight Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:28:05 PST
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brown-organic-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving-top Brown Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:30:48 PST
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green-organic-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving Green Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:32:14 PST
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khaki-organic-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving Khaki Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:33:58 PST
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rgw-red-&-green-cotton-stripe-spinning-wheel-fiber RGW Red & Green Cotton Stripe Spinning Wheel Fiber
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:39:50 PST
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rmw-red-stripe-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving RMW Red Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:41:59 PST
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gmw-green-stripe-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving-top GMW Green Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:43:57 PST
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bmw-brown-stripe-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving-top BMW Brown Stripe Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving Top
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:46:11 PST
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pima-organic-cotton-spinning-wheel-fiber-roving Pima Organic Cotton Spinning Wheel Fiber Roving
US $6.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 8:54:40 PST
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lovely-white-cotton-fiber-to-spin-8-oz-free-shipping Lovely White Cotton Fiber to Spin 8 oz Free Shipping
US $9.95
End Date: Wednesday Feb-10-2010 13:44:29 PST
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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.