How to Spin Cotton
If you enjoy crafting with cotton, you may be surprised by the high costs of cotton fiber. For example, hand-spun cotton yarn costs a lot more than commercially-produced cotton yarn. Instead of buying generic, commercially-spun cotton yarn, make your own cotton yarn by carding and spinning cotton yarn from the raw cotton fibers. This will allow you to use hand-spun cotton yarn in your crafting projects, without spending a lot of money in the process.
Instructions
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Place a ball of raw cotton in between two carding combs. Position the combs so that the bristles are touching and the combs are facing in opposite directions.
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Hold a carding comb in either hand, and pull them apart by extending your arms on either side. Place the combs together again, in the same manner, and repeat this process until the cotton begins to separate into long strands. This will cause the cotton seeds to become exposed. Pick out the cotton seeds with your fingers and discard them. Repeat until the cotton is free of seeds and looks uniform.
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3
Pull the cotton fiber out of the carding combs, and place a second raw cotton ball in between the combs. Repeat the carding process with 8 to 10 cotton balls to create enough cotton fiber to spin.
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4
Unite the carded cotton in a large ball and pull up a small section of the cotton. Twist a small piece of the section into a point, and continue twisting the cotton until you have 4 inches in length.
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Insert the tip of the cotton through the whorl of a drop spindle, and tie the twisted cotton onto the shaft. Allow the spindle to hang down below the cotton, and turn it. The spindle will spin independently, twisting the cotton into yarn. As the cotton becomes yarn, it will automatically wrap around the shaft of the spindle. Repeat to create as much cotton yarn as you need for your project.
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References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
