Hand Spinning Cotton: How to Spin Your Own Cotton Yarn

Hand spinning cotton isn’t hard, but it requires a few adjustments to your tools and techniques, especially if you’re used to spinning wool. Cotton fiber is a wonderful raw material for fiber artists, and with a little practice, you can create beautiful, continuous yarn for your own textile projects. Understanding the unique qualities of cotton will help you spin usable yarn with confidence. Let’s dive in!

Is cotton hard to spin?

If you’re a hand spinner in the USA, Canada, or Europe, chances are you didn’t learn to spin cotton first — you probably started with wool. Cotton has been expertly spun by folks living near the equator, including Mexico, parts of South America, parts of Africa, and India for many, many years. Many American spinners will tell you that cotton is hard to spin, but I think that’s unfair, and it prevents new spinners from expanding their skills quickly. Spinning cotton is different from spinning wool — it presents specific challenges, but the basics of the spinning process remain the same. Cotton fiber isn’t hard to spin once you understand its characteristics!

A Brief Introduction to Cotton Fiber

History and Global Significance

Cotton is a plant fiber, cultivated for centuries across Asia, Africa, Mexico, and South America. Unlike sheep, the cotton plant requires hot summers and warm climates to thrive. Over the centuries, farmers developed a wide variety of cotton plants, each with unique characteristics — from different staple lengths to naturally colored cotton in shades of white, cream, beige, tan, green, and even brown. Some of the most prized cottons in the textile industry, like Pima cotton and Sea Island cotton, boast longer staple lengths and smoother surfaces that produce luxurious cotton yarn.

Basic Characteristics

• Softness and Comfort: Cotton is a very fine fiber, making it perfect for spinning soft fabrics that feel comfortable against the skin. It’s softer than even the softest wool!
• Cool and Absorbent: Unlike wool, which repels water, cotton absorbs moisture quickly. For example, a cotton undershirt will soak up sweat as soon as it appears, keeping you dry and comfortable.
• Easy Care: Cotton fabrics are easy to care for. Unlike wool, cotton doesn’t felt or bloom, so you can wash, agitate, and tumble dry it without major changes to its shape. (However, I still recommend hand washing handmade items to preserve them.)
• Lack of Elasticity: Cotton has little to no elasticity, giving it a drapey, relaxed structure. This makes it perfect for projects like shawls, loose shirts, or scarves, but less suitable for items that need to hold their shape, like socks.
• Shorter Staple Length: Most cotton has a short staple length, usually from 0.5 to 1.5 inches (1.25 cm to 3.8 cm). This short fiber length means you’ll need to adjust your spinning technique to produce a continuous yarn. to 3.8cm.) This is the most important thing to consider when learning to hand spin cotton.

How Cotton Differs from Wool

• The short staple length of cotton requires a lot of twist to hold the drawn-out strands of fibers together. Wool, on the other hand, is longer and naturally crimped, making it easier to spin with less twist. When spinning cotton, you’ll often need a faster twist and careful control of the drafting zone to prevent the yarn from breaking.

Best Techniques for Spinning Cotton

Drafting Zone and Twist

The drafting zone is where the fibers are drawn out and twisted together. Since cotton is a short fiber, you’ll want to keep the drafting zone short and ensure a lot of twist travels into the yarn quickly. To do this, you need to add twist quickly, before the forming yarn breaks. Twist holds the fibers together and produces a smooth, continuous yarn.

Long Draw Technique

The most common method for spinning cotton is the long draw technique, where you continuously add twist while drafting. This technique works especially well with short fibers and helps build a strong, even yarn.

Best Tools for Easily Hand Spinning Cotton

Tahkli Spindle

The tahkli spindle is a traditional small supported spindle from India with a metal whorl and a pointy bottom tip. It spins very fast, making it perfect for spinning cotton’s short fibers. Its smooth surface and central shaft design allow for high-speed spinning with little tension on the forming yarn.

Any Supported Spindle

A small supported spindle of any kind can work for spinning cotton, as long as it spins quickly and is stable. Using a bowl or similar support prevents unnecessary tension on the thin strand of yarn.

Charka

The charka is a spinning wheel developed in India specifically for spinning cotton. It uses a small spindle in a horizontal position, allowing for rapid spinning and just-right tension.

Spinning Wheel

Most modern spinning wheels can be adjusted to spin cotton. Look for wheels that allow minimal tension and can treadle very fast, or consider using an electric spinning wheel. Be sure to set the tension so the yarn is gently drawn onto the bobbin.

Drop Spindle

Drop spindles can be used to spin cotton, but they’re not the easiest way to learn. The weight of the spindle can add too much tension to the thin strand, making it break easily. However, with practice and patience, you can learn to spin cotton with a drop spindle if that’s your preferred tool.

What kind of cotton should I buy for hand spinning?

Cotton Sliver

Cotton sliver is the easiest way to get started with spinning cotton. It’s a smooth rope of fiber, similar to roving, but made for cotton’s unique processing. It’s the perfect raw material for beginners. I sell naturally dyed cotton sliver and naturally colored cotton sliver in my shop, in a rainbow of colors.

Ginned Cotton

Ginned cotton is cotton from which the seeds have been removed but hasn’t been carded. This type of cotton fluff will need to be carded with hand carders before spinning. If you want to experience the process of spinning from a more raw material, ginned cotton is an excellent choice. I occasionally offer Louisiana-grown ginned cotton when it’s available.

Blended Batts and Rolags

Cotton can be blended with other fibers, like wool or angora, to create art batts and rolags that spin beautifully. These blends often have longer staples and can be easier for first-time spinners. My cotton blend batts and rolags sell out quickly, so check my shop often!

Tips for Spinning Cotton

• Use a Small Supported Spindle or Tahkli Spindle: These spindles spin fast, giving you the lot of twist needed to hold short fibers together.
• Watch Your Tension: Keep the take-up tension low on your spinning wheel so the yarn doesn’t break.
• Spin in the Opposite Direction (if needed): Some fiber artists prefer spinning cotton in the opposite direction from their usual spinning style, especially when using a support spindle. Experiment to find what works best for you.
• Understand the Process of Spinning Cotton: Cotton has a shorter staple, requiring more twist than wool. You’re training your hands to spin short fiber, and it may take some patience.
• Make Enough Cotton Yarn: Spinning a single sample is great, but try to spin enough cotton yarn for an actual project! This helps you build skill and confidence.

Spinning cotton is a rewarding journey that connects you with a fiber that’s been part of the textile industry for thousands of years. Spinning cotton yarn lets you appreciate the incredible work that goes into every fabric. Whether you choose Pima cotton, upland cotton, or naturally colored cotton, the variety of cotton available today offers a delightful range of subtly different materials for fiber artists. Try using a tahkli spindle, a small supported spindle, or your spinning wheel — each offers a unique way to experience this ancient craft.

Give your fingers something new to learn, and enjoy the process of spinning! And remember, every spinner was a beginner once. You’ve got this!

Watch me spinning cotton in the video below!