I've been digging through my handwoven items. There are many interesting pieces in that basket. Many I've forgotten completely about. I pulled out these pieces-- some examples of my first attempt at spinning cotton.
These fibers were spun when I worked at a Louisiana plantation. My job was to demo spinning, hand carding and sometimes weaving on the loom. I also did natural dyed yarns, using indigo, as the plantation had indigo and cotton crops. The blue fibers are dyed with indigo during weekend plantation festival days.
The brown cotton was used in the summer day camps or school historical times with students who attended to learn the aspects of plantation living. Students could try their skill at ginning cotton. Brown cotton was brought to Louisiana by Acadian people who settled in the area. Brown cotton seeds are easily ginned by hand as the short fibers don't cling to the seeds. But, since the fibers are so short, it takes a different approach to sett the twist, More treading to put that twist into brown cotton fiber.
Certainly, not the greatest spinning!! But, it was a way to learn-- of course, "practice, practice, practice!" Makes for a more perfect yarn as you tell by my single silk yarns from an upcoming post.
Today, after 35 years spinning, my hand spun fibers look like commercial! Wish I could get that lumpy, bumpy fiber back.
Definitely, reminders of my early days of spinning--great memories!
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