Hi Leonard,
What you want is called cotton roving or cotton sliver. It is in fact
spinners who use it, not weavers, so a weaving store might not have
it. When you call them they will want to know what length of roving
you want, and here you will get vigorous debate among players, but you
will want either medium- or long-staple roving, depending on your
preference. Some players swear by long-staple, while others swear that
medium-staple is better. I won't even try to wade into the debate. The
good news, however, is that roving is inexpensive, so you can get both
and figure out what you like. You should also have a choice of colors
and whether or not you want bleached cotton. None of that should
matter, so you can go for the lowest price in this regard (unless you
want bright pink and purple cotton…).
You won't need very much: roving in the States, is sold by the ounce
(I image it's sold by the gram elsewhere), and an ounce will last you
for a *very* long time.
Here's an example of what you can get: http://www.kendigcottage.com/Cotton.html
The bundles shown there look like they are about four ounces, which
gives you an idea of just how much you'll end up with. Also, if all
else is equal, carded roving would be nice: this means it's been
combed so that the fibers are aligned. Not a biggie if it isn't since
you can quickly pull the fibers into alignment before you cotton the
string, but if it's already carded, then there's nothing to worry about.
-Arle
On Dec 14, 2007, at 5:12 PM, Leonard Williams wrote:
I've been using "drug store" cotton on my hg, but it has the
predicted little knots and what-nots in it, making it difficult to
tease out
a nice patch for a string. Having found that the good stuff is
available
among weaving supplies, I must ask, "What do weavers do with it?"
Having
only generic craft shops to rely on, I find it difficult to explain
(over
the phone) just what I want. I _know_ they won't get it if I tell
them it's
for my hurdy-gurdy!
Regards,
Leonard Williams
