Making Cotton Punis
Have you ever wanted to try spinning cotton?
While it is possible to spin with cotton roving, I sometimes prefer to use Punis.
Today I’m going to create my own punis. I have some plain white cotton. It’s been ginned, but the fibers need to be aligned better before spinning. I also want to add a bit of color to my yarn.
Cotton Punis are like small rolags. To make them, you will need a set of Hand Carders. Choose a set that has fine teeth, such as the Kromski 108 TPI (teeth per inch). You will also need a dowel that is a bit longer than the width of the hand carder. And of course, come cotton!
Punis are simple to make. If you’ve made wool rolags, then you will have no trouble at all. But even with little or no experience, you will be making beautiful prepared cotton punis in no time.
Begin by loading one of the Hand Cards with a small amount of clean cotton. We’ve added a bit of pre-dyed wool for color as well. Of course you can use dyed cotton, bamboo or other fiber, or just leave it white.
Use the other carder to gently comb the fibers. Begin on the edge farthest away from your hands and work upwards.
Comb them several times before inverting the carders in such a way that you can “peal” the fibers off of one carder and on to the other.
Repeat these two steps until the cotton is smooth and blended to your liking.
To finish the puni place the dowel on the top of the carder, across from the handle, and carefully pull the fiber off of the teeth and around the dowel. Roll it off the carder and remove the dowel by gently sliding it out of the Puni. For a tighter Puni, roll them on a flat surface prior to removing the dowel.
You now have a nice little puni to spin from!