Cotton Plying

I am in the middle of plying all the cotton singles that I have spun over the past couple of months.  The singles were spun using akha and top whorl handspindles, depending on the staple length.  For the dark brown cotton, I did not allow the akha to leave my hand.  The staple of the peach/white colored Sally Fox cotton was long enough for me to use a light-weight top whorl handspindle and let it leave my hand to add twist. 

I made plying balls using two singles wrapped together around the ball.  Plying cotton is easier for me using this method because the thin yarn does not tangle when taken from the balls.  I am using a heavier top whorl handspindle to ply.  Soon I will have six bobbins full of cotton, ready to process. 

Unfortunately the true colors are not showing up well in this photograph.  I have two light brown balls, one dark brown ball, one medium brown ball, and two peach/white balls (one is still on the spindle in progress as shown here). 

I have greatly enjoyed spinning and plying cotton using the methods described above.  I can spin quite a bit while waiting for dinner to cook and relaxing in the evening.  Working with the different cotton staples on the spindles has been a great practice for me.