Page 79 - Nimbus Play

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COMBED COTTON

Combed cotton is made by treating the cotton fibers
before they are spun into yarn. The harves­ted cotton
is applied on to fine brushes (the ‘combs’) to clean
away impurities and any short fibers. Roughly 15% of
the volume is removed this way, and leaves only long,
straight fibers.
The slivers of combed cotton are then spun into thread.
As a general rule, combed cotton is more expensive
than conventional carded cotton.

RING-SPUN COTTON

The yarn that is created for ring-spun cotton, is spun in
a way that produces stronger and longer threads, as it
is continuously twisted and thinned to make an extra-
fine string of fibers.
During this process, the threads are compacted in a
way that produces a very strong and durable material.
The more times the fiber has been spun and twisted,
the softer it feels. Open end yarn that is not ring-spun
often result in a fabric with a rough texture.