8 min readPathway sheetOften a 10-mark answer

Spinning on the cotton system: opening to roving

The cotton system turns raw bales into yarn in a fixed order: opening, cleaning, carding, combing, drawing, roving and spinning, each making fibres cleaner, more parallel and finer.

Used forCotton and cotton-length man-made staple

Carding givesCard sliver: a soft, untwisted rope of fibres

CombingOnly for fine combed yarns; removes short fibres (noils)

RovingA thinner, slightly twisted strand fed to the ring frame

Draw it: the cotton spinning system

The steps and what each does

1
Opening and blending: bale openers pull compressed cotton into small tufts and mix several bales so the yarn is uniform.
2
Cleaning (blow room): beaters and air currents knock out dust, leaf, seed bits and sand. The cotton goes forward as a lap or by chute feed.
3★
Carding: a large cylinder and moving flats covered with fine wire teeth separate the fibres one by one, remove leftover trash, neps and some short fibres, and partly straighten them. The thin web is gathered into a card sliver.
4
Combing (optional): fine combs remove short fibres (noils) and leftover neps and lay long fibres parallel, for finer, smoother, stronger, more lustrous yarn.
5★
Drawing: six to eight slivers are fed together (doubling) and pulled thinner by pairs of rollers running faster and faster (drafting), making the sliver even and parallel.
6
Roving: the speed (fly) frame drafts the sliver further and adds a little twist, winding roving onto bobbins.
7
Spinning and winding: the ring frame drafts roving to the final fineness, inserts twist and winds yarn on bobbins, which are rewound into cones.

★ one-way, controls the pace

Carded and combed yarn

Carded yarnCarded only; contains more short fibres and neps; hairier, less even, cheaper. Coarse and medium yarns for towels, denim and bedsheets.

Combed yarnCarded and combed; short fibres removed; smoother, finer, stronger, more lustrous, pills less, costs more. Fine shirting, voile, premium knit T-shirts.

Two key ideas, and hand spinning

Doubling: feeding several slivers together evens out thick and thin places.
Drafting: pulling the strand thinner between rollers running at increasing speeds. Draft = delivery speed ÷ feed speed.
Every stage after carding makes the strand thinner, more even and more parallel.
Hand spinning: cotton for khadi is opened with a carding bow and spun on the charkha or the multi-spindle Ambar charkha, which draft and twist by hand.

In daily life

Combed cotton is softer and less hairy, so it suits baby clothes, hospital gowns and innerwear that touch sensitive skin. Cheaper carded cotton is fine for kitchen dusters, towels and aprons.

Exam angle

2 marks: “What is carding?” Carding opens and separates fibres, removes trash and short fibres, partly straightens them and forms a soft, untwisted rope called card sliver.

5 marks: “Differentiate carded and combed yarns.” Process (carded only vs carded and combed), short fibres and neps, evenness, hairiness, strength, lustre, cost, end uses.

10 marks: “Explain the steps in the cotton system of spinning.” Flow chart; opening and blending; cleaning; carding; combing; drawing (doubling and drafting); roving; ring spinning and winding; carded vs combed.

Remember it

O-C-C-C-D-R-S: 'Our Cook Cuts Carrots, Dices Radish, Serves': Opening, Cleaning, Carding, Combing, Drawing, Roving, Spinning.