Big Cotton

So I'm reading Big Cotton, by Stephen Yafa, and gaining a much greater appreciation for this fiber as well as for it's impact on world history.

I'm so used to thinking about what garment or accessory I might be able to create with a fiber or new yarn that I haven't paid much attention to the consequence of a fibers' production for society, the economy, even politics. Anyway, if any of you are interested in history (particularly that of early American), this book is a fun read.

Just some fun facts and figures about the fiber that came out of my reading...
Each cotton boll has over 500,000 fibers on it. Before Whitney produced the gin, it took 1 person a day to pull 1 pound of cotton from bolls. After the gin was developed, that same person could pull 50 pounds of cotton in 1 day!

Inspired by this book and the author's fascination with the cotton fiber, I decided to pull out my takli and some old cotton punis I had hanging around and give the fiber another try. If I get enough spun to do anything with, I'll post a photo next week!