Cotton is the workhorse of the summer yarns.
It’s easy to find, reasonably priced, and it’s available in a huge range of colours. It’s comfortable to wear in the summer and doesn’t take any specialist care to mind.
The problem with cotton is when we talk about it on our socials, people tend to divide into two camps.
Love or Hate.
So I thought it would be fun to chat about my own experiences with cotton yarns on an Instagram Live and I loved the responses. (Please note if you watch the replay below, the giveaway is now closed.)
Cotton Yarn
Some varieties of cotton yarn you may have come across would be Pima cotton, which is super soft, and mercerised cotton that has been chemically treated to improve dye retention and durability of the cotton.
Cotton is quite a heavy fibre, so when knitting with cotton, especially in the summer, you’re best sticking with lighter weights. Fingering/4ply, sport and dk all make excellent cotton weights. If you want to go for a heavier cotton, I’d suggest finding a cotton/acrylic blend as this will keep it lighter.
The reason you want to avoid heavier cottons, especially if you are knitting garments, is because of the weight. This will cause the garment to stretch out of shape as it is being worn. Remember though, that as with your favourite pair of jeans, it will regain its shape with a washing.
Looking for tips on working with cotton fibre?
Pop over to this blog post that is all about knitting with cotton.
Benefits of Working with Cotton Yarn.
One of the biggest benefits of working with cotton yarn is the fact that it’s inexpensive, making knitting a lot more accessible overall.
Cotton knits are soft on the skin and easy to wear. As an added bonus, there are many machine washable cotton options out there as well.
This means that it is also a fantastic option for kids. It’s not going to cause an allergic reaction and they won’t overheat.
The plant fibers of cotton really hold vibrant dyes well. This means your colour choices in cotton are bright, beautiful and cheerful with minimum bleeding.
Cotton yarn is durable, especially when you choose a mercerised cotton. Garments made from cotton usually stand the test of time incredibly well.
Cotton is also easy to work with. It can be a bit tricky to get started, but if you use metal needle tips and loosen out your tension, you’ll find it really comfortable to work with.
And if you’d like pattern or kit ideas for working with cotton, why not pop over to our Summer Series Collection.
But what do you think about cotton yarn? Do you love it or hate it? Have you worked with it much?
Let me know in the comments if you love it as much as I do.