This week in my continuing explorations of fiber characteristics I will be discussing cotton blends. I hope you all are finding this information useful, as it is essential to at least understand the basics about fibers to make informed yarn substitutions and sewing fabric choices. If there is more you wish for me to discuss, please let me know I'll be happy to incorporate your suggestions.

Also, please note that much of what I describe for yarns also applies to sewing fabrics!

Yarns and threads made from blends of fibers offer the best qualities of each fiber included in the blend.  There are two main methods that are used to blend fibers.

The first method is to mix the fibers together, either before or after dying, in the desired proportions before spinning it into yarn. This type of blending allows for a mixture fiber characteristics to create a new overall character that is unique to the specific blend. One of our newest yarns, Lotus Yarns Autumn Wind is a great example of this type of blending. It is 90% cotton blended with 10% cashmere.  The result is an absolutely, heavenly, soft yarn that one simply must pet every time one walks by it!!! I think it will be fabulous knit up into shells, tanks, scarves or anything that is in close contact with your skin. It would be perfect for that little lacy nighty you always dreamed of knitting!

The second method is to ply together separate singles composed of each fiber. Blending fibers in this way maintains the individual fiber characteristics and takes advantage not only of each fibers strengths but add new characteristics from the interaction between the fibers. The type of twist used to ply the strands together can also add some interesting characteristics.  Rowan Summerspun is an excellent example of this type of blending. This 50/50 Wool/Cotton yarn is composed of 4 strands of wool plied into one highly energized ply and 8 strands of cotton plied into a very sturdy ply then the two are plied together so the yarn looks like a two ply.  This unique construction makes a yarn that is both light and breathable yet very springy and resilient.  The yarn is dyed after plying in variegated colors and because the wool & cotton take the dye differently the result is in a soft marled variegation.

As I mentioned in my last fiber post, we currently have at least 51 different cotton blends in our regular stock of yarns.  There are just too many to list individually so I'll give you a little run down on each type of blend.

Cotton/Wool blends offer more resiliency that pure cotton yarns because wool is more elastic than cotton.  Anything made from this blend will retain a more warmth that pure cotton but not as much as pure wool, especially when wet.  Which is why this blend is not good for winter socks but works well for sock for spring & fall.  The cotton in this combo will add drape to the wool.

Cotton/Acrylic blends balance the durability, sturdiness and lighter weight of acrylic with the heft, drape and feel of cotton. Berroco Weekend is a great example, I love this yarn for beach coverups, summer skirts, kids clothing and blankets.  It works especially well for Tunisian crochet (aka afghan stitch) and comes in DK, worsted and chunky weights.

Cotton/Silk blends offer the luxurious hand and drape of silk combined with the soft, loftiness and easy care of cotton.  This can be one of the softest blends!  These blends can either have a soft sheen or matte depending on how the fibers are prepared. Some of my favorite examples are Cascade Pima Silk, Knit One Crochet Too Cozette (I've taken to keeping a hank of this one near me when I work in the retail store just to pet from time to time, it's that soft!), Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk & Hand Paint Pima Silk, Classic Elite Yarns Classic Silk, and Rowan Summer Tweed. I'm just finishing up a project out of Summer Tweed and am really enjoying knitting with this rustic, slubby yarn. Just have the sleeves and neckline to do! All of these yarns are just the thing for summer tops and wraps!



Cotton/rayon or viscose blends.  I'll go into the specifics about rayon, seacell, tencel & viscose in a future post but for the present, suffice it to say that these fibers impart about the same characteristics as silk - excellent drape, shine and durability. One thing to be aware of, especially with older yarns, is that not all rayon has been dyed in a colorfast manner. So be sure to care for it as directed on the label. If the label says dry clean only check for colorfastness.  We have some lovely blends that are perfect for shells, tanks, twin sets, skirts, beach coverups, and evening wear. Examples are Rowan Panama, Trendsetter Phoenix, and Classic Elite Sanibel.

I already mentioned cotton/linen blends in my April 26th post on linen yarns. In my opinion this blend should be everyone's go to for summer projects just like worsted wools like Cascade 220 are go to yarns for winter items. Rowan Creative Linen and Berroco Linsey being the two I would go to first.

I hope this is providing useful information to help you in your yarn decision making. If you ever need help determining which yarn(s) are suitable to substitute in your pattern we will be happy to assist as best we can.  Just give us a call on our toll free number 877-529-5648 or email your questions to me at askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Sewing!
Terry

Today, in our ongoing discussion about fibers and substituting yarns I'm going to talk about cotton.

When I'm helping customers choose just the right yarn I sometimes feel like we don't have many cotton yarns. But while preparing for today's post I listed out all of our 100% cotton yarns. WOW! We do have a lot!  Not counting those that we have on sale, we have 32 - 100% cotton yarns and 51 cotton blends! This was a great exercise for me to freshen my memory of what we've carried for awhile and to learn about the new yarns we just received this season. Because we do have so many, today, I will only be discussing 100% cotton yarns and save the blends for my next post.

As most people already know, cotton is a plant fiber. It's the fluff that surrounds the cotton plant's seeds and helps the plant to disburse the seeds. Cotton is a member same plant family that includes okra, cocoa and hibiscus and is native to the tropical regions around the world. The cotton plant was domesticated independently in both the old world and the new world. According to the archeological record, the use of cotton in textiles goes back at least 7000 years.

Cotton is the most common textile fiber we can find our daily lives. I would say it's probably very difficult to find an environment where there is not at least one cotton item present. Your jeans, bedsheets, towels and under garments are most likely all made from cotton. Jeans, towels and most sheets are made from fabrics of woven cotton or cotton blends. T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, and many under garments are typically made of knitted cotton or cotton blend fabrics.

Cotton's properties as a fiber are: a comfortable and soft hand (feel), it's absorbent, retains color well, is machine washable or dry cleanable, has a staple length of 1/2 inch to 2 1/2 inches, and drapes well. Like linen, cotton is damaged by acids but is resistant to alkali. Prolonged exposure to sunlight weakens the fibers and it is susceptible to mold, mildew and damage by silverfish. Cotton burns readily and is damaged by prolonged exposure to temperatures over 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because cotton fibers are relatively short compared to many other fibers, a lot of twist is needed to make a stable yarn, thread, twine or rope. The typical construction is many very thin plies twisted together in different numbers to create different thicknesses. More plies equal a stronger yarn or thread. Some yarns like Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton and Tahki Rosa have fewer, thicker plies that give a wonderfully soft feel, great for baby blankets but at a sacrifice of durability when handled as roughly as say a pair of blue jeans. These yarns are also more likely to shed fibers because there is less twist to hold the fibers together.

Mercerization is a treatment  used on cotton and hemp fabrics and threads which gives them more luster, strength, affinity for dye, and resistance to mildew. On the other hand it increases the fabric's affinity for gathering lint. During the mercerization process the fabric or thread is held under tension to keep the fibers from shrinking, then treated with an alkali (lye), neutralized with an acid and finally passed through a gas flame to remove any stray fibers. Hard to believe after all that it's stronger than before, but it is! I love the shine and brilliant colors of mercerized cottons! I love the colors so much that I'm even using them to choose paint colors for a home decorating project I'm planning.



When choosing alternate yarns for patterns, it is possible to sometimes substitute cotton for other fibers but you must consider the yarn structure to make sure it performs similarly to the yarn the garment was originally designed to use. In general, cotton will have more drape and less elasticity than wool, breaths well, absorbs moisture well and will not retain as much heat as protein fibers. Cotton does dry slowly which makes it good for staying cool on hot summer days but not so good for keeping your feet warm in cold weather. Cotton is also unlikely to stimulate allergic reactions for most people.

Some of my very favorite cotton yarns that I recommend often are:

Mercerized, drapey & shiny:

I love these yarns for children's clothes, shells, light cardigans, summery shawls, bags, purses, skirts and dresses. Washcloths made from mercerized cotton will feel a bit more scrubby and hold up better as dishcloths than softer cottons.

• Tahki Cotton Classic and Cotton Classic Lite
• Cascade Ultra Pima and Ultra Pima Fine
• Plymouth Cleo
• Mouzakis Super 10 Cotton
• Classic Elite Yarns Provence

Soft, drapy with a soft sheen:

These are great for children's clothes, soft washcloths, baby items, hats, summer tops & tanks, and scarves.

• Rowan Handknit Cotton
• Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton
• Classic Elite Mesa
• Be Sweet Bambino & Bambino Taffy

Interesting textures & ribbons:

These are fun for clothes of all sorts - pullovers, dresses, cardigans, tops, tanks, shells, bags, hats, and baby items.

• Tahki Ripple
• Berroco Karma
• Cascade Luna
• Classic Elite Yarn Seedling & Sprout

Great sources for more information about cotton can be found here:

Wikipedia
The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
Alabama Chanin

And don't forget to check out all of our cotton woven fabric too! They make great liners and coordinates for your yarn projects!

I hope you are finding these discussions about different fibers helpful.  If there is anything I'm not covering or you would like me to discuss in more detail please let me know!  As always you can email your questions about knitting, fibers, crochet, weaving, and spinning to me at askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

Terry