Try Cotton for Summer!
Before we know it, warmer days will be here and we’ll be wanting to wear fabrics that will help us stay cool. Enter cotton! My Sister Knits just received a stunning variety of colors in DK weight Cascade Ultra Pima. Our shipment of worsted weight Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton is on the way! Now is the time to start thinking about what to make!
Knitting with cotton is a bit different than using wool or wool blends. There are a few things to take into consideration to help you love your new project.
Cascade Ultra Pima DK weight
Cotton doesn’t stretch so it lacks memory, which means it’s best for loose-fitting garments or garments that drape.
Stitch patterns such as garter or seed will help prevent stretching.
Sometimes the fabric has a bias; again, find a pattern that has a combination of knit and purl stitches to balance out the twist that causes the bias.
Cotton is slippery! You might want to try wooden or bamboo needles.
When possible, join a new ball at an edge or someplace inconspicuous to help disguise it.
Cotton is heavier than wool so keep that in mind when choosing a pattern with cables or bobbles.
Wash your swatch the way you plan to wash your finished project. Most can be machine washed and will soften with each wash. Some people also machine dry their cottons but you might want to lay it flat to dry to be sure you get the shape and size you want.
Cotton requires more of your hands, wrists, and arms because it’s slippery. You might not notice it much but your body will! Take breaks, maybe even work on a different project using wool at the same time, and stretch those hands, wrists, and arms!
Cascade Ultra Pima DK weight
Pima cotton is quite similar to Egyptian cotton but is mainly grown in the US. The name Pima comes from the Pima people of Arizona; they helped USDA scientists experiment with breeding Egyptian cotton in the early 1900s.
Organic cotton is grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
Joining a new ball of cotton yarn can be a little bit of an issue, as can be weaving in the ends. For joining, the Russian Join seems to be the easiest but if you’re in for an adventure, you could try the Braided Join. VeryPink Knits has a video for one way to weave in cotton ends, so does The Roving Crafter.
Cascade Ultra Pima DK weight
As far as what to make? Using Cascade Ultra Pima, there is an abundance of baby sweaters and blankets and adult sized shawls and tops on Ravelry. This top is a good example of a textured stitch pattern.
Using Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton, this pattern was designed for linen and I think it would work well in this cotton. There are many tops that are stockinette with ribbing at the edges. I have one top that I made out of linen and there is definitely a bias. Personally, I’d like to stay with textured patterns but that’s just my experience! Someone else may knit many tops with nary a bias in sight. I made mine many years ago and now wonder what my swatch showed; was it biased? You know there’s a joke in there but I am refraining.
Blue Sky Fibers worsted weight Organic Cotton
Come in and see our vibrant Pima Cotton colors! Our new Organic Cotton colors will be here any day; they may be a bit softer in hue, it’s still a mystery!
Remember our special demonstration of traditional Quebec finger weaving on Saturday, March 22nd from 3 - 4! This is a one-time chance to see it done and learn some history. You don’t want to miss this!
Happy knitting,
