This week, we're sharing some characteristics of cotton yarn. Because of nearly-year round warm south Texas temps, we work with a lot of plant fibers, particularly cotton; cotton yarn comes in a variety of quality, price, and colors. Below are some of the reasons we love cotton!

Did you know that cotton fibers can hold water 24-27 times their own weight? Cotton is durable and its hollow fibers are highly absorbent, which means that cotton is a good choice for towels and washcloths, whether crocheted, knitted, or woven. When we're making homewares, we tend to be price sensitive and you may hear the term "utility" to describe some cottons. Utility cottons are lower priced yarns, making them economical for larger projects. Yarnivore carries Queensland Coastal Cotton and Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme Waves; both are utility cotton yarns that are good choices for towels and even blankets. 

Cotton is soft and cool to the touch, making it a comfortable fiber to have close to your skin, which is excellent for garments. Cotton has great drape and can have a lovely sheen; there are a lot of gorgeous cotton yarns that are both comfortable and colorful. Any cotton yarn can be used to make garments, but stitchers often splurge on higher quality yarn, like Berroco Bozzolo (see Featured Yarn, below).

No fiber is perfect, though. While it is moderately strong and durable, cotton has very low elasticity. This low elasticity means that, unlike wool, cotton doesn't return to its original form once it's stretched. (If you've ever made a sweater from cotton yarn, you know what we mean!) When you're using cotton yarn in a garment, be sure to allow for it to stretch over time (thanks, gravity!). Many patterns written for cotton yarn will already account for this. You can tell what fiber the designer intended by looking at the suggested materials. If the pattern suggests wool or manmade fibers and you want to use cotton, you may want to adapt the pattern. For example, if your pattern has long sleeves, then you will want to shorten them. Over time, they will stretch! (Note that, as cotton garments stretch, they will also narrow. Make sure the width of your stretched garment will still fit the wearer.)

If you're worried about elasticity, you can still love working with cotton, because it's often blended with other fibers, like wool, nylon or acrylic, to compensate for its poor elasticity. Manufacturers do this to give stitchers the best of both worlds: a wool/cotton blend will feel cool and soft (like cotton) and have elasticity (like wool). Cascade Cantata, Berroco Spree and Madeline Tosh Wool + Cotton are good examples of cotton/wool blends.

Cotton, we love wrapping up in your comfort!

-Caryn and the Yarnivore staff