Spring begins today and it certainly feels like it in San Francisco. The weather has been mild and the sun has been peeking out more. In honor of the seasons changing I whipped up this pretty shawl for my Etsy shop using some lovely Pima cotton. 
A lot of knitters don’t really like knitting with cotton. Most comment about how it feels rough to work with and can make finished object loose their shape after some wear. These points are true to an extent. Cotton often doesn’t have the springiness nor smoothness that most wool yarns have. This can result in a denser fabric that doesn’t revert back to its original shape as easily. With this being said, I think there is a definite place for cotton yarn.
When creating with cotton, I enjoy knitting with Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton. There is a great variety of colors and it has a nice sheen. Ultra pima cotton is pretty soft on my fingers and has fairly great stitch definition.
The downside of this yarn is that it does pill after some wear/washes. However, I haven’t found it to be so bad that the item is unsightly. Cotton is a great option for tops and shawls for the warmer weather. I still love my wool, but I am always open to exploring different fibers.
What fibers do you use in the warmer months?
Until Next Time,
-Whit-
I love cotton, and as long as I’m gentle with it (hand washing or washing on delicate fabric programmes, drying flat) it seems to love me back and stays in shape. My two first big knitting projects are in cotton – one 100% cotton top and another one with cotton/silk/viscose blend, and both are awesome!
Recently I bought some Louisa Harding Colline – it’s 80% cotton, 20% alpaca, and it seems to have the best of both worlds so I can’t wait to knit with it!
I love the shawl and it has such lovely colour!
Thanks! I think knitting with a cotton blend really helps with softness as well. The cotton/alpaca blend sounds really lovely.
It’s a beautiful scarf, love the color, I made a cabled sweater for my adult daughter in that color and I am currently in a “Cotton Phase” as I’ve made a crib sized baby blanket, birthday Crown and spring Pinafore for my grand baby and now I’m on to a coming home from the hospital outfit for my grand baby boy to be (June) I love it. I’m using James Brett Cotton-on that has some acrylic mixed in so it’s soft and matching washable. You have to be practical for babies! Plus this one will be born late June so it will be warm.
Thanks! I appreciate the yarn recommendation. I know a lot of babies in warm climates so I will have to keep this brand in mind.
I knit dishcloths often and so I use a heavy duty cotton for those and for place mats and tote bags. For sweaters and shawls, I do use cotton on occasion. I find that most of the cotton blends are pleasant to knit with and the results wear well. I’m currently working on a summer sweater with Kraemer Tatamy Tweed. It is a cotton/acrylic blend and it drapes well.
I have never heard of this brand. I like that is domestic-based (for me) and looks like there is good color range. Thanks for commenting 😊
Beautiful. Really like the color. I also just finished a summer shawl with this exact yarn. Different color.
Thanks! What color did you use?
It’s kind of a minty green. You can see it on my blog, ’60 hours of lace”
I finally located your blog! When I click on the link when you post a comment it doesn’t work. Your shawl is lovely 🙂
Thanks. Sorry you had trouble finding me.
Also, thanks for following me. I hope you find some of my posts interesting. I really enjoy following you.
Deb
This is so pretty
Thank you very much!