Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
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For an extra bit of Spring knitting inspiration, flip through our look book for our latest knitting pattern collection Breezy: Carefree Cotton Knits! All patterns are now available individually as downloads, or get the full collection as an e-book. Print is coming soon, on March 23rd, 2022.
This time of year, cotton and cotton blends are often the go-to yarn of choice for many knitters – knitting or crocheting a lap full of wool in warm weather is not pleasant! However, swapping out a cotton yarn for wool isn’t as simple as it sounds. Cotton yarns have unique characteristics and properties that make it perfect for some, but not all, projects. I’ve put together some info and a list of of what kind of projects we recommend for our plant-based rockstars.
First, a brief overview of cotton yarn. Cotton is a strong, durable, and machine-washable fiber. It’s a great vegan fiber choice to use for people with wool sensitivities; plus, it’s wonderful for next-to-skin wear during warmer months. Because cotton is an inelastic fiber, it can be harder on the hands for some people; I recommend cotton blends because they’re easier to knit or crochet with. Cotton’s inelastic nature can also make difficult to use for cables or in color work projects; however textured stitches will show up beautifully!
And now, let’s talk about our yarns!
Yarn: Dishie
Weight: Worsted – Solid and Multi
Fiber content: 100% cotton
Details: Dishie is our classic, no-nonsense cotton yarn, now available in Solid and Multi colors. With a tight spin and high absorbency, it’s perfect for household and kids items that will be washed a lot, as well as for reusable market bags. It can also be used for easy care garments and accessories; however, because it is a heavier, slightly rougher yarn, a different yarn like Comfy or Shine may be a better choice for garments. Dishie is available in 190 yard skeins as well as in extra large Dishie Cones with 760 yards.
Recommended Projects: Dishcloths, towels, home decor, market bags, toys, bibs, children clothes.
Dishie Patterns
Yarn: Curio
Weight: Thread/Lace
Fiber Content: 100% Mercerized Cotton
Details: Curio is our crochet thread, but it can also be used for knit projects as well. Mercerized cotton gives Curio its lustrous shine and strength, making it perfect for beautiful and elegant home decor. It’s also wonderful for wearable lace work accessories and garments, with its crisp stitch definition.
Recommended Projects: Doilies, coasters, tablecloths, curtains, lace shawls, scarves, cowls, light garments.
Curio Patterns
Yarn: Comfy and Comfy Color Mist
Weight: Fingering , Worsted, and Color Mist Worsted
Fiber Content: 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic
Details: Pima cotton is extremely soft, durable and perfect for all sorts of next-to-skin projects. The small amount of acrylic in Comfy adds a bit of elasticity, which makes it easier to work with in both knitting and crochet. It’s perfect for kid items and warm weather wear since it is a breathable and easy care yarn. Comfy is also great for bath and spa items – anywhere you need a bit of softness. The colorful Color Mist variation is in a larger hank, perfect for garments and blankets (less ends to weave in!).
Recommended Projects: Baby and children’s garments and accessories, toys, adult garments and accessories, spa/wash cloths, home decor, blankets/afghans.
Comfy Fingering Patterns
Comfy Worsted Patterns
Comfy Color Mist Patterns
Yarn: Shine
Weight: Sport and Worsted.
Fiber Content: 60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal®.
Details: Modal® is a fine, smooth fiber made from beech trees – the wood is turned into pulp and then reconstituted so that it can be spun into yarn. These fibers are extremely smooth and soft, and blending them with cotton helps the yarn to stay soft and vibrantly colored. Our Shine yarn is cool and drapey with bright cheerful colors and is perfect for next-to-skin wear for both children and adults.
Recommended Projects: Baby and children garments and accessories, toys, adult garments and accessories, spa/wash cloths, home decor, blankets/afghans.
Shine Sport Patterns
Shine Worsted Patterns
Yarn: CotLin and CotLin Reflections
Weight: DK.
Fiber Content: 70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen
Details: Blending linen with cotton gives our lightweight CotLin yarn extra strength and softness. Each time your project is washed, it will only get softer, which makes it wonderful for kitchen and bath accessories, as well as for garments for kids and adults. CotLin Reflections is available in a 100g hank with unique dye effects, perfect for lightweight summer scarves and shawls.
Recommended Projects: Spa/wash cloths, hand towels, curtains, home decor, baby and children garments and accessories, toys, adult garments and accessories.
CotLin Patterns
CotLin Reflections Patterns
Yarn: Lindy Chain
Weight: Fingering.
Fiber Content: 70% Linen, 30% Pima Cotton.
Details: The construction of a chainette yarn makes it lightweight, while giving your projects a wonderful sheen and crisp stitch definition. Lindy Chain is perfect for warm weather because of this reason, and with the high linen content, the projects will be softer and drapier overtime. Hand washing is recommended for Lindy Chain projects, due to the delicate nature of the yarn.
Recommended Projects: lightweight scarves and light accessories, shawls, tanks, t-shirts, shrugs, sleeveless tops.
Lindy Chain patterns.
Yarn: Billow
Weight: Bulky
Fiber Content: 100% Pima Cotton.
Details: Billow is a super soft thick and thin yarn, made up of 8 piles of of pima cotton, creating a texture that is both rustic and modern. Since it’s a bulky weight yarn, your projects will work up quick and will be perfect for those with sensitive skin. Hand washing is recommended for Billow projects, due to the delicate nature of the yarn.
Recommended Projects: Cowls, wraps, afghans, blankets, pullovers, cardigans, tees, and tanks.
Billow Patterns.
Yarn: Snuggle Puff
Weight: Heavy Worsted/Aran
Fiber Content: 70% Pima Cotton / 30% Nylon.
Details: The name says it all! This yarn is made to be snuggled, with a unique yarn construction of Pima cotton fibers blown into a nylon tube, creating a lightweight and lofty yarn. While it is excellent for baby hats and blankets as well as cuddly toys, it’s also perfect for chemo caps and other wool free accessories for anyone with extra sensitive skin.
Recommended Projects: Baby and children garments and accessories, toys, adult accessories
Snuggle Puff Patterns.
Have further questions about cotton yarns? Leave a comment below!
I love dreaming up new ideas to show off all of our gorgeous yarn! At least one yarn line each catalog cycle needs an updated photo to represent the family for the year so I keep a sketchbook full of ideas.
We have a small stockpile of backgrounds that I rotate through, some cycles I’m all about our recycled barn wood boards and others are all about the concrete floor in our warehouse of all things!
We almost always use soft, naturalistic light because it shows off the texture and shine of each skein and gives the photo a dreamy quality. Our photographer Amy is a pro when it comes to lighting our little scenes in our little set up here at the offices! Whenever we can, we take advantage of our photo locations during our pattern collection shoots. 
Now it’s your turn! Ready to try your hand at it? Today, we’re pleased to announce our “Yarn Glam” Instagram Contest—a chance for you to share your creative eye for yarn beauty, and maybe win a delightful $100 Knit Picks gift card in the process!
Here are the rules:
1.) Follow @knit_picks on Instagram.
*Don’t have an account yet? Instagram is a fun photo sharing network for smartphone users (that’s easy to join)—and for those who don’t have smart phones, fear not; we have plenty more fun contests planned for 2014 on our blog and other social media channels!
2.) Take a photo of an arrangement of yarn; our only requirement here is that it be Knit Picks yarn only!
*A tip for success: The more thoughtfully composed your photo is, the better—beauty is nothing without uniqueness, after all!
3.) Tag your photo with both #knitpicks and #yarnglam; essentially, this will help us find your entry.
* Please specify the Knit Picks yarn type (and color, if you can!) in the description.
On February 19th, we’ll pick a winner and two runners-up to receive a $100, $50 and $25 Knit Picks gift card, respectively. The winning photos will also get the glory of being featured in one of our weekly KP emails.
An important note: Please limit yourself to three separate photo entries! The exact contest deadline is February 19th at 5pm PST; entries will be judged on adherence to these contest rules, as well as beauty, humor and other such ineffable qualities.
Good luck, all!
Details: Contest ends February 19th 2014 at 5pm PST. Entries must follow the above-listed requirements to be eligible to win; photos posted on the blog or social media channels other than Instagram are not considered acceptable entries. Winning entries may be shared by Knit Picks on social media sites (Instagram, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) as well as in weekly emails.
