Cotton, in our tropical country, is like air…it is difficult to imagine life without it. Inspite of a zillion synthetic materials, and many other natural fibres around us, most of us feel comfortable and good when wearing cotton, regardless of it being bedtime or party time.
Considering that knitting is something knitters like to do throughout the year, and considering that summer days and knitting wool just don’t match, cotton yarns might be the right thing for the 11.5 months of summer heat in most parts of the subcontinent.
Cotton absorbs moisture and conducts heat away from the body, so its just right for hot climates. However, it does not insulate well, is slow to dry, and tends to cling. Cotton is weaker than silk or linen, stronger than wool or rayon, and is stronger wet than dry. Stains and soil marks can be removed easily from cotton fabrics, but they are prone to mildew and silverfish, if stored in a soiled condition. So do put away your cottons when clean and perfectly dry.
Though cotton is not elastic, like wool, it can be knitted into cool wraps or garments which can keep away the heat and humidity of summer, very effectively.
At needlestosaymore, we have memories of knitting up shawls in thick cotton yarn, which were too heavy to lift out of the washtub. The wraps resembled tents, and sweaters sagged determinedly in every direction. It would have been easy to give up, and just stay focussed on woollen winter wear.
But we kept attempting to knit thinner and thinner cotton threads, holding four or five strands together, and that gave us these splendid, unique shawls which can be worn through out the year. Finding the right thickness of cotton yarn, continues to be our biggest challenge.
Hanks of cotton yarn can become a messy jumble, when dyed or washed..Unravelling the hanks is not easy, knitting up fine yarn is not easy, fixing mistakes is not easy either….but the finished product is so easy on the eye, so good to drape, so adept at being attractive and gorgeous!
This is the only knitting project in which l focus on the final result–aching fingers, squinting eyes, stained needles notwithstanding…Its taken the knitters some time to take to cotton knitting, but when we all exclaim and admire the completed shawl, I can see the resistance melting away, and the smiles emerging at the end of the day..
When knitting with cotton, there is really no gain without pain!
