Knitting Machine Tips - Knitting With Cotton

This is geared for those knitters who would like some helpful hints when knitting with cotton. For instance, the black and ivory cotton included in Chris Triola Designer Kits is 8/2. The 8 refers to the weight, and the 2 means it is a 2 ply (or 2 threads twisted together). This yarn is NOT mercerized. The mercerization process gives yarn luster, strength, and affects its ability to receive dye treating under tension with chemicals. Because it is not mercerized, it may be more fragile than the cotton yarns you are used to working with. Cotton yarn is not as "lofty" as most acrylic or wool yarns. This means that it does not have all of the little fiber ends off the yarn strand giving it a fuzzy appearance. Think of knit stitches as horseshoes lined up in rows. Just as there are spaces in the center around each horseshoe, there is space in the center of and around each knit stitch. The little fiber ends tend to coverup any color knitted on the main bed but not the ribber. The color which shows through is called "grin".  Because cotton is not fuzzy, the "grin" is often more apparent on cotton fabrics.