I will be running a Tea Towel Exchange for our Guild this year and the question of Rayon has come up. I have noticed that on several Exchanges 100% Rayon is excluded, ( which I aagree with) what about 50% Rayon and 50% cotton? I have suggested all the usual matierials, but am wondering if anyone has experience with this Rayon / Cotton mix or opinions about it's use.Several people in the Guild have asked about it and I've done some sampling for dish cloths, seems alright, but I don't want something that is going to be unsuitable in the long run. Your  thoughts are much appreciated. Cathie

Comments

Sat, 08/11/2012 - 16:54

Sara von Tresckow

Rayon is not strong nor is it really absorbant - it gives a slick, soft feel to the textile.

As such, it does not produce a long wearing fabric with the qualities of a towel.

Sat, 08/11/2012 - 19:10

laurafry

I am not familiar with the rayon/cotton yarn you mention but one thing to be aware of is the twist of the yarn used.  The higher the twist, the less absorbent it will be.  Another thing that affects absorbency is how thick the yarns are.  Finer yarns will wick up water more quickly than a thicker (and more tightly twisted) yarn

Rayon gives up moisture more slowly than cotton so a rayon/cotton blend will take a bit longer to dry.  I've seen this in action as I have some commercially made towels with a rayon/cotton combo and they always take longer to dry than the 100% cotton towels.  

cheers,

Laura

Sat, 08/11/2012 - 21:33

Artistry

Thank you Sara and Laura for your insights!
Sun, 08/12/2012 - 10:15

ReedGuy

Rayon makes excellent dish cloths. I buy $1 ones made of 100 % rayon. And yes they are more slick than cotton, but very absorbant as they are fine thread. I would not want to weave them though, too fine for me. ;) As to the strength of rayon, it depends on the fibres used to make it. There is a big difference between softwood and hardwood fibre for instance. I know bamboo is also used. Also, softwood  yields far longer fibres than hardwood.

 

Birch, maple and oak are about 1.4 mm long, eastern spruce is nearly 4 mm, other softwoods are up to 8 mm long. That being said, the length alone is less important than thickness of the cell wall in relation to it's diameter. Thicker cell walls resist tear better. Length effects bonding and uniformity of stress in the fabric. (Textbook of Wood Technology 4th ed.)

Sun, 08/12/2012 - 12:02

Artistry

Thank you ReedGuy for your response.