Cotton Yarn Fanatics

We can use this forum to discuss weaving with cotton yarns.

Introduce yourself and tell us about your past or present cotton yarn projects.

Have a good day!

I don't think I've seen a non worsted yarn.

I don't know if we have them. I've only bought worsted and double worsted in the past.

Have a good day!

Franco Rios

New cotton project started on my blog

http://francosfiberadventure.blogspot.com/

Using Peaches & Creme white yarn with Sugar & Cream colored yarn.

Look for Hot Stripe cotton towel article

There's  a spinning definition of worsted and a knitting yarn definition (the latter is what we are talking about here, I believe). Worsted weight actually refers to the thickness of the yarn and in the US means 5 stitches = 1 inch.

The yarns Franco has listed above are worsted weight and very popular for dishcloths and washcloths. I used those yarns (I also love the faded denim colorway Franco!) to make vests for my kids: soft, durable, inexpensive, and machine-washable!

There are knitting and weaving yarns of other thicknesses bit they are not as well known in the knitting & crocheting community. Pearl (or perl ?) cotton of various thicknesses seems to be popular among weavers from what I've seen in the catalogs (a more experienced weaver could tell you better). I guess it depends on what you want to make.

Worsted in the spinning/weaving sense refers to the way the fibres are prepared - its combed then drawn out into rovings and the fibres are nicely aligned. This make a dense non-hairy yarn if spun worsted-fashion, that is short draw, and this is ideal for weaving. Its not very good for knitting because it is tightly spun and hard to touch, though I have seen some Patons worsted around in 4 ply/fingering. This worsted can be any size and number of plies ranging from extremely fine through to thick.

Ply in the UK and Australia and New Zealand refers to the size of the yarn to knitters - to a spinner it refers to 2 or more singles spun together.

US worsted yarn, as explained, is something else, and is usually about a 10 ply yarn elsewhere, and being a knitting yarn, is spun woolen fashion by spinners, to give it more air and warmth and softness. Its not as hard-wearing as worsted, but this trade-off doesn't really matter in knitting, though it might do in weaving.

As long as you are aware that worsted yarns like PnC are knitting yarns, then there is no reason why they can't be used successfully on frame, backstrap and rigid heddle looms. I would be a bit wary of putting them through steel heddles in case of rubbing which could weaken a project but there is no reason why it can't be used as weft in those circumstances.

And if my explanation hasn't confused you by now, you are very lucky!

I use peaches and cream constantly, here in the south good wool warp is hard to find.  I find that it is tough as nails and never breaks.  Maybe because I have been using to from the beginning of my weaving days I don't seem to have any problems with the warp tension either. 

Right now I am doing a piece using it for warp and my own handspun cotton for the wefts.  The white I am using a man gave me right out of his Cotton gin. 

I took a day trip to GA (from FL) and found a cotton field.  There was a man on a tractor and I asked him if he knew where I could find a cotton gin...he laughed and told me he owned one.  I got the grand tour and a free TRUNK of ginned cotton that I am still spinning 5 yrs later.  LOL  It was a really fun day trip. 

Here is a picture of my current project with the handspun.

I just saw this picture!

Nice job Marsha!

Have a good day!

Ok so here it is hot off the loom.  It hasn't even been blocked yet.  Whatcha think?  Peaches & cream natural white warp and my own handspun cotton periwinkle and white weft. 

I really like it.

Please tell me how you get the color to intertwine like that.

Have a good day!

Wow!

Thank you so much sittie!

Okay, so its two weft shuttles with a technique called meet and separate, sometimes called called hatching.

Would that be different from the way we change colors in navajo or tapestry weaving?

I'm sure I've seen this technique before, but the way the weft seems to curve is kind of throwing me a curve ball.

Have a good day.

Here is my latest.  This one is finally large enough, even though I found following the gecko grid too irritating.  I just unwove the gecko part and used it for the start of this one and let the rest happen. 

This one is 26 in long and 14 3/4 wide.  I think I finally got the size to be as big as I wanted it and love the asymmetrical flap.  Although the bag is not sewn together (it just came off the loom a couple of hrs ago) these pics give you a general idea of what it will look like.

Thats a really nice bag! Hasn't it come out well!

I suspect keeping the gecko motif would not have made such a successful project.

That is beautiful.  I had made woven denim purses in the past, of different styles, but how did you curve the flap?  Very interesting.

Thanks so much.  All I did to get the asymmetrical flap was stop short of one warp on each pass (pick).  I love this piece, just not so crazy about green.  So this one is for sale and I will be making myself one this size out of some silk yarn that I have. 

At the moment I am doing a commission like the little white soumak bag that I have posted in the projects.  She sent me the most beautiful blue cotton yarn, called azure, and I will be using cobalt blue for the warp.  Will definitely be posting pics when its complete.  Then I can move on to another for myself.

Great pics!  What kind of loom did you use?  I think I already commented on your project page how stunning I think this is with the asymmetric flap... and... I love the green!  

Great bag. I like the green but than green is a color I love.