The End of Cotton Yarn?
That’s the question I ask many of my clients or they ask me. As time goes on and my hands get older there won’t be a choice, using cotton on the knitting machine, creating jackets with shaping means using multi prong tools to move stitches in and out creating vertical darts. Sure I like the cotton knits I make and I can accomodate my clients who cannot wear wool but my hands are starting to scream at me with the effort.
For non machine knitters, wool has a natural elasticity and and resiliance and quickly and willingly returns to it’s orgininal shape. You can fold a good wool sweater and put it back on the shelf after wearing and it will freshen up, relinquish odors (when aired) and relax back into shape. Cotton, on the other hand, will not be so ready to sping back as it hasn’t the elasticity, the stretched out cuffs and wrinkled elbows will have to be pressed or washed out. Anyway, because of this it takes strong arms, hands, fingers to push and pull the many stitches from the machines needles onto the tool to move them then to get them back onto the machine and I’m finding my wrist tendons, especially in my right hand, are telling me they’ve had enough.
Knitting with larger stitches in cotton might seemt to be the answer but then I don’t get the knitted fabric I’m known for. My cottons don’t lose their shape as produce a close knit, a loser knit would make for baggier fabric that I do not like for my styles.
Well, I may just be knitting in wool only soon, it is my most favourite fibre, I LOVE it!!!!
Oh…the photo? I took my camera with me on one of my power walks this week and found this wonderful tulip!