Knitting or crocheting a blanket is an ideal project that is time-consuming and involves money, you should see to choosing the best yarn for the project.
There are so many pros and cons attached to choosing cotton yarn to knit a blanket and also the steps to creating a beautiful project.
Is Cotton Yarn Good For Blankets?
Of course, cotton yarn is one of the best and most recommended types of yarn to use when knitting or crocheting a blanket.
Cotton Yarn is a natural plant-based cotton thread that is woven into fabric. It has been in existence for centuries. It is perfect for knitting a blanket but you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one choice.
What Are The Things To Consider When Choosing Cotton Yarn?
When knitting or crocheting a blanket, Cotton yarn is found to be the best type of yarn for blankets before it maintains its soft texture and nature that allows all kinds of usage and washing. It is suitable for use in all seasons – it gives warmth and makes you cozy during winter and it also allows you to breathe when used in summer. It is easy to care for and durable.
Cotton blankets are fit to be machine-washed using the cool or warm cycle and also dry at a low temperature, this makes it easy to wash and dry. Cotton yarn is an excellent choice for a lightweight summer blanket and a lasting project.
There are however two things to consider when using cotton yarn, they are the benefits and disadvantages:
What Are The Benefits Of Knitting With Cotton Yarn?
Knitting with cotton yarn has the following benefits that make it considered one of the best blanket yarn choices:
- It is breathable: cotton yarn allows the flow of air, breathable and comfortable to use.
- It is inelastic: the non-elastic nature of cotton yarn makes it the best classic drape effect choice as it keeps its shape.
- It has a perfect stitch definition: cotton yarn allows the woven item to have a perfect stitch definition allowing each knitted stitch to stand out with beauty.
- It is easy to wash: the cotton yarn is a natural fabric that is easy to wash and dry using the machine.
- It has a soft texture: it is a soft type of yarn and even gets softer with every wash.
- It can absorb water: the cotton yarn fabric is moisture absorbent and easy to dye into various colors and has the capacity to hold dye which gives makes it more beautiful and perfect to blend.
- The cotton yarn is hypo-allergic: cotton yarn is considered a 100% non-allergic yarn as it doesn’t cause allergic sensitivity or reactions. It is even often recommended for those with skin irritations or allergies.
- It is sturdy and also durable: cotton yarn is a tough and lasting yarn that does not break nor tangle while knitting including heavy projects.
- It is less expensive: unlike wool, cotton yarn is inexpensive but one that is highly processed and quality is quite expensive (depending on your choice).
- The cotton yarn is always strong when damp: the cotton yarn doesn’t shrink when wet. It stays in shape even in a damp state.
What Are The Cons Of Knitting With Cotton Yarn?
- It is prone to stretching and sagging: cotton yarn is known to stretch and sag when damp. It gets soaking wet and heavy when it is soggy.
- It’s difficult to use: the non-elastic nature of cotton yarn makes it difficult to knit with as it doesn’t allow it to have an even tension which as well leads to strain on the hand.
- The cotton yarn is prone to bleeding: some of the cotton yarn colors are prone to bleeding in the laundry or when used with lighter colors. The colors that bleed most especially are the darker colors like black, blue, and red.
- It is slippery in nature: cotton yarns are slippery such that a beginner knitter finds it hard to hold on to them while knitting as they tend to keep falling off.
- It is heavy: a cotton yarn that is conventionally grown is heavy such that it accommodates pests because it doesn’t dry quickly and finds it difficult to maintain its original shape after wrinkling.
- It wears down quickly: cotton yarn is like every other natural fiber, they all wear down easily.
Some of the cotton yarn types do have more benefits than disadvantages and some are vice versa – this applies to all cotton yarn types. Check more online for the properties of the cotton yarn types before choosing any.
Guide on How To Knit A Blanket Using Cotton Yarn
With your cotton yarn, here are the materials needed with 8 steps for a perfect project with beautiful finishing:
Materials needed:
Step 1: Cast On
The first step in knitting is casting on. It is a method used to turn loose yarn into stitches that are well-positioned on the knitting needle. Once the yarn has been cast onto the needle to give stitches, then you can now knit.
Step 2: Knit A Slipknot
From the ball of your cotton yarn, tuck into the middle of the yarn end, then make a slipknot to knit the first line using the cast-on stitch method (to create a loop like you want to knot).
Yarn the slipknot over the knitting needle on your left, then wrap the yarn around your thumb and slide the loop on the needle again. Carefully draw your thumb out of the loop and hold onto the knot ends to tighten them. Repeat this till a side of the square patch is completed.
Step 3: Knit A Row
For your first row, cast on 14 stitches (or the choice of your stitches depending on the size of the desired blanket).
Step 4: Knit In Garter Stitch
The garter stitch is the basic knit stitch pattern of horizontal ridges made by knit stitching every row on both sides of the fabric while knitting. It creates a fabric that is stretchy, reversible, and lies flat. Knitting in the garter stitch, continue till you’ve made a long straight stitch of 20cm.
Step 5: Cast Off
Casting off is a safe and neat way to secure the end of your knitted stitches to prevent them from unraveling.
To cast off, on a new row, knit two stitches loosely on the right-hand needle – so it can maintain its stretchy state. Then, slip the first stitch over the second one to cast it off.
Step 6: Continue To Secure
Again, knit one more stitch to secure the end of the knitted stitches. Cast off one stitch again, then continue till you get to the end of the row until there is only one stitch left on your right-hand needle.
Step 7: Cut The Yarn
From the end, cut off the yarn leaving a tail end of about an arm’s length measurement, and pull through the knitted stitch. Then, a square knitted stitch is made.
Step 8: Finish Using Perpendicular Invisible Seam Method
To finish, with a large sewing needle, join the knitted squares together using the perpendicular invisible seam method – it is a method of seaming knitted pieces together where one of the pieces is placed vertically and the other horizontally and sewing the stitches together with the same row.
Pick your sewing needle and thread. Place one of the knitted square stitches horizontally and another vertically in an alternation of the position of the squares. Pass the needle from behind to the front of the fabric and start to sew on one side.
Then, hid the project in its original pattern and weave in the ends of the project. On the horizontal, cross the first stitch that is far away from you from right to left. After, insert the needle into the first stitch exactly at the point where you pulled the needle out the first time.
Repeat this technique all over again on all the stitches until the seams are completed, moving from the right to left direction. When you’re done, tie a knot after weaving and hide or cut off the left thread behind the stitches.
Below is a self-explanatory video to learn more:
Conclusion
A blanket made with cotton yarn is beautiful when you create it perfectly. Any cotton yarn is based on your choice of the blanket but the more well-knitted your project the more beautiful the finish. Cotton yarn is a soft yarn that is good on the skin and makes it perfect and comfortable for use.
Today, we’ve learned about how good cotton yarn is for knitting or crocheting blankets.