Wool vs Cotton
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I’m knitting a cotton sweater right now. Cotton was one of the first fibers I knit with when nice wool seemed scarce in this country. There was also this cool shop which was part of Conshohocken Cotton, where you could get cones and bags of cotton at cheap prices which was just what I needed as a teenager with a small budget.
Later on I discovered nicer wools. And much more recently, I discovered fingering weight hand dyed wool, such as LITLG Twist Sock. I have to say as a broad category, that is my favorite type of yarn. I’m all about color, and that's where you find so much of it. And the yarn can be carried with something else to make it heavier (think Calliope sweater ) or knit alone for a lighter weight knit, even on a size 5 needle, think Andrea Mowry’s So Faded.
I consider those lighter weight knits all season garments with the exception of the extreme cold or hot. “Wool in summer???” lots of people say. Let’s talk about it. If it is 90 degrees out and I am sitting outside or hiking outside, I don’t want a wool sweater; I don’t want any sweater. In fact, I want as little clothing as possible. But normally I’m in air conditioning in the summer or maybe it’s evening and there’s a light breeze. A fingering weight wool sweater does not feel heavy to me, or make me sweat. Here’s why:
Wool is both breathable and helps you regulate body temperature. Think sheep out in the warm meadow. It also helps wick away moisture. There’s also this cool fact that wool tends to not be static so it doesn’t cling to your body. We’ve all been there, wearing something that is sticking to us as we sweat. Yuck! One of the best qualities of wool, I think, is its elasticity. This is why I want to knit with it all year round.
But other fibers aren’t shut out of the equation. As I said, I’m knitting a cotton sweater right now. It’s pima cotton, (Ultimate Pima by Juniper Moon Farm) and very soft. It will be a great spring, summer piece but I won’t want to wear it either in this 90 degree heat!
Jennifer