Cotton Addiction and Recycling

Now a lot of the projects I've been working on lately have been crochet but instead of using wool I've been using cotton and I have loved it!

All the 'Mr & Mrs' bunting has been in cotton as has the bicycle set (wheel cover, bunting and seat cover) and the butterfly for the wedding bouquet, have also been in cotton.

Cotton is always a popular choice for summer knitting as well as crochet and I know some knitters who have never touched it and some crocheters who wont use anything else but prior to a few months ago I had never used it!

Cotton comes in various shades and sizes, just as wool does, but I don't feel its as widely available as wools (personal opinion as I've been trying to track down a deep red that comes in larger than 50g balls and does not cost the earth!) but what I have seen (again personal view) is a large range of recycled cotton! This makes me exceptionally happy due to the environmental questions regarding the production of cotton but...

My sister works for the environmental department of The University of Leeds so this was ideal for the bicycle project for her. Now I normally do not use magazine projects, its not a snobbish thing, I just tend not to have a lot of time for personal projects or see many that make me want to work even later than I already do to make some headway. I have 2 half finished jumpers in a draw for myself, one started this year in cables and one that has been there for 2 years in fair isle.

This one was from Issue 17 of Simply Crochet and the reason I loved it so much was not the pattern, or the colours (far too bright for my tastes) but its originality.

Now this brings us back to cotton...for such a project it required something that was a bit sturdier in terms of washing, being on a bike and all, but what I loved about cotton was the smoothness. Now you can get smooth wools such as bamboo and I find baby soft wools very smooth but there is just something very different about cotton. There seems to be no weight to the project either regardless of its size.

The Sirdar Double Knitting Simply Recycled cotton I used for this project is 49% acrylic and 51% recycled cotton so its not the perfect yet but its good to see some companies (as they are not the only one with a recycled range) taking some responsibility, even in the craft world which is seen to be more environmentally friendly as it is.

Wheel cover 

Now the colour range is limited, you have no chance if you wanted a very vibrant colour, they are all quite muted, but I like the warn, vintage, aged feel it gives.

Bike seat cover  - stretched out to show side detail

On a less eco note I have also been using Debbie Bliss's DK Cotton which is 100% cotton and the luxury feel of that! Now this does come in a lot more vibrant colours so spoilt for choice!  I do not know where this addiction to cotton has come from; I guess its been after months of working on such huge projects with wools, as soft as they are, my extra sensitive skin was drying out.

The wheel cover with the flash on the camera! 

Eco cotton for a eco project for a eco warrior!

Give it another 2 months when the weather starts to go colder again and I'll be addicted to a chunk wool again but I'll remain a cotton girl whilst the sun is out! Now to make some flowers for her basket :)

My cousins grandmother used to buy large second-hand charity shop knitwear and frog it completely to make 2/3 small cardigans for the children (aka me & her grandchildren) and I always thought that was a brilliant use of outdated/no longer loved knits.

Do you prefer recycled yarn/cotton over others? Do environmental factors influence your yarn choice?

Big thanks to my boyfriend again for being a project 'model' ha ah!