Acrylic vs Cotton: How One Hooker Learned to Stop and Smell the Cotton

For MOST of my "crochet life" I was avidly against COTTON.  I just did NOT understand WHY people would write patterns using it, OR what was wrong with my old acrylic.  Let me start by saying, it is not a war!  There isn't a "winner" or "loser" between the two.  So, we'll explore the benefits of BOTH, and hopefully get you "smelling the cotton" by the end of this blog post!
A few months back, I had the pleasure of meeting a kindred spirit in "that crazy hooker Shannon" over at The Hookeraholic Crochet.  One day we were chatting about a halter suit she had see me put through testing, but never seen released.  I explained I had thrown that project in my "scrap heap".  (The "scrap heap" is a wasteland of bum patterns I did not feel were good enough to ask someone to pay hard earned money for.)  Shannon was VERY surprised and said , "But WHY?"  I explained it just didn't quite sit the way I wanted, and was bulky.  There was something just "OFF" about it that I couldn't put my finger on.  That is when she asked THE question...."Did you ever try working it in cotton?"  I was ready to begin my tirade against cotton, when Shannon offered to work it FOR me in cotton.  The ending result was AMAZING!!!!! I was not only able to release that pattern, But the "Made In the Shade" Sunglasses Headband and Halter suit has been a fan favorite for SICK 'LIL MONKEYS.  Soon after I released the Halter set, The Hookeraholic Crochet released a fabulous "Joyalicious Summer Bag" that I HAD to make, but AGAIN, here was that DERNED cotton.  So, I bit the bullet and broke down and bought some cotton, unscented.

Click below to get the pattern for this outfit (Birth - 9mo) for just $2 by clicking the link below:

Made In the Shade Sunglasses Headband and Halter Set on Ravelry

Just $2!!!!!!

The Joyalicious Summer Bag on Ravelry

I came home with what I thought were 8 incredibly tiny balls of cotton from Michael's.  They were on sale four for $5 and were called Sugar and Creme.  Then I worked a pattern test in cotton.  I fell in LOVE.  First of all, it did not take NEARLY as much as I thought It would!  My perception of how much yarn was in the skein was distorted from the HUGE size of the acrylic skeins I was used to.  Secondly, the stitches were SO smooth and SO defined!!!!  They were BEAUTIFUL, clear and no "fuzz" anywhere!  Third, It stayed SO true to shape!  I found the edges didn't try to curl as much as they did with my trusty old acrylic.  But the MOST important thing?  COTTON allowed me to REALLY open up WHAT items can be designed and worn comfortably EVEN in summer months!  (Note: for lighter items don't forget to change the weight of the cotton, or stitch type you are using!)

Cotton is more absorbent, and BREATHES more.  It is GREAT for summer clothing items.  It gives tons of stretch, and launders easily.  And it's on sale ALL over the place.  At the 4 for $5 sale Michael's runs a couple times each summer, 3 balls is 7.5 ounces for $3.75.  Acrylic Red Heart is $3.27 for 7 ounces at my local Wal-Mart.  So REALLY, is cotton THAT expensive?  Break down and buy a ball, you WON'T be sorry.  Once you really start loving it, do yourself a favor and pick up some "Red Heart Creme De La Creme Cotton", or "Hobby Lobby I love This Cotton", they crochet like butter!  Then once you get REALLY brave, try out the TONS of amazing projects available in Red Heart Crochet Cotton number's 3 - 30!

Did I leave out an important point about cotton?  Comment below and let us know!