New In - Cottonsoft Yarns in Bright Colours

I've been wanting to attempt a granny square crochet top for ages. Recently someone contacted me to buy a selection of yarns to try crocheting a granny square cardigan. Like me, they are new to crochet, so they inspired me to give the top a go! That meant that along with ordering their selection of yarns, I had to order my own selection too! I went for the colours in the pattern, my customer went for her own combo. Both are going to turn out great.

Tip: before crocheting clothes, it is a good idea to test your tension. Had I not done this, there is no way on earth the top was going to fit me. I had to adjust my needle size by a couple of sizes!!

Summer top in Granny Squares crocheted with King Cole Cottonsoft DK

Image of close up of Cottonsoft DK yarn in Antique Gold

Image of close up of Cottonsoft DK yarn in Azure - bright blue

Image of close up of Cottonsoft DK yarn in Magenta pink

Image of close up of Cottonsoft DK yarn in Mint

Image of close up of Cottonsoft DK yarn in Ecru or cream

Buy the pattern and yarn to crochet the colours in the short sleeve top - Antique Gold is the base colour and the granny squares are created with various combinations of Azure, Magenta, Mint and Ecru.

The long sleeve sweater uses the same colours but the base is Ecru.

Other Cottonsoft DK colours

Lime, Rose, Silver, White and Cottonsoft Candy in Raspberry

Cotton Yarn Knits

Image of cotton top knitted in lime green yarn

One of my favourite tops to wear last summer was this cotton cap sleeve top. I knitted it in the Lime shade shown in the pattern. It was so comfortable to wear, it felt great and the bright green looked fab.

It is knitted in King Cole Cottonsoft DK, Lime using pattern 4344

Buy the pattern, yarn or kit

Cotton yarn - colourful and cool

Cotton yarn is quite breathable and feels comfortable next to your skin, making it perfect for lightweight tops and summer knitting and crochet projects. It is durable and keeps its colour. Cotton yarn tends to be machine washable and dries quickly. It also gets softer the more you wash it. It is a yarn that doesn't tend to pill too much, holds together well and is great for showing off your knitting stitches.

There are some drawbacks to working with cotton yarn. It's not great for projects where you need it to hold its shape, or structured knits that you will wear. Cotton is great at holding water, which means it gets heavy when it is wet. This make it prone to stretching and sagging, and it won't return to its original size or shape once it has stretched. Cotton has no elasticity or memory and can be slippery. It's lack of elasticity can make it difficult to keep an even tenstion. I also find that some cotton yarns shed tiny fibres as you knit, these fibres make me cough and my nose itch. But, I love working with cotton yarn and the discomfort is mild.