What cotton best suits your project? We’re here to help you with this Candid Cotton Guide
The Fiber Lover’s Quick Dictionary
When embarking on a new hobby, there are so many new things to learn that vocabulary should be the least of your worries. And yet it sometimes is! So let’s break down a standardized fibrous vocabulary so that you’ll feel confident talking about strings and so many things.
“String” is a term typically used to refer to single strand (sometimes called “single twist,” “single strand”) cotton.
“Rope” or “cord” are terms typically used to refer to triple strand (sometimes called “triple twist”) cotton and braided cotton.
“Ply” refers to the thread count of your cord. If you cut off a tiny little piece, you can separate and count each mini thread that’s twisted to form the cord. This will give you a ply count.
“Gauge” is not always used as a term in macrame and weaving, but is sometimes referenced to characterize the overall thickness of your fibre. This measurement is usually listed in millimeters but can sometimes be noted as a fraction of an inch.
“Anchor” is often used to describe the point at which you attach your fibres. Your anchor can be driftwood, dowel, metal frame, hoop, loom, or even an antler.
“Fringe” is the term typically used to describe string or rope left dangling at the bottom of a tapestry or plant hanger. Sometimes, fringe will be smoothly brushed out, but this isn’t always the case: some crafters leave their fringe in its original twist too.
Examining our different types of cotton
TRIPLE STRAND RECYCLED COTTON:
Triple strand cotton rope/cord is made up of three separate sections that are twisted together to form the shape of the rope. It looks more like a discrete cable or braid. These three strands can be separated and unraveled to create a slightly crimped effect (say, in the tail of a plant hanger or along the edges of a wall hanging). Triple strand is especially beginner-friendly because it maintains its structure, even under the duress of unknotting and re-knotting–which you’ll surely need to do when learning to create! The more sturdy quality of triple strand gives it greater tensile strength, which makes this an ideal fibre for weight bearing projects: like macrame bags, furniture, or plant hangers.
Our collection of triple strand recycled cotton is different than other triple strand cords on the market in that it is just as soft as our single strand, and without close scrutiny, it can even be hard to tell the difference between our triple and single strand on the roll. Our uniquely soft and pliable triple strand is as versatile as it gets because it has all the advantages of a single strand and triple strand combined into one product.
SINGLE STRAND RECYCLED COTTON:
Single strand is composed of individual fibres that are twisted to create one length of string. While it is no more soft than our triple strand recycled cottons, single strand does have a more gentle, simple, and sleek aesthetic that some folks tend to prefer. Single strand offers a leg-up for those seeking a combed fringe finish because strands don’t need to be unraveled before brushing. This can be a time-saving bonus; however, absolute beginners might struggle more with single strand cotton as it unravels and snags more readily than triple strand and its twist is less tight.
LUSH COTTON STRING:
This single strand is our luxury cotton model. Every roll in our Lush String collection is made up of finely combed cotton ply. This means that all of the impurities have been brushed out before each ply is twisted into string. The result of this intensive production process is a finely tuned, lustrous, smooth, and luminous cotton that is bright on the eyes and silky on the hands. Our Lush String is more tightly twisted than our recycled cotton string, so it is less likely to unravel and snag–even with unknotting and re-knotting. If you’re looking for a fibre that will elevate your work, this string will literally make your creations shine.
BRAIDED COTTON CORD:
Braided cotton is made up of tightly criss-crossed sections of fibre, offering a uniquely structured cord that won’t unravel easily, and that is ideally suited to beginners and experts alike. Our Braided Cotton Cord is made of finely combed cotton, and has no filler in its middle. This is a soft, uncoated, natural braided cotton whose aesthetic resembles a round shoelace. Of our entire cotton collection, Braided Cord is the best match for structured tapestries, VCH macrame, baskets, crochet, rugs, macraweaving, and any weight-bearing creations. While it maintains its form very well, our braided cotton also brushes out easily into a smooth straight fringe–so this is indeed a versatile fibre!
HOLLOW BRAIDED RECYCLED COTTON CORD/YARN:
Our Hollow Braided Cotton is an exciting new fibre to our shop. What we love most about this cotton is that it can function as a cord or as a yarn. Sometimes, finding a true recycled cotton that works for crochet or knitting is a tricky endeavor. But that’s where our hollow braided comes in. It crochets fabulously into granny squares, bags, purses, clothing, hats, and dishcloths. And it also knots nicely for smaller macrame applications (like keychains, mini plant hangers, tassels, and car charms). Hollow Braided Recycled Cotton doesn’t brush out easily into fringe, and it’s less round than our regular braided cotton. This fact makes it ideal for fiber wrapped lampshades, warp string, or tightly woven tapestries.
RECYCLED COTTON T-SHIRT YARN
Our cotton t-shirt yarn is part of a closed production loop that’s really rewarding to be a part of. Pre-consumer textile scraps (off-cuts from various forms of textile production) are gathered. If they can be cut into strands and wound into t-shirt yarn, this is how they’re repurposed. If the scraps are too small for t-shirt yarn, then they’re sorted by colour category and pulverized into what becomes our recycled cotton string and cord. T-shirt yarn is characteristically flat and flexible, with minor stretch. It gently rolls inward on itself, but can also be ironed and flattened for a different appearance altogether. Because of the somewhat unpredictable way that our t-shirt yarns are produced, we can’t keep specific colours on demand. Instead, we work to create less waste by purchasing the colours readily available. This allows us less control, but a lower carbon footprint. And that’s something we’re very proud of.
Choose The Perfect Cotton for Your Project
WHICH TYPE OF COTTON IS RIGHT FOR YOUR PROJECT?
Finding the perfect fit for each of your fibre projects can be a tall order. Over time, you’ll develop a sixth sense that tells you the right cotton fibre to choose for your creations, but until you’ve reached that intuition, we’re making things easy for you with this helpful beginner’s guide:
FOR ALL BEGINNERS, try 4mm triple strand recycled cotton or 5mm braided cotton. In the beginning, it’s easier to form, tighten, and understand your knots with a thicker cord. Here’s a close up of our 4mm triple strand recycled cord in natural.
FOR PLANT HANGERS, Choose 3mm triple strand recycled or 3mm braided cotton (for small plants); choose 4mm triple strand recycled or 5mm braided cotton (for medium plants); choose 1.5mm triple strand recycled cotton or hollow braided cotton (for mini plant hangers)
FOR HAMMOCKS, choose either 4mm triple strand recycled, 5mm single strand recycled, 7mm single strand recycled, or 5mm braided cotton
FOR CHUNKY WALL HANGINGS, choose 7mm single strand
FOR MEDIUM TO LARGE WALL HANGINGS, choose 7mm single strand, 5mm single strand, 5mm braided, or 4mm triple strand
FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM WALL HANGINGS, choose 3mm single strand, 3mm triple strand, 3mm braided, or 4mm triple strand
FOR LEAVES AND FEATHERS, choose 3mm single strand or 5mm single strand
FOR COASTERS, choose 3mm single strand or 3mm triple strand
FOR MARKET BAGS, choose 4mm triple strand or 3mm triple strand, 5mm braided cotton, 3mm braided cotton, hollow braided cotton, or choose our recycled cotton t-shirt yarn
FOR KEYCHAINS, JEWELRY, and CHARMS, choose 3mm single strand, 3mm triple strand, 2mm single strand, 1mm 2-ply, 1.5 mm triple strand, or hollow braided cotton
FOR WRAPPED RAINBOWS, Choose 20mm triple strand or 10mm triple strand (for base) and 1mm 2-ply, 2mm single strand, or 3mm single/triple strand for cotton wrapping mediums. Alternatively, wrapping fibres can be very diverse: our sari ribbons, chiffon ribbons, velvet ribbons and fuzzy ribbons will make beautiful, tactile additions.
FOR MACRAME FLOWERS AND INTRICATE CREATIONS, Choose 2mm single strand, 3mm triple strand, 1.5mm triple strand, 1mm 2ply, or hollow braided cotton
FOR FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS, choose 1mm 2-ply, 1.5mm triple strand recycled cotton, hollow braided cotton, or flat waxed cord
FOR RUG TUFTING, choose 2mm single strand
FOR COILED BASKETS, choose 10mm or 20mm triple strand as your coiling core and 3mm triple strand or 3mm braided cotton as your wrapping cord. Here’s a basket coiled around 10mm triple strand and using 3mm triple strand recycled cotton for wrapping and stitching
FOR WARP THREAD choose 1mm 2ply, 1.5mm triple strand recycled cotton, metallic shimmer string, or hollow braided cotton. Here’s a close-up of our popular 1mm 2ply recycled cotton, often used or warp
FOR MACRAME JEWELRY choose 1mm 2ply, 1.5mm triple strand recycled cotton, hollow braided cotton, 2mm single strand recycled cotton, or flat waxed cord
If you have a project in mind that’s not on this list, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email: unfetteredsupply@gmail.com
