Posts Tagged ‘cotton’
Mercerized Cotton Yarn
December 20th, 2009
Mercerized cotton yarn... what's mercerized?
I bought some cotton yarn recently, my first time working with anything other than medium-cheap acrylic. I'm liking working with it, but I noticed the label says it is mercerized. What's that? Is it a good or bad thing? Or good for certain types of projects? I'm crocheting if that makes a difference. I'm starting a shawl, and the yarn is Omega Sinfonia.
Ok, thx for the wiki link, but what I am wanting to know is how that affects me, not really what the process is. I mean, is this a type of yarn I should be looking for or looking to be sure I don't get? Is it more appropriate for certain types of projects, etc.
It's a good thing! It's not like some modern treatments where fibers are soaked in chemical and then there are toxic chemical residues on the fibers and yarns. Mercerizing works on a cellular level of the cotton so there's no need for the chemical to remain on the fiber, it's all rinsed away. Higher quality cottons are mercerized because it makes the yarn softer, shinier, stronger, brighter colored and washable. Mercerized cotton is cotton that has been heat treated to be colorfast, so no fading, and it's also shinier and smoother than non mercerized cotton and it makes the yarn shrink resistant or shrink proof. I also think it's stronger because only long staple fiber cotton can be mercerized. The process is safe, it won't make you sick if you use mercerized cottons, the sodium hydroxide is gone from the cotton because the cotton is rinsed in solution that neutralizes the acid. It's rinsed in clean water, dried, dyed and put up in balls, spools and cones. The process changes the cotton on a cellular level, so no chemical residues need to be the fibers. Knitted and crocheted item made from mercerized cotton have a higher quality look, they don't develop the short fuzzies as easily, and the yarn itself is easier to handle and work with.
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Posted in Yarn | 
Tags: cotton, fabric,, mercerized, mercerized cotton yarn patterns, mercerized cotton yarns, weaving, Yarn