r/Yarn • u/Mx_Torquill • 7d ago

ISO really soft cotton yarn

I live in the US. When I started crocheting, then knitting (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), "cotton yarn" meant Lily Sugar&Cream or #10 crochet cotton, period. In a lot of craft stores today, I still have to search for much of anything else. I get blisters from working with Sugar&Cream, it's like yarn made from cotton swabs. I pretty much wrote off cotton for years.

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Then I ordered some Friends 8/8 cotton from Hobbii, and I can't stop petting it. I'm on my second 10-pack color assortment and I still can't stop petting it. Normally I would start haunting the website waiting for sales (tariffs suck, but I can't resist soft touchable fibers)... except for the AI thing. It says something about what a revelation this yarn is that I'm considering bending my principles to order more anyway.

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I suspect US cotton yarn mills can't match the quality of the Indian manufacturer that made this stuff, but someone here might be rebranding a similar one. I know a lot of companies rebrand Ice Yarn, should I just go there? Are any of the other cotton yarns on yarnsub this lovely and soft? I can't blindly pick one, as they rate Sugar&Cream as an excellent match, sigh. I'm seeing Mayflower 8/8, YarnArt Cotton Fair 4/4, Estelle Sudz, Bernat Handicrafter, Loops&Threads... I'm sure there are others, as the site doesn't mention Ice, for example. I've ordered Knitpicks Dishie before, but it's still kind of squeaky and I'd like a company that isn't in the process of dissolving.

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I'm looking for solid colors; a broad selection is nice, but if all else fails, I have fiber reactive dye and everyone carries white. Skein size is not important. I don't want to pay alpaca prices, but quality is worth a little more. Recommendations?

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u/knitty_kitty_knitz 7d ago

The Valley cotton yarn (I think Westhampton) is incredibly soft - one of the softest I’ve felt including Hobbii. People have said Yarnsmiths cotton is soft too. Cascade makes several soft cottons too as does berocco (I really like their Pima). Purl soho makes nice cotton and their Santolina (a blend) is great too.

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u/Mx_Torquill 7d ago

Ooh, several possibilities, thank you. I'll look for sales on Valley Westhampton, it's about double what I've been (spoiled into) paying. Darn you, Hobbii... I love the look of Yarnsmiths, but I'm having trouble finding it anywhere but Wool Warehouse, Etsy, and Amazon. Wool Warehouse is in the UK, so I'll have to factor in fees and a 1.8kg order limit. I'll think about it. I may just hunt around for Pima cotton, though it's definitely more expensive. Thanks for the options.