Cotton Yarn Investigations

I have finished 4 of 6 sample dishclothes -- 2 Lily Sugar 'n' Cream and 2 Bernat Cottontots. I've the first of the 2 Lion brand cloths in progress.

Keeping back the "control" versions of Lily and Bernat, I tossed the other two in the washer with a towel load -- warm/cold water, regular wash, Downy fabric softener, heavy duty dry. There wasn't a lot of shrinkage, less than 1/2 inch all around. The Lily yarn had felt scratchy and stiff, more like butcher's string, when I was knitting with it. It softened and fluffed considerable during washing. The Bernat softened a bit, but had a nice "hand" even in the skein. The Lion feels very string-like. The thread is dense and looks quite a lot like butcher's string. It will be interesting to see how it washes.

Further research on these three yarns : Lily comes in three sizes : Regular ball 120 yds; Superball 200 yd.; Cone 805 yds. Bernat only comes in a 200 yd. ball. Lion Brand "Lion Cotton" comes in a 236 yd. ball and a 775 yd. ball. If there is no significant difference in the yarns after they are washed, the Lily cone is the most yarn for your money. The Bernat Cottontots is the most expensive of the three yarns. It can range up to $6.00 a skein. That's pretty expensive when you need over 2000 yds. of yarn for a sweater.