Cheap cotton yarn?

[ClairesTravellingCircus]

Hello

I do not have any good shops near me so mainly order on line.
I'd like to knit a dress/cardigan for my toddler but difficult to choose yarn on line. Patterns are online and use american yarn. Dk should be ok

Thanks

Paton's 100% mercerised cotton is great. American yarn weights are slightly different but you can convert between them here and if you look on Ravelry for the pattern you can see what other people have been knitting the same thing in, which will give you inspiration.

100% cotton can be a bit of a pain to wash so I'd be tempted to go for a blend. Sirdar Recycled is good, or Sirdar Calico.

I agree with trib on the patons! And the ball is 100g so great value too!

Thank you both,

Tripbot can I ask how is cotton a pain to wash? I haven't knitted in cotton in years, I just assumed you could put it in the washing machine?

Oh yes, it can go in the machine - but obviously takes longer to dry than a blended yarn, and might need reshaping whilst damp?

Can I recommend RICO creative design Aran. It's more like a dk but its soft and comes in beautiful colours. They are really bright and vibrant.

Have a look at the Drops cotton and cotton blends. The Muskat one is a relatively stiff cotton but I imagine it will soften when washed/dried. Rico Essentials cotton is similar (different to the one Pukous linked to , it's a DK but slightly thinner than the Drops one.

100% cotton can be a bit unforgiving to work with - because it doesn't stretch much it can be uncomfortable maintaining tension, especially if you haven't knitted for a while. I'd definitely think about a blend or even an acrylic if you can bear it (or merino / cashmerino if you're not on too tight a budget!)
I've been looking at blends recently and I liked Drops cotton light - Woolwarehouse has it on offer at the moment so it's only 90p for 50g. It's much softer and more drapey than the Patons 100% Cotton (which is mercerised and gives a crisper finish) - It will depend on the pattern what sort of finish you prefer. Haven't tried washing the Drops yet though.