Two new additions to the O! Jolly! natural, color-grown cotton collection are now in the shop and I'm so excited to show them to you! Pictured above is a textured sweater knit I've named Saratoga Rib. The fabric is ultra soft and feels seriously luxurious. The natural white cotton fiber was grown in California by farmers following growing practices of the Sustainable Cotton Project. The knitting mill in New Jersey did a beautiful job producing my design, full tucks and bumpy ribs.
Stripes! Yes, I've wanted to add some stripes to the collection for a little while. And what says spring and summer better than stripes! The yarn that makes light green stripes is color-grown green cotton (also from California farmers practicing sustainable growing methods). Color-grown means that the yarn has not been dyed. The white and green are the natural colors of the yarn. No dyes. No bleach.
And no mercerization! Mercerized cotton, also known as pearl or pearle cotton, is a conventional cotton that has undergone the very toxic process for added strength, luster, and more vivid colors. Sodium hydroxide is used at the beginning of the mercerization process. At the end of this process the cotton yarn or fabric is neutralized in acid. There's an excellent article on the process and history of mercerization byTom Beaudet on FiberArts.org. But this is not a process that the fabrics of my color-grown collection go through. (Sorry to say that I used mercerized yarns years ago for personal and custom fabrics, before I knew better.)
Getting back to the new Stripe Jersey, it's slightly lighter weight and has a bit more drape than the other natural jerseys in the shop. It's also special in that the width is approximately 72 inches. Many of you will be able to squeeze an entire sweater out of a yard. (As always, I recommend cutting flat through a single layer of fabric, not double-layered on the fold.) I personally plan on using the reverse side as my public side when I get around to making something. I just love the texture and the way the stripes look on this side. (See upper right corner of pic.)
Though not all the above mentioned fabrics are currently in stock, new sustainable fabrics will return in early 2020. Please join the email list to be kept up to date on sweater fabrics and other O! Jolly! news.
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Last update 30Oct2019
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