Little Baskest and Blue Sky Cotton Review

So I made the Soft Baskets from more last-minute knitted gifts again(see previous post for link).  Such a quick and super easy pattern.  I found a great tutorial for the cable cast on here, it made it so much easier and these are very clear instructions with good pictures if you are a visual person like me.  I just love this little basket and have a few more planned just for me!  Yippee.  The one I am picturing was knit for my husband Grandmother.  She is going to love it.  She is a quilter and crafter extraordinaire and always has a need for new little containers to hold all of wonderful little "things and such".  I made it Blue Sky Alpaca's Worsted Cotton.  Some of the best cotton I have used.  I use it often too!  This is a pale green color, so soft and pretty to look at too.

So picture one is the basket, you can see that it is not large at all, but perfect for those little things.  Like extra odds and ends of yarn you can part with, spools of thread, or buttons!!  The second picture I took so I could see how much room was left.  This basket has plenty of "stretch" so to speak.  I probably could have fit a few more little balls of yarn in it.  I just love it!

On to a review about the Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton.  I love this cotton, it is a worsted weight, so it knits up fairly fast, probably my favorite fact about it.  I also love how soft it is, not like some cottons that have that twine feel.  It is a little finicky and can split if you are knitting on to small of needles or having to rip back often.  That is a small con though when you weigh all the pros. 
Here are my pros.

1. Super soft!
2. Easy to work with
3. Great for baby items and toys
4. It is double ply
5. Great array of colors
6. Multiple patterns for the yarn, either from the company or linked on ravelry.com
7. Doesn't pill much!

Here are my con's:

1. A little more expensive at $9.50 for 150 yards.
2. Tends to split with over ripping(a lot of yarns do!) and very small needles.
3. Hand wash or dry clean only

That's it...I can't really say anything bad about it!  I will vouch for the price though.  You get what you pay for.  If you want to make a super soft, beautiful gift for a little one, this is the cotton to do it with.  Yes it is hand wash only, but one thing we knitters should try and point out to recipients is that all had knits will last much longer if they are hand washed.  We aren't talking beat it on a rock and scrub it with the ol' scrub board either!  Just a gentle hand wash.  I often times give simple instructions so it doesn't seem so overwhelming.  This really is a good bang for the buck and a huge bonus, the item will last forever with the proper care!

So that's my take on the cotton.  It's not much, but I hope it helps someone out there who is debating on whether or not to use it.  It really is fabulous, has so many colors to choose from and is easy to work with. PS...this cotton is great for many of the toys in this book!