I was wondering if your 16/2 cotton was unmercerized? I’m assuming if your cotton doesn’t say mercerized then it isn’t. Could you tell me the difference between 8/2, 8/4, and 8/8?
Our 16/2 is unmercerized. The difference between all those cottons is simply the size. They are all plys of a base yarn which is the #8 part of the fraction. 8/2 is a 2 ply, 8/4 is a 4 ply and 8/8 is an 8 ply. They get progressively fatter and therefore have less yardage per pound. The 16/2 is half of the size of a #8……so that first number sort of gives you an idea of the size of the yarn. The higher that number is the finer the yarn. Most sewing cotton is a 50/2. 16/2 is quite fine, 8/2 makes a lovely tea towel, 8/4 makes a medium weight placemat or lovely cotton blanket and 8/8 makes a great placemat. Sometimes those numbers are reversed. 2/8 or 8/2 are the same.
