Can you mix cotton yarn with acrylic yarn in pattern?

Answer 1

This depends on what you are knitting. For most patterns, the answer is Yes, you can use acrylic instead.

However, there are a few cases where it is best to stick to using cotton.

For dishcloths, potholders, or drying towels, it is generally best to use the cotton. Why?

For dishcloths, acrylic will not be quite as soft on the dishes, and acrylic is just weird in water. In this case, though, it would still work, but definitely not as well as the cotton.

For potholders, the reason is very simple: for some acrylic yarns, if it is under high temperatures long enough, it will melt slightly, discoloring it and making it kind of crusty. Some acrylic yarns may be more resistant to heat though, so it may be all right.

For towels, acrylic doesn't seem to absorb water as well as cotton, so this in itself is a reason to use cotton instead. Again, it would still work, but not as well.

For any sort of garment, decoration, bag, pet accessory, etc., it should be perfectly all right.