Cotton yarns can be made from either short or long staple and can be made from a single or multi pick cotton. Staple is the term that refers to the length of the fiber. For example Egyptian cotton (found in our products made by Under the Nile) is so prized because it is a variety of cotton that has one of the longest staples. When making cotton yarns, microscopic knots are used to hold the individual pieces of cotton fiber together. The longer a fiber is, the less it has to be tied (thus less microscopic knots), and therefore the softer the finished product. The shorter the staple, the more knots it will have and the rougher the feel. A textile made with short staple cotton will also yield a weaker fabric.
Single pick vs. multi pick is a term that is used when a yarn is woven in a loom and has to do with the care that is taken. The machines can either grab one strand of fiber vs. several fibers at the same time during the weaving process. There is a higher risk of stressing and damaging the fiber when using the multi pick method. There is also a higher probability of manufacturing mistakes with the multi pick method. All of the organic sheets that we sell at The Natural Sleep Store are made from single pick organic cotton.
