How Much is Inside? -- thread count

Rob Cockerham and his brother Mike use a super-powerful magnifying toy (Eyeclops) to count the individual threads in some $40 Martha Stewart Collection 360 thread count pillowcases. They wanted to answer the questions, "Are there really 360 threads per square inch?" Link (See other How Much is Inside" experiments here.)

• [Stefan Jones]

  I’ve love to see BBTV adaptations of Rob Cockerham’s stories.

• [Anselm]

  See, this is the awesome sort of geekery that gets me reading BoingBoing. I always find something to inspire to me to out and do things myself, learn things myself, and not to just take things I see on the internet as facts. ;)

• [squib]

  Well I’ll sleep more soundly now, thanks Rob and Mike

• [Rob Cockerham]

  Thanks for the nice comments!
  No need to fret ORNITH, the ink on the sheets did come out in the wash, and they are as good as new.

  I do end up wasting/destroying some things to photograph/study/transmute into comedy for cockeyed.com: The 220 rice crispy squares and 968 CDs labeled with one Sharpie marker come to mind.

• [SamSam]

  I found out later that this “every other thread” knitting technique is called a “multi-pick” weave, and that it was designed by Bill Russell, the player-coach of the world champion Boston Celtics.
  –

  Umm, what?

  I have to say… I did NOT know that.
  

  #6: … try imagining other meanings of the term “multi-pick weave”
  …

  I think Rob is having you on. ;)

• [ornith]

  Sidenote: if you really want the best sheets, thread count is not the only thing you should be looking at. You also need to check the fiber content. Cotton, linen, modal, and other natural fibers are good (although linen wrinkles like crazy, and in my experience modal wears out very fast); polyester, even in blends, is bad – it holds sweat against your skin instead of absorbing it. I’m not sure there’s much point to threadcounts above 300, either.

  And another thing: this guy still ruined his pillowcase by putting ink all over it. Should have used tailor’s chalks and done them on the inside, and/or used the bottom corner of a sheet. For that matter, if you’re going to cut an inch from something, why cut it from the middle? He may be a scientist, but he’s no engineer.

• [Falcon_Seven]

  r ths th knd f thngs ppl d whn thy dn’t hv jb?

  N, rlly. r thy?

• [orinos73]

  Hw mny tms r y gys gnn shll fr yclps? s th crtr frnd f yrs r smthng?

  Jst syn’.

• [mightymouse1584]

  answer… yes

• [nickh]

  I think it is fair to say that the only reason why this was picked up was because of Rob’s funny hat an facial hair.

• [Steven]

  now now. it only stand to reason that, in the pen’, martha would have developed a healthy respect for the well-made bedsheet.

• [tomrigid]

  I found out later that this “every other thread” knitting technique is called a “multi-pick” weave, and that it was designed by Bill Russell, the player-coach of the world champion Boston Celtics.

  Umm, what?

  I have to say… I did NOT know that.

• [Stacyj]

  “Wait!” Mike yelled. “Don’t cut up your $40 pillowcases!”

  “Then how will I pull apart the threads and count them?” I replied.

  I … LOVE that there are people like this out there in the world, geeking their marvelously geeky way through life, not only taking the time to COUNT the number of threads in their bedclothes but actually posting it for the benefit of all mankind – huzzah for the internets!

• [orinos73]

  @ Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

  got it. will keep that in mind.

  BTW, Moderation Guidelines are NOT linked from the main page. Unless I’m overlooking something.

• [Fnarf]

  Boing Boing’s moderation policy makes me physically ill.

• [tomrigid]

  @16,

  I’m afraid that Rosey Grier has forever subdued my skepto-reflex where enormous ex-athletes and thread are concerned.

  Where would Bill Russell buy thimbles? How would he thread a needle? You’ve got to ask the tough questions. This is why I’ll never be a scientist!

• [Takuan]

  mm? I can help ya with that, c’mere….

• [Registrado]

  One…toowho…thuree…<crunch>. Three.

  Oh, sorry – I was counting the wrong thing.

  That article was more interesting and informative than I expected before reading. Good job!

• [mdhatter]

  I got my 12-year old nephew a USB version of and Eyeclops-like-thing a while back, he LOVES the thing. He has the kewlest insect photo’s.

• [Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator]

  Falcon, Orinos, go read the moderation guidelines. They’re linked from the front page.