Cotton rope
Soft, cheap, washable rope made of cotton; popular with beginners and for sensory play but generally considered unsuitable for suspension.
Cotton rope is soft on skin, inexpensive and easy to find, including as clothesline in hardware stores. Shibari Study’s glossary gives its Japanese name as watanawa (綿縄), from wata, cotton, and nawa, rope. Rope guides agree on its trade-offs. It stretches more than jute or hemp, so ties can loosen, and twisted cotton compacts in knots, which makes them hard to undo; Shibari Study finds braided cotton less prone to this. It is washable and widely regarded as hypoallergenic. Cotton is generally not recommended for load-bearing suspension, although the Wikibooks rope-making guide allows an exception for higher-grade cotton with a rated breaking strength. Karada House suggests it for ties on sensitive areas because it is soft and machine-washable.