Fingering Weight Organic Cotton Yarn for Crocheting, Knitting, Weaving, Macrame / Knotting, Dyeing, Fiber Arts and Crafts
Want to find a soft, sturdy, natural, earth-friendly, organic yarn that you can use for making a variety of projects ranging from jewelry to doilies to tank tops to sweaters to bedspreads?
If so, check out Knit Picks Simply Cotton Fingering Weight yarn. It’s an undyed, unbleached yarn that’s perfect for anyone to work with — including vegans, people who suffer from allergies, and people who have chemical sensitivities.
The TLDR Summary of this Yarn Review: I Recommend Simply Cotton Organic Yarn to Other Crocheters, Knitters and Crafters.
Simply Cotton Fingering Weight Yarn by Knit Picks — A 100% Organic Cotton Yarn
“Simply Cotton Fingering” is a 100% organic cotton yarn that the company called “Knit Picks” manufactures. The yarn is available in three weights; I’m reviewing the fingering weight version, and Knit Picks also offers worsted and sport weight versions of this yarn.
I think it’s delightful to have three different weights available for the same yarn, because this allows you to make coordinating sets of items that might each require different thicknesses of yarn. Say, for example, you want to make a matching hand-dyed tote bag and tank top, where the tote bag is worsted weight and the tank top is fingering weight. You can easily tackle projects like that by using the various weights of Simply Cotton yarn.
This is a basic cotton yarn that resembles the heftier weights of crochet thread.
I don’t currently have any easily accessible crochet thread to compare it against (most of my stash is in storage at the moment), but I’m planning to try using some of my skeins of Simply Cotton fingering weight yarn to remake a bunch of my old crochet projects that I originally crocheted using size 3 crochet thread. I’ll let you know how that turns out.
In general, I’d use this yarn for crocheting or knitting pretty much any type of project that could be made with a heavy crochet thread:
- Bedspreads
- Baby blankets, baby clothes, baby bibs and other baby layette items
- Kids’ toys and clothes
- Snowflakes and similar crochet motifs
- Doilies and mandalas
- Granny squares
- Clothing: tank tops, tunics, cardigans, pullovers, skirts, shawls, wraps, ponchos, etc. I think this yarn would also be extremely well-suited for making sarongs and lacy swimsuit cover-ups.
Yarn Specifications: Let’s Take an In-Depth Look at the Factors That Differentiate Simply Organic Cotton Fingering Weight From Other Yarns:
The Simply Cotton Color Palette — This yarn doesn’t have a color palette (unless you give it one yourself by dyeing it). The only color available is a natural, undyed, unbleached off white known as “Bare.”
Price I Paid for the Yarn — $5.59 per skein
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for the Yarn — $6.99
Yardage Per Skein – 437 yards
Grams Per Skein – 100 grams
Fiber Content — 100% organic cotton
Suggested Crochet Hook Size —
Suggested Gauge for Crochet — 21 – 23 sc = 4” on B – E hooks (2.25mm-3.5mm)
Suggested Knitting Needle Size —
Suggested Gauge for Knitting — 7 – 8 sts = 1 on #1-3 needles (2.25mm – 3.25mm)
Care Instructions — Unlike some of the other organic cotton yarns I’ve seen for sale, this yarn can be machine washed and tumble dried. (Machine wash it on a cold, gentle cycle, and tumble dry it using your dryer’s low setting.) WOOHOO! That means Simply Cotton fingering weight yarn is an outstanding choice for all kinds of things ranging from kitchen projects to baby items and kids’ clothes.
BUT!
If you decide to machine wash your project, please be aware that you are likely to experience a 5-10% shrinkage in length of knitted fabric — so you should swatch, measure your swatch, wash your swash, measure your swatch again, and compare the before and after measurements to understand how much shrinkage you need to compensate for when you create your project.
Main takeaway: Depending on how your swatch turns out, you might need to add a few extra rows or rounds beyond what your pattern calls for to compensate for the shrinkage.
In my experience, you are less likely to experience shrinkage with projects made from this yarn if you habitually hand wash your project in cool water. However, knowing that shrinkage is a possibility, I would still recommend swatching and laundering the swatch before completing your project so you have a better chance of understanding what the outcome will be.
Yarn Quality:
So far, overall, I’ve been delighted with the quality of Simply Cotton yarn.
I typically wind my yarn skeins into balls by hand before crocheting or knitting with them; so far, I’ve only wound 2 of the skeins I purchased into balls, and I haven’t yet found any flaws, knots or tangles in those skeins. I still have more winding and knitting / crocheting to do, so I will update this yarn review again when more information becomes available.
Yarn Softness:
Simply Cotton fingering weight yarn is delightfully soft. Some cotton yarn is hard and stiff, but this yarn is not. I find it to be appealing, touchable, knittable and crochetable.
Long-Term Durability:
I do not know how this yarn will perform in the long term because I purchased my first skeins of it very recently. So I will have to put it to the test and report back when I have more information to share.
Cons: Downsides to Simply Cotton Fingering Weight Yarn
In my opinion, this yarn doesn’t have any major deal breakers.
Some people will complain that it’s too expensive, but for what you get, I think it’s well worth the price.
Organic yarn isn’t cheap, but I think it is worth paying for, considering that natural ecosystems around the world are being devastated by all the toxic chemicals getting sprayed on conventionally grown cotton crops. Personally, now that I am aware of that issue, I do not want to contribute to that, so I have stopped working with (and wearing, and using) conventionally-grown cotton yarn and products to the greatest extent possible.
As compared against other brands of organic yarn, Simply Cotton is quite affordable.
Some people will complain about the lack of colors available. Okay, I’m not going to lie. I agree, from a crafter’s perspective, that that’s really a bummer. It would really be awesome to have more colors than this. No arguments from me on that.
From an environmentalist’s perspective, though, the minimalist, bare color palette is hard to argue with.
I remember a discussion I once had with a former textile industry colleague who explained to me how much pollution our industry was causing. At the time, I was shocked!
In hindsight, what’s really shocking is how ignorant I was about environmental issues.
When I was in design school, nobody explained to me the environmental impacts of printing, dyeing and chemically finishing textiles. Maybe nowadays design schools have gotten better at incorporating sustainability issues into the curriculum; I’m not sure about that. But this is something I wasn’t personally aware of, so I think it’s likely that maybe others don’t understand this, either.
At any rate, now that I’m aware of this issue, I’m working on cultivating an appreciation for natural, undyed textiles.
On one hand, I believe dyes and chemical finishes have their place, and that there are many responsible uses for them. But, I do think they need to be used responsibly.
After having thought this through, I’m now planning to re-write my old yarn reviews in which I complained about a lack of colors in certain yarns, because it isn’t at all sustainable to expect manufacturers to make and stock every color in every yarn.
Since I started using and favoring organics for my own craft projects, my heart has broken as various manufacturers have released lovely organic cotton yarns, only to discontinue them soon afterward. I commend Knit Picks for making Simply Cotton yarn available, and I hope it will never be discontinued. For my part, I will continue to buy as much of it as I can use and afford.
Furthermore, I think off white yarn is beautiful, classic and endlessly usable. This one color is going to be exactly what you want to use for making projects that will stand the test of time.
Think about it; if you’re lucky enough to have a vintage crocheted bedspread, doily, curtain or tablecloth as a family heirloom, it’s most likely made in a white or off-white color that is classic and still looks stunning all these years later. So, take that as evidence suggesting that this off-white color will age well and won’t go outdated.
The Verdict: I Highly Recommend Knit Picks Simply Cotton Fingering Weight Yarn to Other Crafters!
I’m grateful to have this lovely organic cotton yarn in its one beautiful, classic, timeless, off-white, bare color. I highly recommend it to other crocheters, knitters and crafters. I hope you will love it as much as I do!
Where to Buy Knit Picks Simply Cotton Fingering Yarn
This yarn is available for sale at the Knitpicks.com website. Click or tap here to shop for this yarn at Knit Picks.
Or you can click here to see the sport weight version of this yarn, which I also highly recommend.
Find Free Crochet Patterns for Using Knitpicks.com’s Simply Cotton Yarn:
Normally, in this section of my yarn reviews, I make an effort to recommend patterns where I have actually used the yarn I’m reviewing as the suggested yarn, so I can be 100% certain of how the projects turn out.
In this case, I’m going to cautiously suggest some patterns that I’m planning to use this yarn for crocheting, myself – but I haven’t actually got that far yet to test these marriages of yarn + pattern to see how well they will work. So, if you make any of these patterns using this yarn, please be especially sure to check your gauge before diving in to ensure that you will be pleased with the results.
- Criss Cross Granny Square
- You can also try using this yarn for the snowflakes on this list of crochet snowflake patterns.
Want to find more opinions on yarn written from the perspective of someone who is both a crocheter AND a knitter? I invite you to check out more of my yarn reviews by visiting the following links:
More Knit Picks Yarn
- Palette Yarn by Knit Picks / We Crochet: A Review for Knitters and Crocheters
- Hawthorne Speckle Product Review
More Organic Cotton Yarn
- Find Another Review for Yarn Similar to Simply Cotton Fingering Weight: It’s Lion Brand’s “Oh Baby” Organic Cotton Yarn
- Check Out Bio Sesia Organic Cotton Yarn, Too!
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By Amy Solovay
About the Author: Amy Solovay is a professional designer and educator who has a background in textile design. She holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor from Sweet Briar College, and she has also earned an additional, separate degree in textile design from FIDM LA (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles.
As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles.
Nowadays, Amy uses online platforms to teach digital courses to craft pattern designers, content creators and influencers all over the world. If you’re an artist, crafter or DIY enthusiast who is interested in earning income from your creative work, you’re invited to visit Crafterprise.com to learn more about monetizing the arts, craft(s) and / or DIY projects you do.
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This page was last updated on 8-29-2024.