Using sustainable yarn is the most impactful and practical way you can make your crochet more sustainable. When you use sustainable yarn, you know it was produced in a way that puts the people and the planet first. And don’t be fooled by the thought that using sustainable yarn will price you right out of your fiber art. Because it won’t! Here are my top 10 under $10 sustainable yarns.
What we’ve covered in this 6-part series:
- Sustainable crochet: what is it and why do it?
- The nemesis of sustainable crochet: yarn
- The cotton conundrum: organic vs. conventional cotton
- The slow yarn movement: an overview
- 10 tips for sustainable crochet
- My top 10 under $10 sustainable yarns
This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. If you purchase materials through these links I earn a small commission which helps support my small business and allows me to continue to create free patterns for you! So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!
What is sustainable yarn?
Sustainable yarn means:
- Natural, not synthetic – natural fibers are from plants and animals and include organic cotton (versus conventional cotton), wool, hemp, alpaca, camel, cashmere, llama, mink, mohair, silk, wool, yak, linen, bamboo, eucalyptus and banana. Natural fibers are renewable (plants, wool and hair grow back) and biodegradable. Avoid synthetic yarn including acrylic, polyester, nylon polyamide, elastic, microfiber, modal, rayon and spandex. Synthetic yarn are fossil-fuel fibers produced using coal-based and petroleum chemicals. They are toxic and do not biodegrade.
- Recycled yarn of any fiber (natural or synthetic)
- No superwash wool – superwash is a process that uses toxic chemicals and strips wool of all of it’s beautiful natural properties. It coats the wool is plastic resulting in a non-biodegradable fiber.
- Ethically grown/raised and processed putting the people and the planet first.
There are SO MANY beautiful, high quality sustainable yarns out there that it was actually harder than I thought to pare it down to JUST my top 10 under $10 sustainable yarns.
But I had to do it, so here you go…
1. Hoooked Soft Cotton DK – $1.76-$2.00
Let’s start things off right. Coming in at #1 is Hoooked Soft Cotton DK. This super soft DK (Light Worsted) weight yarn is made of 100% recycled materials – 80% recycled cotton + 20% recycled other materials. There is absolutely no additional dye or toxic substances. These little soft balls come in an impressive 32 different colors.
Why I love it:
- Extremely soft: For how soft this yarn is you would never know it was made completely of recycled material. I have never worked with any other recycled material that is this soft. You would seriously think this yarn was 100% organic cotton.
- SO. MANY. COLORS: Amigurumi is my jam and I’m really picky about color. I love that there are 32 different VIVID colors to choose from. Often, organic cotton has only really soft colors to choose from and that doesn’t always fit the bill for the colors I need.
- Affordable: Hoooked sells this on their website for $1.76 USD, but they are located in Portugal, so shipping is about $20. Fortunately, there is one US based Etsy seller Eco Friendly Crafts LLC that brings in the yarn and ships it from Georgia for free with orders over $35. They sell the yarn for $2.00 per ball.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 80% recycled cotton / 20% other recycled materials
Weight: 3 / DK / Light Worsted
Length: 50 grams / 85 meters / 93 yards
2. Lion Brand RE-UP Recycled Cotton – $2.50
Lion Brand is finally getting on board with sustainable yarns! Yay! One of them is their RE-UP recycled cotton worsted. It is made with 100% recycled cotton. It isn’t available in many colors yet, so hopefully they’ll start putting out more options soon.
Why I love it:
- Texture: This is one of the softer recycled worsted weight yarns I’ve found so far.
- Affordable: At $2.50 for 115 yards, this one fits nicely into any yarn budget.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% recycled cotton
Weight: 4 / Worsted / Medium
Length: 70 grams / 107 meters / 117 yards
3. Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton
Another really amazing DK weight cotton yarn is Stylecraft’s Naturals 100% Organic Cotton. You can find it on Lovecrafts.com which is one of my favorite places to buy sustainable yarn because the variety is so great. If my local yarn shops sold more organic and sustainable yarn I’d buy more locally. But when I can’t, my go-to is Lovecrafts.com.
Why I love it:
- Texture: Buttery soft. I LOVE working with this ultra-soft yarn. It makes lovely soft toys and drapey lightweight garments.
- Colors: 38 color choices! The color pallet for this line is beautiful – bright and soft colors alike.
- Organic: Affordable organic vs. conventional cotton is always an exciting find.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% organic cotton
Weight: 3 / DK / Light Worsted
Length: 50 grams / 105 meters / 115 yards
4. Lion Brand MAC-RE-ME – $6.99
Oh, how I do love a good macrame cord to crochet with. These cotton cords accentuate so vividly the beautiful crochet stitches. The yarn makes beautiful wall tapestries! BONUS SHOUT-OUT: Hoooked Spesso Chunky Cotton is another macrame cord that I love which is yard-for-yard even a little less expensive than Lion Brand’s and the roll comes with twice as much yarn for larger projects. Both are 100% recycled fibers.
Why I love it:
- Fiber: I’ve used many macrame yarns over time; and all of them 100% cotton. But this one is 100% recycled!
- Colors: The color pallet used for these yarns makes them all blend so beautifully with each other, making tapestries look cohesive and mesmerizing.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% recycled cotton
Weight: 6-Ply / Macrame cord
Length: 7.1 ounces / 70 meters / 77 yards
5. Cascade 220 – $9.99
Cascade Yarns has a lot of different wool options. I like this one because it is 100% Peruvian wool with no superwashing and no mulesing. It is available in 108 colors. Yes, you read that right – 108.
Why I love it:
- Texture: This 100% Peruvian wool is appropriately soft for a wide range of projects & garments. I’ve found 100% wool products to be SO unpredictable on texture. And when buying online, this can be especially troubling. This one is wear-ably soft.
- Color Options: 108. Need I say more?
- Affordable: For 219 yards of super soft 100% Peruvian wool, the price tag is just right.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% Peruvian wool
Weight: 4 / Aran-Worsted
Length: 3.5 ounces / 200 meters / 219 yards
6. Valley Yarns Hampden – $6.99
It doesn’t get much softer than this. This is one to save for your special sweaters and gifted garments and accessories.
Why I love it:
- Texture: Silky smooth and soft.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 50% baby alpaca / 35% fine merino wool / 15% mulberry silk
Weight: 3 / DK / Light Worsted
Length: 1.8 oz / 87 meters / 95 yards
7. Lion Brand RE-SPUN Thick & Quick – $9.99
Another one for Lion Brand! I’m just so excited that one of the most well-known and accessible yarn suppliers is rapidly putting out new sustainable options. Have you ever made anything from 100% recycled plastic bottles? I hadn’t either until I made my Misty Peaks Throw Blanket with this yarn. It’s so soft and SO warm.
Why I love it:
- Fiber: I’ve used a lot of recycled cotton, but this one intrigues me because it’s a recycled synthetic yarn – polyester.
- Weight: You get a lot of yarn in this huge ball which is more uncommon with really chunky yarn.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% recycled polyester
Weight: 6 / Super Bulky
Length: 340 grams / 204 meters / 223 yards
8. Cascade Yarns ReFine – $10.00
Cascade Yarns has made my list again with their 100% recycled ReFine yarn. And the balls come in at a whopping 503 yards. Win. Win.
Why I love it:
- Recycled!: 100% recycled materials.
- Softness: This yarn is super, SUPER soft. Perfect for garments and next-to-skin accessories.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% Recycled | 75% Merino Wool / 20% Nylon / 5% Viscose
Weight: 2 / Fingering
Length: 3.5 ounces / 460 meters / 503 yards
9. Cascade Ecological Wool – $27.50 (for 478 yards!!)
I don’t mean to break the “under $10” rule, but for 478 yards!? This one totally counts. It’s a huge value for a huge ball of yarn. And this one is super special because it’s totally undyed! I love it for baskets and bags.
Why I love it:
- Undyed Colors: This 100% Peruvian wool is the color it was on the sheep itself! I love that. And there’s lots of different colors of sheep – it comes in an impressive 13 shades! They’re all beautiful neutrals and browns.
- Value: For 478 yards, it just didn’t fit black and white into the “10 under $10” requirement. It comes in at just under $.06 per yard.
Specs:
Fiber Content: 100% Peruvian wool
Weight: 5 / Bulky-Chunky
Length: 8.8 ounces / 437 meters / 478 yards
10. Lana Grossa Per Fortuna – $6.59
Last but not least on the list of my top 10 under $10 sustainable yarns is Lana Grossa Per Fortuna. This is a fun textured yarn that is super soft and great for accessories. It’s available in several bright colors and is fun to work with!
Why I love it:
- Texture: I don’t do a lot with textured yarn, but this one still allows you to see the stitches so it makes it easier to work with than other textured yarns I’ve used.
- Recycled & Organic: Made from organic and recycled fiber!
Specs:
Fiber Content: 74% organic cotton / 26% recycled polyester
Weight: 3 / DK / Light Worsted
Length: 1.8 ounces / 190 meters / 208 yards
I might be considering putting out my second top 10 under $10 sustainable yarns list because there are so many. Let me know in the comments if you want more sustainable yarn recommendations and I’ll do it!
Wrap up
This article concludes my 6-part series Your Guide to Sustainable Crochet. I sincerely hope you’ve been inspired and have found that sustainable crochet is indeed do-able!
Please continue the discussion here in the comments and among your other crochet communities. Happy making!
Last Time | Part 5: 10 tips for sustainable crochet
