Recycled Yarn

Recycled yarn: what is being recycled, and what that means for the knitting

"Recycled" covers three quite different things on this page, and they knit nothing alike. Knowing which one you are buying is the difference between a bag that holds its shape and a jumper that sags.

Reclaimed cotton, respun

The largest group is post-industrial cotton offcuts — fabric waste from garment manufacturing, sorted by colour so it needs little or no re-dyeing, shredded and respun. Paintbox Yarns Recycled Cotton Worsted is the volume option here, with 5 and 10 ball value packs for blankets and larger homeware. Cascade Yarns ReVive and ReSolve, Berroco Remix, Remix Light and Remix Chunky, and Rowan Denim Revive all work this way. Because the fibre has already been spun once, the staple length is shorter: expect a slightly rustic, matte, heathered look, a little less strength than virgin cotton, and a fabric that softens noticeably after the first wash. Stitch definition is good, drape is heavier than wool. These are excellent for market bags, cushion covers, dishcloths and summer tops.

T-shirt yarn and ribbon

The second group is jersey fabric cut into strips rather than respun at all. Paintbox Yarns Recycled T-Shirt 800g and its value pack, Hoooked Ribbon XL Solids and Ribbon XL Lurex, DMC Nova Vita, We Are Knitters The Tape and King Cole Macrame King Cotton belong here. This is super-chunky territory — 8–12mm hooks, projects finished in an evening, and a fabric with real structural body. Baskets, rug rounds, plant hangers, tote handles, macramé wall pieces. Two practical notes: t-shirt yarn stretches in one direction and not the other, so work a flat base swatch before committing to a basket size; and the balls are heavy, so 800g goes further than it sounds but is tiring on the wrists in long sessions. Wool and the Gang Ra-Ra Raffia is the paper-based cousin for stiffer bags and sun hats.

Recycled wool and blends

The third group reclaims wool and synthetic fibre. Sirdar Loveful Recycled Tweed and Loveful Recycled Acrylic, Stylecraft ReCreate DK and ReLove, King Cole Forest Aran, King Cole Wildwood Chunky, Paintbox Yarns Wool Blend Worsted and Cascade Yarns ReFine sit here. Recycled wool is typically blended with a proportion of virgin fibre or with polyester to restore strength, which is why you will rarely see a 100% recycled wool. The flecked, tweedy appearance is a direct consequence of mixing reclaimed fibre of slightly different shades — it is not a dye effect, and it is one of the more attractive things about the category. These knit as ordinary DK, aran and chunky yarns and substitute straightforwardly into standard patterns.

Is it actually greener?

Worth being straight about this. Reclaimed cotton avoids the water and dye load of growing and colouring new cotton, which is the strongest environmental claim in the category, and colour-sorted waste avoids re-dyeing altogether. Recycled polyester and acrylic keep plastic out of landfill but still shed microfibres in the wash, so a mesh laundry bag is a sensible habit. Recycled wool blends usually contain virgin fibre for strength, so the percentage on the label is the number that matters, not the word on the front.

Substituting and swatching

Recycled yarns hit standard gauges but not standard yardage — reclaimed fibre is often heavier per metre than the virgin equivalent, so a pattern calling for 1,000m of aran may need noticeably more grams. Buy by metreage, not by ball count, and buy the extra ball. Dye lots vary more than usual for the same reason the colours are attractive, so for a single-colour garment order the whole quantity at once.

Where else to look

If the appeal is plant fibre and washability rather than the recycled content specifically, our cotton yarn and 100% cotton ranges are larger and give more weight choice. Yarn and Colors Gentle and Scheepjes Bamboo Soft bridge the two. For the chunky homeware projects that t-shirt yarn suits, compare super chunky yarn across all fibres.

Where to go next

By fibre: recycled cotton sits with our cotton yarn, and reclaimed acrylic and polyamide ranges are easy-care. For natural, biodegradable choices see 100% wool, linen and bamboo. T-shirt and ribbon yarns made from offcuts are in ribbon yarn.