What is Organic Cotton Yarn?

Question: What is Organic Cotton Yarn?

Organic cotton yarn is a big trend in knitting right now. As people are looking for more natural products to pit in and use on their bodies, organic cotton yarn fills a big niche in the knitting world.

Answer:

Growing cotton accounts for as much as 16 percent of global pesticide use. Of course all of that does not go to make yarn--it's used for T-shirts, sheets, bedding and countless other products.

Pesticide use is harmful to both the people who have to live and work around pesticides and the planet when pesticide runs off from where it was intended and contaminates nearby water.

Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers (there are natural ingredients that can be used for these purposes, such as pyrethrin, which comes from chrysanthemums). Emphasis is placed on the quality of the soil and things like crop rotation and supporting beneficial insects for pest control.

Organically grown cotton fibers have the same characteristics as conventionally grown cotton. The yarn is just as strong and durable as any other cotton yarn you could buy.

Many companies are selling organic cotton yarn, from Blue Sky Alpacas to Lion Brand. If your favorite brand of cotton doesn't come in organic yet, odds are it will soon.

Organic cotton yarns can be dyed, but another nice thing about many of the organic products on the market today is that they are left natural. Light brown, gray and green colors are most widely available, allowing you to make beautiful cotton garments that you can feel good about.