What an awesome idea!  Lion Brand has taken the guidelines of reduce, recycle, and reuse to a new, soft, lovely level with their new Recycled Cotton yarn.  Like many people, I try to consider my impact on the earth through my actions and consumer purchases.  This is truly a yarn I can feel good about buying.

Recycled Cotton yarn is made from the leftover scraps that would normally be thrown out when a t-shirt is cut from cotton jersey.  The scraps are sorted by color before being made into yarn to reduce the amount of dye needed, and then they are blended with acrylic for added durability.  The final product is a soft, medium worsted weight, cotton blend (74% recycled cotton, 24% acrylic, 2% other fiber) that is perfect for baby knits, washcloths, or other lightweight fabrics.  Made by keeping the ideas of reducing waste and conserving resources in mind, Recycled Cotton yarn keeps perfectly usable material from being dumped into a landfill or incinerated, and instead uses it to create a usable product that is both functional and attractive.  This is a thoughtful product that just makes good sense.

And the colors!  Soft tweeds and heathers in a seven color palette include: sunshine (pictured), sand, seagrass, rose coral, pebble beach, seashell, and marine.  With names that invoke the idea of summer on the shore, I find myself immediately brainstorming for warm weather knit ideas, despite the 40 degree temperatures outside.  I can imagine a soft summer sweater for my daughter made from sunshine (pictured), and a floppy beach hat made from seagrass (a soft green blend) would be perfect for my son.    At around $4.00 per skein, this is a yarn that I can afford to buy a lot of, so even a lap quilt for those cooler summer evenings would not be out of the question.

For color swatches and free pattern ideas, be sure to visit the Lion Brand Yarns website.  Recycled Cotton Yarn can be purchased through the LionBrand Yarns website or at your local JoAnne Fabric and Crafts Store.

Another great idea from Lion Brand Yarns is the LB Collection, a line of luxury fibers at affordable prices.  Today we’re featuring the Cotton Bamboo yarn (52% cotton, 48% bamboo), which is a steal at just $5.00 per skein.  A light worsted weight, this yarn is the perfect choice for knits of all seasons.

Why buy a bamboo yarn?  Bamboo yarns are known for their silky softness and for their drape, or the way they hang from the body in an aesthetically pleasing and flattering way when knitted into a garment.   Bamboo is also an easily renewable resource, a grass that reaches harvest-able maturity within 3-5 years, making it a great choice for all manner of products from interior decor to flooring, and of course, yarn.

LB Collection’s Bamboo Cotton blend boasts great softness that feels wonderful against the skin.  Like most natural fibers, this yarn will get softer with age and use, so the garments you create will be loved well into the future.  Bamboo Cotton comes in eight flower-inspired colors: magnolia, cherry blossom, hyacinth, chocolate dahlia, persimmon, hibiscus, gardenia, and snapdragon.  The colors range from bright to dusty solids and will truly span the seasons for all types of garments.  I cannot wait to get my skein of cherry blossom on my needles!

For color swatches and free pattern ideas, be sure to visit the Lion Brand Yarns website.  Recycled Cotton Yarn can be purchased through the LionBrand Yarns website.