10 great value DK Cotton yarns to try
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Do you struggle to find good quality dk cotton yarns for your crochet projects? Check out the yarns in this dk 100% cotton yarn review to get some inspiration for your next cotton make.
Why 100% Cotton DK yarns
Recently I found myself in a messenger conversation with another crafter about the choice of yarns available in various fibres and weights. This inspired my nosy side to fall down a rabbit hole looking for a variety of different 100% cotton and dk cotton yarns to try for myself.
Cotton is one of my favourite fibres and I tend to stick to the same brands, but sometimes I want to try new things, or colours. It’s also impossible to try all the brands and weight available simply by going to my little yarn shop and I know I am not alone. So, I did a random single ball purchase of various dk weight cotton yarns and have given them a little try to see if I can find some new favourites for upcoming projects.
What will we look at in the dk cotton yarns?
Of course, this is entirely made up of my opinions and is totally subjective however I thought it was important to set out the ‘rules’ I had made for myself to compare the yarns included in this dk cotton yarn review / round up.
Price – I tried to stick to yarns that were £2.50 or less per 50g ball. If you are a regular user of cotton yarns then you will be very well aware that they regularly come in small balls, but are also more pricey. I wanted to try to include as many yarns as possible that would be accessible to everyone and keep costs down as I purchased a single ball of each yarn and so wanted to keep costs low.
Weights – all yarns included are labelled as dk or 3 weight yarn and are available. The majority are available as 50g skeins.
Fibres – all are 100% cotton yarns.
Swatches – for each yarn included I made a small swatch using a 4mm hook. I wanted to show you how each dk cotton yarn looked based on my crochet style, using the same stitches and hook hopefully will give you an easy visual way to directly compare each of the 100% dk cotton yarns included.
James C Brett It’s 100% Pure Dk Cotton
Gah, first up I have included a yarn that I do not have a swatch picture for. I was given this James C Brett It’s 100% Pure Cotton DK yarn as part of a commission and at that time it was a new to me yarn. Luckily, I was given a colour that I love but I used all of it before I got the idea to write this post. I have included it here with a picture of the Puffin Lace Market Bag – made from the remains after I had finished the commission and the full review post can be found here also. I think this yarn is best suited to accessories such as bags or home decor projects.
Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK
I’m not sure what I was expecting from the Stylecraft Classique Cotton Dk, but this is for me an ok yarn. It isn’t the softest yarn I have ever tried, but not the roughest either. I think this would be a good option for outdoor home decor projects and accessories such as market bags. It has decent stitch definition, didn’t appear to be splitty but the result is a very stretchy fabric for me and if I was using this yarn again I would probably go down to a 3.5mm hook. Available in 11 colours, this yarn comes in 50g 92m/100yd skeins for £2.19 and is machine washable at 40 degrees. I think this would be great for home decor projects – especially things for outdoor use, hot pads or scrubbies.
King Cole Cotton Soft DK
King Cole Cottonsoft DK is a favourite dk cotton yarn of mine. I have used this previously to make baby blankets and more recently bags – see the Marian Bay Bag.
This 100% cotton dk yarn is available in 25 shades, and comes in 100g 201m/229 yd skeins for £3.99. With a rope like appearance to each strand, this yarn is fairly tightly wound and easy to work with. In my experience, it doesn’t split and washes well at 40 degrees, keeping its colour and overall integrity. I regularly use this yarn with a 4mm hook, or when worked multi stranded with a 4.5 or 5mm and get great stitch definition. I find it works well for bags as it is machine washable, but also has not pilled with heavy usage.
Sirdar Happy Cotton
I think the think I like most about this yarn is the super cute tiny ball / skein. For the purposes of this review, I got a 20g skein of the Sirdar Happy dk cotton yarn which has 43m/47ds and is priced at £1.09. I cannot tell you why but this feels like a mercerised cotton yarn, although it doesn’t appear to be from the label. It worked up really well and I like the appearance of my stitches in this dk cotton yarn, but I don’t like the feel of it.
I think this would be great for amigurumi projects as the wide availability of small balls, choice of 46 colours and price make this a great and affordable dk cotton yarn. If I used it again I would probably use it to make a bag like the On the Bias Tote, and I would use a slightly smaller hook as this has a very stretchy fabric using my usual 4mm.
Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton DK
I think I am disappointed with the Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton Dk yarn, but I’m also not sure that it is the yarn’s fault. I am a MASSIVE fan of the Bamboo Cotton and thought when this came out that it would be equally fabulous. It IS a nice cotton yarn. It comes in 50g 105m/115yd skeins, priced at £2.29 and is available in 38 colours. It has great stitch definition, but I leapt in and bought enough to make a shawl immediately and after working with it I wouldn’t use this to make a shawl, or any garments.
It may wash up and be really soft – it is machine washable at 30 degrees, however, I personally prefer my garment yarns to be soft when working with them. I do think this will make a beautiful handbag, or table runner and placemats or similar items and look forward to finishing my larger project with it to make a final decision about best uses for it.
Rico Creative Ricorumi DK
Another super cute small ball of dk cotton yarn, the Rico Creative Ricorumi DK cotton yarn is possibly my least favourite of all the 100% cotton yarns included in this review. Available in 80 colours, I again took advantage of the small ball and purchased the 25g, 57.5m skeins for £1.25. Overall I think this is a slightly thick dk cotton yarn and has decent stitch definition but a very stretchy fabric. It also feels dense and a little rougher than some of the other yarns included.
I see from my time in facebook groups that this yarn is used a lot of amigurumi projects, I can see why. Small hands and a lot of touching need a hard wearing yarn and I think this definitely would fit that bill. The vibrant colour selection is also another plus in its favour. I probably won’t use it again, but if I did I would make a bag or baskets with it and use a 3.5mm hook for single stranded work.
Drops Muskat
Full disclosure I am generally not a fan of mercerised cotton yarns. I don’t like the feel of the coating that is covering the yarn in my hand as I work with it. I fully accept that this makes it more durable and perfect for certain projects though and that is why I am pleasantly surprised to say I think I might really like the Drops Muskat 100% mercerised DK cotton yarn. Available in 48 colours, it comes in 50g 100m/109yd skeins for £1.60.
It feels softer than I expect, it is softer than the Ricorumi for example, even though it has the coating. Easy to work with, I didn’t experience any splitting and with great stitch definition I would love to try this in a bag project. It did have quite a stretch to it so I would need to use a slightly smaller hook, or denser stitch pattern but I think this could be a great option for the next bag design in my notepad – watch this space.
DMC Natura Just Cotton
Arriving in a donut skein, in a vibrant purple and feeling very soft on the ball, I couldn’t wait to get started with the DMC Natura Just Cotton. Available in 51 colours, it comes in 50g 155m/170yd skeins for £3.99.
I am disappointed with this yarn. It feels light and has a tube like appearance to it and I thought this would make it a great option for garments and shawls as there is a little more on the skein than some of the other yarns included in this 100% dk cotton yarn review. Hmm. It’s weird and reminds me of tshirt yarn. It possibly has some of the same qualities but I found it a little splitty, very stretchy and felt rougher in my hand as the swatch grew.
This is a thin 3 or baby weight yarn as I would definitely recommend a 3.5 or even 3mm hook with this for a tight fabric – and a 3mm hook is recommended on the label making this more a sport weight yarn to my mind. It is machine washable, so it may be that it gets softer after washing. If so, this might be a good choice for baby outer wear – hats and mittens. This is not one that I am in a hurry to use again.
Paintbox Simply Cotton DK
A regular user of this yarn, it seems a little disingenuous to leave this out. Paintbox Simply Cotton DK is part of the Lovecrafts brand. Available in 64 shades, it comes in 50g, 125m/137yd skeins for £2.50. I think it’s a bit thin for a 3 weight yarn. Not splitty and easy to work with, this is one of the first cotton yarns I ever used. Good stitch definition, but probably better suited to a 3.5mm hook, I prefer the it’s aran weight sister for my projects but happily keep some on my shelves as I use this to make face scrubbies and loofahs.
Rainbow 8/6 Cotton
If you are unfamiliar with this style of yarn classification then the yarn weights on labels from yarn at Hobbii will have you scratching your head a little. The Rainbow 8/6 Cotton is the closest to a dk cotton yarn that I have found at Hobbii. Available in 87 colours, it comes in 50g 105m/115yd bullet skeins for £1.90 with an easy centre pull tab.
This feels like a regular 100% dk cotton yarn, although it is listed as a 4ply yarn on the Hobbii website. They have an 8/4 and an 8/8 cotton which are labelled 4ply and dk respectively – I will leave it up to you to decide who is right! This dk 100% cotton yarn did not split for me but is a little denser than some of the other yarns included in this dk cotton yarn review.
With clear crisp stitch definition, a wide choice of colours and various sale/multipack options, I would definitely use this for bags and home decor projects. I think I would also defer to the lighter 8/4 version of this yarn for shawls or garments.
Whew. So what did you think. There are a few yarns in this bunch that I am definitely going to try again, and some that I probably won’t. Overall, I think most of these would be a great place to start with as a dk cotton yarn for your next project.
Need some inspiration?
For bag lovers check out the Houndstooth Clutch, Key West Market Tote and the Marian Bag Clutch
For home decor – check out the Totally Textured Yarn Baskets – these would work well double stranded
I hope you enjoyed this dk cotton yarn review, let us know in the Facebook group if you try any of these yarns and don’t forget to share your projects!
Bye for now
B x
