This time in the My Favourite Yarns series, I’m going to be looking at King Cole Cottonsoft DK – a yarn I am obsessed with for Tunisian crochet in particular.
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Overview
King Cole Cottonsoft DK is a Double Knitting weight 100% cotton yarn which is available in 28 colours.
It comes in 100g balls (which I’m a big fan of as a policy!) and each ball contains 210m of yarn.
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Fibre and Feel
As the name would suggest, King Cole Cottonsoft DK is a, er, soft cotton. But that doesn’t cover it! If you’ve ever struggled with a scratchy, splitty cotton yarn that could double up as a finger exfoliator, this will be a total revelation.
Yep, that’s right – when they say CottonSOFT, they mean it – this is the softest cotton yarn I’ve ever worked with. It’s got a slight squish to it, unlike most mercerised cotton yarns. It’s got a slight sheen to it, unlike any unmercerised cotton yarns. It’s so good it’s hard to believe it’s cotton.
Fibre and Feel – 100%
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Colour Choice
I know I’m spoilt with colour choice because of my well-documented love of Stylecraft Special DK, but 28 colours isn’t quite enough for me. I love this yarn so much that I want to be able to use it for more projects, but I can’t compromise on colour.
On the plus side, King Cole have gone for a fairly consistent palette across the colour selection for Cottonsoft – they’re all slightly muted and will all work really well together. The muted colourways suit the feel of the yarn for me – this is a relaxed, Sunday yarn, so it needs a relaxed colour scheme.
Colour Choice – 60%
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Value
King Cole Cottonsoft comes in at £3.59 a ball, which for the quality of the yarn I think is very good. You get decent yardage from this yarn, and it is 100% cotton. It’s a bit of a jump up from acrylic pricing, but the softness and breathable fibre is worth it in my view.
Value – 80%
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Ease of Use & Consistency
King Cole Cottonsoft DK is a stand out yarn for me in terms of ease of use and consistency. It doesn’t split at ALL, which is unheard of for a cotton yarn. It’s so soft that it’s a real joy to use – the whole time I’m using this yarn, I’m smiling.
In terms of consistency, all of the colours and balls from various batches that I’ve used have come in at exactly the same thickness. You don’t find thick patches in this yarn – it’s all very consistent in thickness and texture.
In short – perfection!
Ease of Use & Consistency – 100%
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – Durability
I hate to say it, but this is where this yarn falls down a little for me. I’ve used this for cushions before, and it lasts just fine. But when I used it for a jumper I noticed a couple of issues:
- It bobbles. Quite a lot. I only found this under the arms after wearing the jumper for the first time, but now I’ve worn it a little bit I’ve noticed some bobbles elsewhere.
- It stretches a little. The jumper I made is huge, and the weight of the yarn has stretched out my seams a bit.
- I’m a little bit scared to wash it! I accept that I need to test it, but for some reason I’m worried about its colour fastness. My hook changed colour when I used the yarn, so I will have to be very careful when it goes in the machine.
Durability – 55%
King Cole Cottonsoft DK – My Projects
The texture of King Cole Cottonsoft DK seems to just say Tunisian crochet to me! I’ve used this yarn for a couple of projects: my Tunisian crochet jumper, and some Tunisian crochet cushions.
This cushion has never been given it’s “Ta-Dah” moment really, but you’ve seen it before:
I buy my King Cole Cottonsoft DK from Wool Warehouse. They offer lightning-fast delivery and a wide selection of yarns.
What do you think? Have yo encountered any other soft cotton yarns?
Until next time,
Elsie Pop
xx
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King Cole Cottonsoft DK
£3.59
Pros
- Softest cotton yarn ever!
- Lovely to work with
- Consistent thickness between colours
- Good yardage per ball
- 100g balls
Cons
- Bobbles when used for clothing
- I want more colours!
- Finished fabric may stretch
- Unsure about colour fastness
M-R says
6th August 2016 at 5:54 amAh – a fellow ginger mog lover as well as tunisian devotee !
Impressed by your “oeuvre” ! [grin]
Regards from M-R (and Lui says hello to Teddy …)