Many of us are working towards finding ways to limit our impact on the environment in our daily lives. Whether that be using less plastics, eating/buying organic, recycling, etc. there are many ways that we can all chip in to help Mother Earth. But did you know that there are recycled yarns? Today we’re checking out a new recycled cotton yarn from DMC called Nova Vita. I’ll be sharing my review of DMC Nova Vita yarn, sharing some tips for use, as well as showing you how to use DMC Nova Vita to crochet a basket with a free crochet pattern.
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Before we get into the review, I’ll share the yarn label information so you have a better idea of what we’re talking about:
DMC Nova Vita Yarn:
- Current Number of Colourways Available: 23 are available on the DMC Website.
- Fiber Content: 80% Recycled Cotton/20% Polyester
- Weight: Not provided on the label but I’d say it’s a 6 (Super Bulky)
- Package Size: 250 gram/8.82oz skein
- Yardage: 60.15 yds (55 meters)
- Suggested Hook Size: 10mm (N/P-15) – 12mm (O)
- Suggested Needle Size: US 17 (12 mm) needle
- Gauge: 6 stitches, 10 rows to 10 cm/4″
- Care: Machine wash. Lay flat to dry. Do not dry clean or iron.
DMC kindly sent me the colour 071/light blue to take for a test stitch. There are 23 different colours available on the DMC website. The yarn strand is comprised of a knitted tube. I’ve actually created something similar to this before with scrap yarn and a mini knitting loom but it is WAAAAY faster to just buy the skein pre-done. The ends of the yarn are unsecured so that’s something you’ll have to watch out for when working with it to ensure that it doesn’t start to unravel on you. Some methods that you could try to find what works best for you are dipping the end in wax/glue, using a needle and sewing thread to stitch up the end or (my least favourite but still viable way), tying a knot in the end.
The yarn strand construction brings two great characteristics to a crochet project: great stitch definition and structure. The DMC website recommends this yarn for home decor projects, accessories, knitting, crochet and macrame. I agree with their recommendation and think this yarn would be great for all of those things. I personally thought of a crochet basket as soon as I saw Nova Vita because I had a feeling that it would create a strong, sturdy base and sides. I can’t stand a basket with floppy sides and during my YouTube review of this yarn, I decided last-minute that I’d create and share a free pattern for a crochet basket using Nova Vita yarn to see what kind of basket it would create. Plus, I needed something to help keep my hooks from rolling off the table while I’m filming so it seemed like a win-win.
Watch the Video Version of This DMC Nova Vita Yarn Review and the Free Crochet Basket Pattern Made With This Yarn
I started off by creating a basic circular base made with single crochet stitches and using a 10mm crochet hook. I noticed within the first few minutes of using Nova Vita yarn that it was a bit hard on my hands to crochet with using a 10mm hook but I stuck with it because I really wanted to make sure that my basket would have stiff sides. After increasing to the size I wanted my base to be, I worked a round of single crochets in the back loop only and then used 6 additional rounds of single crochet to build my sides. A basket this size is able to holdy multiple crochet hooks and the sides are very sturdy and supportive. My basket used about 115g of the 250 g skein so I could get another basket of the same size from the remainder of my skein.
I really love the structure that Nova Vita gave to my crochet basket pattern and how quickly it worked up (start to finish, the basket took me about 15 minutes). This is a yarn that I’d utilize for small, but quick projects so as to avoid unnecessary hand strain/pain and because at $11.99/skein (at the time of writing this), project costs would start to add up quickly. However, if you’re looking for a good-quality recycled cotton yarn that comes in some fun colours, you may really enjoy working with Nova Vita.
Thanks for checking out this yarn review. I hope you found it helpful. While you’re here, check out some free crochet patterns and crochet product reviews:
