I’m on the fence about this yarn and not so sure that it is “yearn worthy” but felt that a good discussion about it was.

Caron yarns has a new entry into our yarn vernacular called Simply Soft Eco. Simply Soft Eco is similar to Caron’s other yarns made from acrylic, but contains 20% of recycled PET content.

If you recall PET is plastic water or soda bottles and is popping up in recycled form in various places such as EcoFelt, fabric blends, clothing, bags, and even boats! What I find really wonderful about this yarn is that it has recycled content, a huge selection of colors and that it is available in big box stores – great for when you don’t have access to a small indie shop.

What makes me pause is the low amount of recycled content to begin with, but I guess it is better than none. Caron is already boasting 1 million bottles recycled and that “every 10 skeins of Simply Soft Eco saves 6 plastic bottles from America’s landfills.” Huh? I’m not so sure I would talk that statistic up. How about 6 bottles saved per skein?

The other thought provoking thing about this yarn is that Caron has had to already answer some interesting questions about the safty of PET. Consumers wanted to know about phthalates in the yarn (there aren’t any), clearly referring to CIPSA, if the bottles used in the yarn are clean (they are) and if it would cause allergies (everyone is different). There are also concerns about the plastic bits or “flecks” in the yarn itself, making me wonder of the craftsmanship of the yarn.

For those who do not use wool, it is possibly a good animal free product for your knitting and crochet needs. But I’m still stuck on the 20%. What do you think? Would you use this yarn? Is it a large company trying to get in on the green band wagon or a good acrylic yarn alternative? Please share your thoughts in the comments.