Blue skein of yarn with a label on a white background
Blue skein of yarn with a label on a white background

Knitting for Olive No Waste Wool – Recycled Wool & Merino, Fingering Weight

$13.50
Color
Cream

Knitting for Olive No Waste Wool is a soft, woolly fingering-weight yarn made from 50% recycled wool and 50% extrafine, traceable, non-mulesed Merino wool. It gives wool fibers left over from the production of other yarns a new purpose, creating a beautiful yarn while reducing waste in the production process.

The recycled fibers are blended with extrafine Merino to create a stronger, more durable yarn than one made entirely from recycled wool. The result is a soft yarn with a wonderfully woolly texture that works beautifully for garments, accessories, and everyday knitting.

At 246 yards per 50-gram ball, No Waste Wool is a versatile fingering-weight yarn with a recommended gauge of 28 stitches per 4 inches. It can be used on its own for a lightweight fabric or held double for a more substantial knit.

No Waste Wool is produced in Italy, where Knitting for Olive works with a spinning mill that follows ethical, technical, and environmental standards. The yarn combines thoughtful sourcing with a practical approach to using fibers that might otherwise go to waste.

Technical Specifications

• Fiber: 50% Recycled Wool, 50% Extrafine Traceable Non-Mulesed Merino Wool
• Weight: Fingering
• Yardage: 246 Yards / 225 Meters
• Ball Weight: 50 g
• Gauge: 28 Stitches × 38 Rows = 4" / 10 cm
• Recommended Needles: US 2.5 / 3 mm
• Care: Hand Wash in Cool Water; Dry Flat
• Made In: Italy

Why We Love It at A Show of Hands

We love the idea behind No Waste Wool: taking beautiful wool fibers that would otherwise be left over from yarn production and turning them into something worth knitting with. Adding extrafine Merino gives the recycled wool strength while maintaining that wonderfully natural, woolly character.

It's also an especially versatile addition to the Knitting for Olive lineup. Use it on its own for lighter-weight projects, hold two strands together for a more substantial fabric, or play with the KFO color palette by combining different shades.

Perfect For

• Lightweight sweaters and cardigans
• Colorwork
• Hats, mittens, and scarves
• Everyday garments
• Holding two strands together
• Layering pieces
• Knitters looking for a yarn incorporating recycled wool
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Pay with Apple Pay We offer Apple Pay as a swift and secure way to make a payment at checkout.
Order online, collect in-store Choose in-store collection at checkout to pick up your order at select Fresh locations.
Gather and craft Join us in our store for crafting, to ask questions, or dream up new projects!

We’re here for the love of it and the fun of it. For the craft that connects us to something older than any of us.

Fiber Information

Yarn Weight + WPI

Yarn weight refers to the thickness of a yarn. Thickness determines appropriate needle or hook size, finished fabric density, and yardage requirements. Standard weight categories from thinnest to thickest: lace, fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky, super bulky.


Weight labels on yarn are approximate. Wraps per inch (WPI) gives a more precise measurement. To measure WPI: wrap yarn snugly around a ruler for one inch, without overlapping strands or stretching. Count the wraps.


WPI reference:

  • 30+ WPI: lace
  • 20–28 WPI: fingering
  • 14–18 WPI: sport
  • 11–14 WPI: DK
  • 9–11 WPI: worsted
  • 7–8 WPI: bulky
  • Fewer than 7 WPI: super bulky

WPI is most useful when a label is missing, when substituting yarns, or when working with handspun yarn.

Gauge and Sett

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch in a knitted or crocheted fabric. It is determined by yarn weight, needle or hook size, and individual tension. A pattern’s gauge is the measurement the designer used to calculate sizing. If your gauge does not match the pattern, your finished dimensions will differ. A small difference over many inches makes a big difference in fit.

To adjust gauge: a smaller needle or hook produces more stitches per inch; a larger needle or hook produces fewer. The goal is to match the pattern’s gauge, not its suggested needle size.


Sett is the weaving equivalent of wraps per inch (WPI). Sett controls how open or dense the finished woven cloth will be. A standard starting point for sett is half the WPI for a balanced plain weave. Twill structures generally require a slightly closer sett; lace structures a more open one.


Both gauge and sett are starting points that need to be confirmed by sampling. Calculate first, then verify with a swatch. Record what you find; your future self will thank you.

Wet Blocking

Blocking is the process of wetting a finished piece, shaping it, and allowing it to dry. It evens out stitches, sets the final dimensions, and for lace, opens the pattern fully.


For protein fibers (wool, alpaca, cashmere): soak in cool water with a small amount of wool wash until fully saturated, typically 15 to 20 minutes. Gently press out water without wringing. Roll in a towel to remove excess moisture. Lay flat, shape to finished measurements, and pin if needed. Allow to dry completely before moving.


For lace pieces, blocking wires threaded through edge stitches produces cleaner lines than pins alone.


Fiber-specific notes:

  • Wool holds its blocked shape well once dry.
  • Silk and silk blends block well and dry quickly.
  • Linen and cotton do not respond to blocking the same way protein fibers do, but wet finishing still softens and settles the fiber.
    Steam blocking is appropriate for fibers that should not be fully saturated. Hold the iron several inches above the surface. Do not press down on wool -- direct pressure and heat flatten the fiber's loft.

    Block to finished measurements, not to the dimensions of the piece as it came off the needles or loom.