Gist Beam 8/2 Organic Cotton Weaving Yarn

$21.50
Color
Natural

SEO Title

Gist Beam 8/2 Organic Cotton Weaving Yarn | A Show of Hands

Meta Description

Shop Gist Beam 8/2, a versatile 100% organic cotton weaving yarn for towels, table linens, scarves, shawls, twill, overshot, and everyday handwoven cloth.

Technical Specifications

• Fiber: 100% Unmercerized Organic Cotton
• Size: 8/2 Cotton
• Yardage: 1,680 yards (1,536 m)
• Cone Weight: 8 oz (227 g)
• Yards Per Pound: 3,360
• Suggested Sett: 20–30 EPI
• Care: Machine Wash and Dry
• Origin: Spun and Dyed in India
• Suitable For: Warp and Weft

Product Description

Gist Beam 8/2 is a versatile organic cotton weaving yarn designed for the kind of cloth you'll actually use. Strong and smooth enough for warp yet soft enough for finished fabric, it's an excellent foundation yarn for everything from everyday kitchen towels and table linens to lightweight scarves and shawls.

With 1,680 yards on each 8-ounce cone, Beam 8/2 gives weavers generous yardage for larger warps and multi-piece projects. The unmercerized organic cotton creates absorbent, durable cloth, making it an especially useful choice for towels, napkins, runners, and other household textiles.

Beam 8/2 works beautifully in both simple and more complex weave structures. Gist particularly recommends it for traditional twills and as a ground or tabby yarn in overshot when paired with the heavier Beam 3/2 or 3/4.

Spun and dyed in small batches in India, Beam is available in a thoughtfully developed range of colors designed to work beautifully together. It's approachable enough for beginning weavers while offering the versatility experienced weavers need for more ambitious projects.

Why We Love It at A Show of Hands

A good 8/2 cotton is one of the true workhorses of a weaving stash, and Beam makes this classic weaving yarn particularly enjoyable to use. We love the combination of strength, softness, generous yardage, and a color palette that makes planning a warp almost as much fun as weaving it.

It's also incredibly versatile. You can use Beam 8/2 for both warp and weft, weave beautiful everyday towels and linens, or explore twills, overshot, and other structures as your weaving skills grow.

Perfect For

• Handwoven kitchen towels
• Napkins and table linens
• Table runners
• Placemats
• Lightweight scarves and shawls
• Twill weaving
• Overshot ground and tabby
• Rigid heddle and multi-shaft weaving
• Warp and weft
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!
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.