I've been interested for a while now with fibers like hemp, bamboo and organic cotton for knitting and have been focused on designing with Elizabeth Lavold's Hempathy in particular. While looking into other sustainable/eco-friendly/fair trade fibers I've been really impressed with the options out there. The yarn industry is choc full of wonderful choices including but not limited to hemp, bamboo, soysilk, linen, corn, nettle,recycled silk, recycled cotton, organic cotton, fair trade cotton, organic wool and even some seaweed! One site that has some goodies is Artspun-Ethical Yarns and also Ecoyarns an Australian online store.
Having recently made a personal choice to work primarily with 'green' yarns I'm happy to see that I won't be limited in any way! Knit.1 (by Vogue Knitting) currently have a wonderful issue all about 'alternative-green' yarns with some super cool patterns (all images on this post are from Knit.1) and really informative articles. I also noticed on Interweave Knits' website that they too will be featuring some organic options in their Fall issue. Amy Singer's book No Sheep For You also provides great background info about some non wool fibers that includes hemp, flax, corn, seacell (essentially seaweed), bamboo and others.
I've ordered a few samples of yarn to try out from WEBS: Three of Vickie Howell's-Craft (organic cotton and Milk Fiber), Love (Bamboo and Silk) and Rock (soysilk, fine wool and Hemp)- then some Blue Sky Organic Cotton, Frog Tree (pima cotton and silk) and Valley Yarns Southwick (pima cotton and bamboo).
Sooo excited to get that package!
1 comment:
The problem with eco-friendly yarn is finding eco-friendly shipping... no point in going for bamboo yarn grown in asia from an australian site air freighting it to europe...
same goes for all the lovely south american alpaca, etc etc. - i'd rather stick with uk made wool. it limits the options though.
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