Earthy Birds: Earthy Stitching!!!!

Crocheting and knitting have been a on and off again hobby for me my whole life. I learned to knit, sew, embroider, and crochet from my grandma when I was around 9 years old. And although not versed in patterns as much as I would like, I can make a mean scarf, hat, and blanket in the crocheting department.... Knitting I am a tad rusty, but learning tricks from some great ladies in my knitting circle at my local co-op ;) I feel that for a present there in nothing better than something made by a loved one. The carbon footprint that is involved in a manufactured scarf, sweater or other stitched item is a greater then just making the item as well! I realize that many people nowadays crochet and knit, it is becoming a rather popular pastime. One that I will not be bashing for its uselessness. I think it is great to be teaching our children to partake in the more simple forms of entertainment, I feel that sitting down to do some cross stitch is way more calming then watching spongebob! Have you ever watched spongebob? I don't know much about hallucinates but I imagine that when I have watched sponge bob it may be what they might feel like "which doesn't calm me down by any means" ;) I know that when my 4 year old sews and crafts her demeanor changes a great deal, she is calm and so proud of herself. This year my list of crocheted presents is the longest it has ever been, where I used to buy a few presents here and there! This year they will be strictly crocheted, all homemade gifts. So I have my work cut out for myself... I am embarking on a few projects I have never done before such as leg warmers, a sweater and infinity scarves!!!!

To find inexpensive, eco, cruelty free, vegan, conflict free yarn can be a bit trying. You can be sure that as with everything these days yarn production does not lack in it's slave laboring. The process of growing or shearing and looming and dying yarn all takes a ton of labor, labor being that of a 9 year old child, or a blind 70 year old Nepal elder. It is important that you know where you are buying your yarn from. Same idea what goes around comes around, if you have the talent of knitting and crocheting then by all means do it and pay attention to every part.... Even where the yarn is from.

Vegan yarns are not hard to come by these days. And are so much better to wear and knit and crochet with. A couple wool yarn factoids:

Shearing sheep involves more than just a haircut. Sheep need the wool that they naturally produce to protect themselves from temperature extremes.

Because shearers are usually paid by volume rather than by the hour, they often work too fast and disregard the animals’ welfare. Sheep are routinely punched, kicked, and cut during the shearing process.

Much of the world’s wool comes from Australia and New Zealand, where almost 140 million sheep each year undergo a gruesome procedure called mulesing, in which shears are used to slice dinner-plate-sized chunks of skin off the backsides of live animals without anesthetics.

Millions of sheep raised for wool in Australia and New Zealand are shipped to the Middle East for slaughter. These animals are placed on overcrowded, disease-ridden ships with little access to food or water for weeks or even months. During their grueling journeys, they suffer through weather extremes, and temperatures on the ships can exceed 100°F. Many fall ill when they become stuck in feces and are unable to move, and many others are smothered or trampled to death by other sheep.

Intensive sheep farming, especially in Australia, is responsible for the degradation of natural waterways and land habitats and for the emission of greenhouse gases, such as methane, into the atmosphere.

Same information goes for all yarn that is made from any sheared animal you can guarantee!

Instead of using wool, or any other yarn derived from an animal consider a few more facts. Cotton yarn is more breathable, making it less likely to make hairy sweaty people stink. The worst thing in the world is smelling BO from a wool sweater or jacket in my book... GEEEROsssssss!!!! Cotton can be machine washed or hand washed, there is a lot less shrinkage, and is a renewable and cheaper resource. Wool yarn usually runs about $8 bucks for 100 yards where cotton yarn is usually about $3-4 bucks for 100 yards. Double win in my book, no stinky arm pits and cheap ;) sign me up! There are other vegan and fair trade yarn options as well. Here are a few that I have used in my crocheting adventure that I loved and my pals loved to wear because of how soft and comfy they are!!!

Earthy Vegan Yarn options:

Banana Fiber:

Banana Silk yarn is made from the fiber of the banana tree. The fiber is refined, processed and wound onto skeins. This beautiful yarn comes from a renewable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly source. It is very soft and comes in brilliant jewel like hues.

Only the decaying outer layers of the trees (aged bark) are harvested and soaked under water to quicken the natural processes. When all of the chlorophyll structures are dissolved, the cellulose fibers remain. These are extruded into pulp and made suitable for spinning into yarn.

Most yarn is hand dyed, the banana fiber yarn offers a variety of vibrant, brilliant saturated pigments to produce a fabulous range of soft, shiny handspun yarns in a wide range of beautiful colors. Knitting up like a bulky yarn, it's great for hats, shawls, scarves, and bags. It has a slightly fuzzy texture and a shines like lip gloss.

Darn Good Yarn prides itself on providing you with fairly traded and child labor free yarns. Business decisions are based on these principles — all of their yarn is made from recycled and Earth friendly materials and much of it is created from the colorful remnants of the production of silk saris in Nepal and Northern India. These materials are handspun and dyed by women’s groups in Nepal. Darn Good Yarn provides these women with a marketplace for the products, as well as much needed wages for their families.

http://www.allfreecrochet.com/Crochet-Reviews/Banana-Fiber-Yarn#MOeEZyTv4Vur64Us.99

http://www.etsy.com/listing/110660969/new-color-banana-fiber-vegan-handspun?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=sr_4bf6c6a11640c796d11af2b72ebe042a3d53d1ea21d55120b381af2d970fd447_1349813505_14337002_yarn&ga_search_query=vegan+yarns&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&ga_view_type=gallery

Organic Cotton:

Cotton fiber has been used for hundreds of years in clothing, linens and other textiles. It is soft, versatile, and the raw fibers can be spun into strong threads and yarns that can rival animal fibers in warmth and durability. Although you can purchase cotton yarn in stores, many people wish to try their hand at spinning cotton yarn themselves. To spin your own cotton yarn, you will need a few basic materials that can be found at any textile or fabric store.

Machines called looms weave cotton yarns into fabrics the same way the first handweaving frames did. Modern looms work at great speeds, interlacing the length-wise yarns (warp) and the crosswise yarns (filling). The woven fabric, called gray goods, is sent to a finishing plant where it is bleached, pre-shrunk, dyed, printed and given a special finish before being made into clothing or products for the home.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Earthy Stitching!!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts