Recycla is a knitter. It is the rare day in which she does not work on a scarf, a blanket, or some other project. She usually has knitting with her when she attends her daughter’s soccer games, waits for one child or the other to finish swimming lessons, or attends PTO meetings. She even goes on vacation with a bag of knitting ready to go.
Recycla recently started looking for eco yarns — recycled, organic, or in some way friendly to the planet. She was pleased by how much she found.
One website she has bought yarn from several times is the Wool Peddler. On this website you can find beautiful yarns of recycled silk, handspun hemp, and organic alpaca wool. Recycla particularly likes the recycled silk, which is created from silk thrums from India and then spun into yarn by a women’s cooperative in Nepal. The yarn creates a chunky fun knit that is colorful and eye-catching.
One website she would like to order from is Granola Yarn, which carries a wide variety of eco yarns from a variety of sources. Granola Yarn also has an interesting blog, if you’re in the mood to do a little reading while you shop.
A quick Google search came up with dozens of websites that sell organic yarns and Recycla would be interested in hearing from anyone who has ordered from them.
If you, like Recycla, are an Etsy fan, then you should check out some of the shops that are selling organic and even handpainted yarns. There are many, many lovely options.
As far as knitting needles go, Recycla honestly doesn’t know what is the best option — metal, wood, wood, or bamboo. Obviously, each uses resources and, in the case of plastic, those resources are not renewable. Recycla doesn’t really like wooden and bamboo needles; some hold up well, but others start to break down and snag her yarns. And Recycla actually prefers plastic for her larger size needles (11 and above) because the metal needles are loud and annoying.
If you are a knitter, Recycla would like to hear from you. What yarns do you like and what kinds of needles do you prefer?
1 response so far ↓
melissawest // April 11, 2008 at 5:44 pm |
Ooooh I love those yarn colors! I, too, prefer my plastic needles. I inherited them from my Grandma, so I’m sure any toxins have been absorbed by our hands by now;) Wool-wise, there are some local vendors here–the extra money for gorgeous yarn is always worth it!