One of the nice things about playing with yarn is that many of them come from natural sources – cotton, wool, and alpaca fleece are common ones. Bamboo is becoming a popular choice – I find it creates an interestingly kinky texture but is nicely soft and sleek. Some other interesting renewable choices are coming out with other plant-based fibers created of soy and corn. Milk is even getting into the act.
As much as I love the natural fibers, I’m still a big fan of some synthetics. Face it – when working a afghan meant for the dogs to sleep on, I’m not dropping $200 on expensive natural fibers for them. Plus, I think synthetic yarn does have its place, especially for beginnng knitters and crocheters who may not want to invest in the expensive natural stuf.
And so it does my heart good to see the yarn manufacturers finding ways to incorporate unusual recycling efforts into their goods. One example is Red Heart’s Eco-Ways which is 70% acrylic and 30% polyester created from recycled plastic soda and water bottles. Eco-Cotton cleverly uses t-shirt remnants and blends it with acrylic (75% cotton, 25% acrylic) for a nice, comfy hand.
Caron also makes a 80% acrylic/20% polyester blend made from plastic bottles. If, like me you were wondering just how many bottles we’re saving from the landfills, Caron claims 10 skeins of yarn uses six bottles. Not as much as we’d hope, but still better than nothing.
So, in honor of Earth Day, knit and crochet responsibly. When you can’t use a renewable fiber, try to reuse some of that garbage out there.
