How do you choose your yarn?
I have been recently thinking about yarn. Maybe I am not alone here.. yarn feels nice, looks like candy (sometimes better) and can be full of potential and inspiration.
I would love to be able to buy only 100% handmade, ecological, naturally dyed happy lamb wool yarn. However, until very recently I have been living on a student budget and unfortunately I have had to prioritize my shopping. During this time I have learned to recycle yarn. To not throw away unsuccessful projects, but rip them and make something better. To shop in thrift stores, to re-purpose old sweaters. But sometimes I have also been tempted and lured into buying yarn that may look and feel nice and bright but is 100% acrylic. Now this yarn is practically plastic. When you throw it away, it will never decompose. Never.
Plus a recent study shows that washing a fleece sweater (same material as acrylic yarn) releases micro particles that end up in our seas, and then in the ecosystem. Researchers are not sure what the long-term consequences are, but it is a real issue because most of our clothes nowadays contain plastic.
Any thoughts? Where do you buy your yarn? What are the things affecting your purchase decisions?
In picture, one of the beautiful tiny balls of yarn I found today at the local thrift store.
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I am with you on buying naturals, but some are very hard to work with or discolor the way and itself- so they are NOT my favorites to use, when I really “invest”- meaning buy retail to follow a pattern. I am not at all concurred about the acrylic/plastic content, because rationally there are much more horrible pollutant than plastic particle. And on the bright side,: We already know we can’t keep this earth from decaying, although I am an eco conscious person ever since I found out we have a creator ( I was atheist 1/2 of my life). Chemical dyes and cosmetics are much more environmentally hazardous than plastic pollution. I crack up when I see all the people with dyed hair, make up, tattoos….. talk about saving the Cheasapeak Bay.
I buy yarn everywhere- depending on my purpose. I LOVE to find good “finds” in thrift shops and design something around it. That is great about sites like rivalry, because they give the yardage to complete a project. Be blessed and enjoy your projects.
Your are right that there are much bigger pollutants than yarn and particles from artificial materials. And we should also consider the impact of producing these things.
I would love to think that my yarn comes from a cute sheep somewhere in the Alps rather than a huge factory polluting the air and waters somewhere in the developing countries. Would be really great to be able to see the whole production and distribution chain of a product we buy – be it yarn, food or cosmetics.
Yes, of course that would be wonderful. I have a friend in Malaysia, who sets slaves free. I would love to go help as I was invited, but ever since Nepal, my husband barely lets me out from under the rug. Education is the whole issue about pollutants. But just think, wisdom about purchasing yarn and other things is also. I had a blog last week about prevention. We often can prevent pollution, if we would just think ahead. Be blessed!
Ideally, I love to buy organic yarns too. I can’t see the point of going to the trouble of creating something using acrylic. It always looks and feel cheap. Cost, unfortunately is a big deciding factor though. I visited a yarn shop in Cork this morning and drooled over a beautiful wool/silk mix yarn and saw a lovely pattern for a hoodie but it would have cost almost 100 euro to make!
It’s nice to set out with high ideals but I suppose compromise is inevitable…
I agree 100%. A lot of the yarn, regardless how beautiful, is simply way more valuable than what I am prepared to pay for yarn (as a hobby). Unfortunately.
I was looking through Etsy last night to find what are the options for recycled yarn, and there are few sellers who provide recycled yarn such as wool or t-shirt yarn. Would you consider buying recycled yarn?
For me, the big issue is the emotional side of picking yarn, I would like to see it and feel it, imagine what it could become, before making the buying decision. And I suppose yarn stores do not carry many recycled brands at the moment. Most of the selection is online.
Definitely. This morning I ended up buying ‘fabric’ – you know the warm interlining for curtains? I’m not sure what it is called but my plan is to cut it into strips and crochet it with a very large crochet hook. I did a textile course a few years back and we re-cycled everything and anything to make ‘yarn’, including bubble wrap, strips of muslin, old t-shirts, twine, ribbon and pairs of tights! I would definitely consider buying re-cycled yarn. In fact, when you think of what we all hold in our ‘stash’ wouldn’t it be great to have the facility to swap or trade yarns? ‘Yarn Swap’ – saving money and the planet, a ball at a time! :) I know what you mean, though, it is nice to touch it. It just helps to visualise the end result.
Oh, that sounds like an interesting experiment! :) My grandmother used to make these colorful crocheted rag carpets, and I think they are super cozy. I am really happy they seem to be coming back to fashion!
Maybe I am a hoarder, but I have plenty of yarn which has been in my stash for way too long. Maybe it would be time to accept that it will not be used and donate it to a thrift store..where someone like you and me may find it and like it. :)
Yarn is like a candy store for me, I usually don’t think so much about the content but more about the color, or project I am thinking of doing. Thanks for your post as it will now make me think first before buying acrylic yarn.
Thank for reading and for your comment! I really wanted to hear how other people feel about this, since it has been on my mind for some time.
I completely agree with what you say. Although I have a huge amount of acrylic yarn in my stash, it has been donated to me and I don’t use it at all anymore. I don’t like going to all that time of crocheting something beautiful then having it feel like plastic.
Now I only buy 100% pure cotton or wool. Like you I look in my local thrift store (op-shop) for second hand bargains (found a great one this week) and I am stocking up my old sheets to make some rag rugs as well. Also I had an elderly lady recommend that I use the thrift store to undo knitted clothes to use the yarn (like you mention), which is a great idea.
Great post.
I love rag rugs! And you are right, if you are putting so much effort into creating something, you want to use quality material to have the best possible result. Also, as wildsherkin above said, it is somehow illogical to create yarn out of plastic when there are so many natural fibers available.
Personally, I am dreaming of trying out bamboo and banana yarns. They even sound tasty :)
Interesting post. I find natural yarn is kinder to my fingers. I generally stick with cotton for crochet but have just bought a huge ball of jute to crochet an Eco friendly shopper. Not sure if ill have any skin left by the end if it though!
I guess we wouldn’t be crocheting if we didn’t enjoy the process. So how yarn feels is definitely important. Would be great to hear how you find crocheting with jute.
I buy based on colour/texture/content. When I do a yarn sale however, I’m faced with a sea of faces demanding cheap wool. There’s no such thing! However, now I understand why the awful, squeaky, 100% acrylic “baby yarn” is just such a difficult item to shift out of yarn shops.