sustainable/eco-friendly/vegan-friendly yarns + fibers

[lupinbunny]

sorry, noone yet seems to have specified what 'crulety-free' wool is.
is it yarn that's not meat-trade by-product?
does australian wool count as cruelty-free (in the light of the mulesing 'debate')?

[soychicka]

re: animal cruelty... I wouldn't exclude Australian wool per se, but i would require proof that living conditions would be acceptable.  i'll have to look more into mueseling practices and the amount of directed breeding a farm would use to make mueseling necessary - but i guess my personal opinion would be that if the farm is responsible in every other way,  i would consider it, but would definitely include any relevant information about museling  practices next to the yarn's name.

re: meat production + wool production - first off, i would attempt to obtain fibres from sources that don't slaughter their stock, but in the case of some sources in impoverished regions, their stock truly is their livelihood - clothing *and* food, and i wouldn't have as much of a problem with that, because it's helping people who truly need this as a means of support, and preventing them from participating in other activities that are much worse for the environment.  side note:: I spent a summer doing research in the mountain highlands of Kyrgyzstan, and interacted with many Kyrgyz Shepards along the way.  I was able to observe how they treated their livestock:: free range, no hormones, etc, but they eventually do slaughter to provide dinner for their families.  I think that, in some way, supporting these people for doing something that they /have/ to do anyway in exchange for essentially organic products is not as bad as buying wool from unnamed sources that may or may not (but most likely do) slaughter their stock for profit.  Just my 7 cents...  Anyway, any of that info would be included in the list in order to allow people to make their own decisions.

If anyone would like a good resource to read about some of the impacts of textile manufacture, the Danish EPA put out a pdf called Environmental Assessment of Textiles... it's about 230 pages long, and pretty wonky, but if you're *really* interested, let me know and i can email a copy (can't find the link right now).

Food for thought for the day: it takes over 12 gallons of crude oil to produce 1 kg of acrylic; that's about amount of yarn consumed in one acrylic sweater... Think of all the displaced and killed animals AND people that come from oil operations.

[lupinbunny]

hey, that's cool about the wool.
i think you have a really responsible but realistic attitude

i like the idea of stocking things and including information about their background so people can easily make an informed choice, even if it's stuff that you personally would be less likely to use.

[soychicka]

i like the idea of stocking things and including information about their background so people can easily make an informed choice, even if it's stuff that you personally would be less likely to use.

do you mean carrying diff. animal fibers or things like acrylic/other synthetics?

[hoxierice]

I keep on thinking about this it would be a great idea to have all of this information availible when making yarn choices. You also said something about fabric. If you know (or want to do the reasearch) I would LOVE to have information on buying natural/organic undyed muslin by the bolt, preferibly in various weights. Sorry if I am getting off topic.

[midnightsky1686]

If you look around there are a number of local mills and handspinners who do take the time to tell you where the fiber is from.  Other issues like who raised/processed/produced/transported the fiber (slave wages anyone?)

The issue isnt jsut the fiber though obviously, since dyes and mordantare also hard on the environment and may not be vegan. 

this is why with yarns i sell i do put a vegan mark next to yarns that are (ie soysilk, which i also keep seperate from my wools and other stuff) and when possible tell you where i got the fiber  (right now its rommey from a local farmer, other times it has been from a fiber trader that has a mix of wools from around the us blened together.  its not always possible to see how the sheep are treated yourself so sometimes you have to make choices).

my general rule of thumb so to speak is small company/individual, is the item unique?, is it what im looking for (no good if you then dont like the yarn).

[soychicka]

i've been looking as much as possible for small, handspinners who work with fibres from known sources or from their own sheep; unfortunately, there aren't too many in south florida...

so... if anyone has info about or could track down phone numbers/contact info about small, preferably organic farms that don't have a real presence on the internet that i could help give some publicity or handspinners that /know/ what they're spinning /and/ dyeing with, PLEASE pass them along!!! i've spent a long time looking, but if y'all have any leads... 

about fabric:: i just posted elsewhere about a possible fabric co-op:: i'd like to get recycled PET woven fabric, but I don't think I need 150 yards.   see here http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=41480.0

but for right now, i'm planning on focusing on fiber/yarn, except for those i come across in my research.  we'll save that for august

Food for thought:: Not all plant fibers are vegan:: some commercially spun knitting/weaving cotton is treated with a solution containing pig pancreas-derived enzymes... (I don't know which ones by brand yet, only some that aren't).

[amey]

Hey soychicka,
What are your thoughts on Peace Fleece ( http://www.peacefleece.com ).  I've liked supporting them because they seem to have a good social conscience, and I'm not vegan so I do use wool. 

thanks!

~amey

[fiber_freak]

My take on the cruelty-free wool issue in Australia....

There are many small farms that can be hurt by PETA's approach of boycotting *ALL* wool from Australia, farms that do practice ethically.  These farms are already having enough issue with big business coming in and undercutting their products and a boycott such as this furthers this.

I do think we, as yarn consumers, can ask questions such as where does this wool come from, what type of wool is it.  For example, our local Yarn Knotzi (who tells us to not tie knots in our projects) says that much of the wool in the industry is from type B merino sheep that are not treated sheared using the mulesing.  These type B merino sheep do not have wrinkly skin and therefore do not have the maggot issue.  Furthermore, these sheep are bred for both meat and wool, which many small farms need dual purpose trade like this to sustain their business.

This type B merino wool does come from Australia, amongst other places....and those treating their animals humanely should NOT be boycotted.  PETA's argument is one that has brought forth light to an important issue...but there is so much more to the issue than a three paragraph press statement.

If you have questions, research before you buy.  Ask your LYS owner where the wool comes from and what type it is.  Research online.  FREELY buy yarn from farms that sell Type B Merino wool....support the small man....because then they are not fodder in the crossfire.

ruthee

[soychicka]

fiber_freak:: do you have any links to info on type B / sustainable australian farms?  i've spent ~half an hour googling, and have come up with a few links about Pygora goat fleeces, not really relevant...

anyhoo, it's been my opinion that (at least down here) the majority of people at the lys's know  very little about natural fibers at all, let alone what continent the wool is sourced from or what breed the fiber is sourced from, save reading directly from the label (and some don't even know what fibers are natural and what are synthetic! aargh.) 

i'd love to point people in the right direction, so any info you have would be appreciated.