Don't Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes
By Rissa Miller
As nights grow longer and temperatures dip, the nesting urge increases. We crave comforts like mugs of hot cocoa and cuddly blankets. What better way to warm up than making a cozy sweater?
Knitting and crocheting have been popular pastimes for centuries. The repetitive nature of hand-stitching is akin to meditation, soothing the mind and relieving stress. And of course the end result is your very own creation! A scarf, hat, mittens, wrap, socks, blanket, or any number of other projects are simpler than ever with thousands of free instructional videos online.
Vegans and other ethically-minded individuals need to take the extra step to make sure their crafting is cruelty-free. Many yarns and fibers are made from wool or wool blends (sometimes listed as merino).
"There's absolutely something plant-based for any project," said Heidi Braacx, owner of www.VeganYarn.com in British Columbia, Canada. Braacx started her business on Etsy in 2009; by 2012, it grew into a website for consumers and wholesalers. When she saw the lack of vegan yarn options, she took it on as a personal challenge to create better options for crafters. She's seen the vegan yarn industry expanding since then.
It was a video about sheep that inspired her to open her business, Braacx said. She learned about theindustry treatment of wool sheep, and "by the end, (she) was sobbing."
Sheep are intelligent, sentient creatures. Sadly, sheep raised for wool endure a variety of cruelties. They are bred to produce unnaturally large amounts of wool, causing heavy skin folds that get infections. Many are castrated, debudded, or have their tails docked with no painkillers.
Shearing can be stressful or even harrowing for sheep. Typically, shearers are paid by volume, not hourly, so they work as fast as possible. Sheep are often physically restrained and injured in the cutting process, ending up with open wounds, including on their face and backsides, that are not treated. After a few years, when sheep no longer grow enough wool to earn their keep, they are sent to slaughter.
Other animal-based textile fibers are made from goat (angora, cashmere, mohair), rabbit (angora), alpaca, camel, beaver, crabs/shellfish (chitin), and silk worms. The fates of these creatures are also frequently traumatic.
The good news is that there's vegan yarn at every price point for any project from trendy leg warmers to a hearty kitchen scrubber, and everything in between.
Animal-friendly yarns can be found online, in craft stores, specialty yarn shops, and at big box stores. Easy-to-find synthetic yarns include acrylic, lycra, microfiber, nylon, and polyester. Bamboo, cotton, flax/ linen, and hemp are natural vegan fibers carried by many retailers. Other more exotic vegan yarns (all available online) include banana bark, inego (corn fiber), modal/tencel (wood fiber), nettle, rayon/viscose fiber, recycled newspaper, and soy silk. Lots of vegan blends are also available, mixing two to four different vegan fibers for strength and/or texture.
Braacx notes that in some cases, vegan yarns do perform differently, and even better, than wool.
"Once you've sorted out how the yarns behave, it's easy to accommodate them. The main thing is that while wools are a bit stretchy (and spring back), plant yarns are much more stable, and drape beautifully. So for instance, if you're making a top, you may need to make it shorter than you'd expect since after you've knitted it, it will relax, or grow an extra few inches in length. Some weavers actually prefer those qualities in plant-based yarns," she explained.
For those who already have a basket of yarn, Braacx suggests giving away your animal-based yarns or finishing projects and gifting them to friends as you replace yarn with vegan fibers. Some craft stores have yarn-swap days and some thrift stores have craft areas, which can all be inexpensive ways to get wool swapped out for more ethical yarn.
If you're new to knitting and/or crochet, pick a beginner level project. Scarves or lap blankets are good places to start. Unless you know someone who stitches or are lucky enough to find a group, get on YouTube or search some blogs, and select a video to follow. Basic techniques are straightforward and needles are easily accessible in standard sizes for knit and crochet. Before you know it, you will have mastered the 101 level and be on your way to hats and mittens.
Latchhook, pom-pom, weaving, and wrapping are other techniques vegan yarns can be used for, with hundreds of patterns and ideas on Instagram, Pinterest, and Ravelry. For crafters who prefer cross-stitch, needlepoint or other forms of stitchery, like crewel, macrame, or tatting, there are also cruelty-free options. No need to use wool or silk; cotton and synthetic embroidery threads are widely available.
Too busy to knit or don't have the patience for crochet? You can still use this information to avoid animal-derived fibers and threads when shopping. If you want to support vegan crafters who are handstitching, search websites like Etsy. Lots of folks make a living creating ethically-made knits.
Vegan Yarns
Synthetics
Acrylic
Lycra
Microfiber
Nylon
Polyester
Natural Fibers
Bamboo
Banana Bark
Cotton
Flax/Linen
Hemp
Inego (corn fiber)
Modal/Tencel (wood fiber)
Nettle
Rayon/Viscose Fiber
Recycled Newspaper
Soy Silk
Starting Your Own Vegan Stitching Club
For decades, people have held sewing circles as a way to build community and
friendship while sharing a common interest. You can create your own local Vegan
Stitching Club to find a like-minded group of individuals to knit, crochet, and/or
sew with. First, secure a location where your group can meet once or twice a month
and set up dates. This place could be the community room of your public library/arts
center/apartment complex, a coffee shop, or a nearby craft or yarn store that has
classroom space. Ideally the space will be free, so you don't have to charge
attendees; however, use your best judgment before inviting strangers into your
actual home.
Next, advertise the dates and location for the group. Put up notices on various social media, hang simple flyers at nearby vegan eateries or juice bars/coffeeshops, and of course, ask area craft/yarn shops to post flyers as well. Getting the word out is the biggest hurdle, but consider the places you frequent in your local area, and likely, that's where other vegan stitchers eat/shop, too.
It can take time for folks to find you, and even then, schedules can be challenging. Give your group at least a few months, or six to ten meetings, to grow at minimum. Before you know it, you'll havea new circle of vegan textile artists as friends, and you will all be able to share tips, tricks, and your compassionate stitching projects!
Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor, fell in love with crochet as a college student. Because she also loves Franklin the sheep, a resident at Burleigh Sanctuary, she hopes all crafters will embrace vegan yarns!
