Super Eco

Photo credit: moria, Flickr

Crochet is my son's new favorite “sport.” His first crafty gem: a machine gun holster for his favorite G.I. Joe. Yes, I let him play with those.

At least he crocheted it from organic, plant-dyed soy yarn. No agrochemicals, no synthetics—and a smaller environmental impact—like the ever-greening crop of skeins popping up at craft stores worldwide. Let’s untangle a few, shall we?

SOYSILK And you didn’t think you could snuggle tofu leftovers ... in a downy sweater knit from SOYSILK, South West Trading Company’s 100% liquefied tofu protein yarn stock. It’s soft and warm like cashmere; biodegradable; vegan; non-petrochemically processed; moisture wicking and naturally antibacterial. The only hang up: you have to spin it yourself. Don’t have time? Try recycled silk sari or sarong yarn instead.

Bamboo Another SWTC eco-yarn, this 100% bamboo yarn is made from hand-harvested, non-herbicide bamboo grass stalk. All the shimmer of silk, half the price. Better yet, it stays cleaner longer because of its naturally absorbent, deodorizing, antibacterial and anti-fungal characteristics. But does biodegradable bamboo fabric shrink upon greenwashing?

Hemp Duuude, this stuff is pure. Handspun, wild crafted hemp yarn is pesticides and herbicide free, is recyclable and minimizes deforestation. You can get it thick or thin, for everything from macramé jewelry to sturdy rugs to hippie hoodies. The best part: No seeds to pick out. Score some here.
.
Corn Hold the butter. Not all ears of yarn are as green as they seem; corn farmers often lean on pesticides and GMO production. Best to stitch with organic, naturally dyed Kollage Cornucopia, the leading 100% corn yarn. It's lighter than bamboo and cotton, super durable, naturally sweat wicking and UV resistant. “A-maize-ing” for wash-n-dry socks and sweaters.    

Coming soon, more spin on knitting with milk, seaweed and banana yarns. Sweater smoothie anyone?