Where knitting and environmentalism meet
I've been thinking a lot about how knitting and environmentalism have a certain amount in common. Both have an emphasis on not wasting, which is the easiest way to be green. Avoiding needless waste and using every bit of what you have is simply a great habit to be in. Especially when money is an issue.
With some things, knitters have to over buy, which can be an issue. It's better to have one too many balls of yarn for that sweater, rather than one short and be sweating about dye lots. (for non-knitters...a dye lot is a number that tells identifies a group of balls of yarn that were dyed with the same formula. Sometimes there is variation from one lot to another, which can make a finished piece look odd)
Despite this, yarn is a pretty okay thing to over buy on. It never grows stale, rots, or anything. It just waits until an opportune moment. Any knitter or other fiber artist worth his or her salt has a bunch of odds and ends left over from bigger projects. This is the first place they go for small projects or to use for part of a larger project.
This kind of frugality and waste-not-want-not attitude is the first place anyone should start in both knitting and environmentalism.
Once you've got that, THEN you can look at the other eco-friendly things about knitting. Often, yarn is not shipped a huge distance, especially if one orders online from a relatively local place. Your favorite sweater that you bought at Penny's probably came from China...that's a lot of miles and gas burned.
Your average knitter, however, is fueled by coffee and determination, instead of diesel and coal. The very act of producing the item, even if the raw materials for it are shipped, does help lessen the environmental impact.
Another nice thing is the complete re-usability of one's basic knitting tools. A good pair of needles will last a lifetime, thus only having to be produced once. And, speaking of a lifetime, a well-knit or crocheted item can last that long too. Antique lace isn't an accident. It was crocheted with care and an eye for quality. Thou shalt respect thy grandmother's doilies.
With some things, knitters have to over buy, which can be an issue. It's better to have one too many balls of yarn for that sweater, rather than one short and be sweating about dye lots. (for non-knitters...a dye lot is a number that tells identifies a group of balls of yarn that were dyed with the same formula. Sometimes there is variation from one lot to another, which can make a finished piece look odd)
Despite this, yarn is a pretty okay thing to over buy on. It never grows stale, rots, or anything. It just waits until an opportune moment. Any knitter or other fiber artist worth his or her salt has a bunch of odds and ends left over from bigger projects. This is the first place they go for small projects or to use for part of a larger project.
This kind of frugality and waste-not-want-not attitude is the first place anyone should start in both knitting and environmentalism.
Once you've got that, THEN you can look at the other eco-friendly things about knitting. Often, yarn is not shipped a huge distance, especially if one orders online from a relatively local place. Your favorite sweater that you bought at Penny's probably came from China...that's a lot of miles and gas burned.
Your average knitter, however, is fueled by coffee and determination, instead of diesel and coal. The very act of producing the item, even if the raw materials for it are shipped, does help lessen the environmental impact.
Another nice thing is the complete re-usability of one's basic knitting tools. A good pair of needles will last a lifetime, thus only having to be produced once. And, speaking of a lifetime, a well-knit or crocheted item can last that long too. Antique lace isn't an accident. It was crocheted with care and an eye for quality. Thou shalt respect thy grandmother's doilies.