What does vegan knitting mean? Anyone who had a look at the vegan lifestyle a little knows that it is not only limited to food, but can also be lived in other ways. For example, also in the textile industry, i.e. in one's own closet.
In today's blog post from my category #SustainKnit, I would like to tell you a little about what this means for the world of knitting and how you can put your ideas into practice.
A vegan belief generally means limiting one's consumption to goods that are free of any animal products. For example, in terms of food, this means not eating cheese, honey or milk and so on. However, the whole thing does not necessarily stop with food. Many materials used in the clothing and textile industry contain animal fibres such as wool and are therefore not in line with the vegan lifestyle. The same goes for the yarn we choose for our knitting projects!
Whether vegan or not, I urge all knitters to think about their choice of yarn. Even if you decide to use an animal product, it is important to make sure that it does not involve animal cruelty.
Let's take the example of the wool that is probably the most commonly used: Sheep's wool in any form. Sheep often have to undergo a procedure called mulesing. If you want to read more about this, you can do so in my blog post here. But unfortunately it doesn't stop there, because even if the torturous mulesing is not carried out, it is often the case that many sheep are bred to produce as much wool as possible. This is due to the high demand and financial gain of the amount of wool. The consequence for the animal is that it is no longer able to balance its own temperature well and the weight of the wool generally becomes too much for the sheep.
Like all other animal herds, sheep also produce additional methane, which by and large is a CO₂ footprint problem with livestock farming.
So if you choose the animal option, for the sake of the animal - whichever one it is - you should find out where the wool comes from and how it was obtained. Of course, this thirst for knowledge should not be limited to sheep's wool, but should also apply to other animal yarns.
What can I use instead of animal wool?
The answer is logical: plant based yarns! Theoretically, synthetic yarns also fall into the vegan category. In my opinion, however, they still contradict to some extent the sustainable idea that also underlies a vegan lifestyle. Synthetic yarn is not made from sustainable resources, but from materials such as coal, petroleum or natural gas. Even if this yarn is a cheap alternative to others, the price we pay ecologically - in my opinion - is too high for it. More on that in a moment.
Plant based yarns also have just as many advantages as animal yarns. Many of them are very durable, sometimes very easy to care for, breathable and sustainable. The following animal-free fibres, for example, can be used well for knitting for various projects:
Cotton: strong and extremely tear-resistant, breathable, washable at high temperatures, kind to the skin, organic version produced more sustainably with less water consumption
Linen: strong and extremely tear-resistant, softens with washing, breathable, very durable, very easy to care for
Hemp: strong and extremely tear-resistant, softens with washing, breathable, takes almost no odour, no need for pesticides in cultivation due to natural properties, even less water consumption than cotton, very good eco-balance
Bamboo: strong and extremely tear-resistant, very breathable, antibacterial, suitable for all skin types
Another possibility to work with a vegan alternative is recycled yarns. Many non-animal yarns are available as a recycled option. This means that the yarn has been obtained from textiles that have already gone through a production phase before. So fibres can be reused and are therefore very sustainable and resource-saving. At this point I would like to return to our synthetic yarns. You might have guessed: yarns made from recycled plastic! Oh yes, there are some skeins that are mostly made from plastic bottles or other reused materials.
But recycling doesn't stop here, it really just begins. Because of course there are also recycled yarns made from animal and plant based fibres. Both variants are worthwhile for ecologically sustainable and animal-friendly consumption! Here, too, resources are conserved and what has already gone through a production cycle is used.
Some examples for yarn made of...
PET-Bottle
Cotton
... and many more. You can find options online rather quickly!
Maybe I was able to inspire some of you to make an upcoming knitting project from a vegan yarn variant. It is understandable that some people do not want to go without the positive effects that animal wool brings with it. Maybe you are interested in a catchy introduction to yarn groups with their composition advantages and disadvantages here in my blog post.
If you still want to use animal wool, you might want to try a recycled version next time. For those who don't: find out about your animal yarns background and think about it.
Well, that turned into a little moral lecture! I hadn't really planned it that way. Personally, I don't exclusively use vegan or recycled alternatives. But I try to steer more in that direction and inform myself about my yarn choice in advance.
Nevertheless, every little bit can make a difference.
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