Thursday 14 August 2008

Bamboo'zled

If you're the sort who reads people's link sections all the way down, you may have noticed that the section on knitting has grown a bit lately. This is because, while I have had a bit of knitter's block for a while now, I am slowly getting back into it, with added veganicity.

Let me explain here. I was perfectly aquainted with the principles of veganism (in the form it tends to take in the part of the world where I grew up) by the time I took up knitting. Hence, I have never bought sheep wool or anything of that sort new. Neither have I ever bought a ball or hank of sheep-based yarn secondhand. What I have done occasionally is get a jumper or something out of the recycling bin at a charity shop, unravel it, take out any skanky bits and turn it into something else. Now, I don't plan to do this any more. There is nothing of the sort left in my (rather immense nonetheless) yarn stockpile.

What do you knit with if not with wool? Quite a few things actually. Currently on my needles is a scarf made mostly from a yarn that is 100% bamboo fibre. That sounds rather rough and scratchy, but actually it feels like linen or maybe a silk blend. I have two colours of this bamboo yarn, a rather expensive one that I managed to get at less than half price. It is interspersed with a lacy ribbon yarn called Firefly, which is difficult to explain without a photo. There will be photos eventually.

I also have a whole load of acrylic to use up somehow. I can make a pair of wristwarmers during (for example) an episode of SFU, so I might make a lot of those to sell and donate to charity.

There will be a post on the different types of vegan yarn, when I have a bit more time.

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