Vegan Knitting
Hooray for Meatless Monday! Rather than focusing on our plates, we’re taking a look at our knitting needles today. The holidays are around the corner and who doesn’t love receiving a new scarf or pair of cozy mittens made by a loved one? Knitter, blogger, and vegan, Emily Kearney is here to give us the scoop on cruelty-free yarn and how to get started with this super cool hobby! Read on to learn how to create wonderful handmade gifts, join a vibrant crafty community, and pick up this meditative activity while caring for the animals.
Photo by Bittersweet Blog
Four years ago, I began to work as a paraprofessional at a public school based on the Waldorf philosophy. My job was to support a child with a disability through first grade, which is the point at which Waldorf students learn to knit. As an assistant, my job was to help my student lend a hand to others. This meant, naturally, learning how to knit myself.
It’s difficult to describe the way I felt when I learned to knit. It was as if my hands had been meant to move according to the rhythms of knitting all along. Indeed, there’s a fine knitting tradition in my family: many of the women in my extended family (then and now) have made beautiful items with fiber crafts. Although I never had a chance to meet some of them, I can get to know them through the heirlooms they left behind.
As a vegan, knitting is more challenging for me than it is for typical knitters. I usually have to figure out an appropriate substitute yarn when the yarn suggested for a pattern contains animal fibers. I have to pay attention to the drape and stretch of plant fibers (depending on the type of garment) so that I don’t end up with a sweater that reaches my knees after it’s washed. I often have to purchase yarn online when local stores don’t stock a lot of vegan yarns. And inevitably, I deal with questions such as “But conventional cotton is so much worse for the environment than wool – aren’t you worried about that?” or “You don’t use wool? I can’t knit with cotton – it’s so rough on my hands.”
So I decided to start a blog, Vegan Knitting to share the knitting projects I work on and share information with others who want to use animal-free yarn for ethical or health reasons.
Luckily for us, these days there are a whole variety of yarns out there to choose from that can satisfy both the vegan and the environmentally-minded. Vegan yarns can be made from cotton, linen, soy, bamboo, rayon, nettle, acrylic, microfiber, nylon, and elastic. A number of companies—such as Blue Sky Alpacas, South West Trading Company, and Crystal Palace—feature a line of vegan yarns.
In current economic times, many knitters are following the theme featured in the last series of Brenda Dayne’s Cast-On podcast – Make Do and Mend. This motto was used in the UK during WWII to inspire households to use less new materials and find ways of reusing those on hand. It is possible to be a prolific knitter without spending a lot of money on yarn. It’s also possible to find an animal-fiber yarn, if necessary, without contributing to the animal industry at all.
Here are some surefire strategies:
-Talk to family and friends – they’ll often have knitting materials from a relative or an abandoned try at knitting languishing in a closet.
-Look at your local charity or thrift shop – you’re almost certain to find enough some needles and yarn at very low prices. Scan through sweaters at the shop to look for solid colors with non-pilly yarn. These can be unraveled, washed, and reused. Clear instructions can be found at Neauveau Fiber Arts.
-Search for “recycled yarn” on both Etsy and Ebay for colors and fibers at very low prices.
-Join the “ISO and Destashing” group on Ravelry to see what members are selling. You can post for donations for charity – which is how I made all of the necessarily animal-fiber projects I made for Afghans for Afghans.
-Look for these brands at your local craft or yarn shop: Lion Brand, Berrocco, Takhi, or go to Knitpicks. And look for rescue farms that sell the animals’ fleece and handspun yarn, such as Homestead Wool and Gift Farm.
If you are interested in knitting but haven’t done it before, there are several things you can do to make it successful:
-Get a copy of Stitch n Bitch by Debbie Stoller. For professional video guides of basic stitches and techniques, check out Knitting Help. For videos of more specific stitches and tricks, search for the terms on YouTube.
-Start with a project you like. A 50 stitch wide scarf on size 5 needles with skinny cotton yarn will never get finished. You’re much better off starting with something manageable in a short amount of time, such as a potholder, coaster, skinny scarf, or a small bag. Choose a pattern that demands size 8-10 needles, not too big, not too small.
-I can’t emphasize how important it is to knit with others. Find a local knitting group and start going. Don’t be intimidated about bringing your garter stitch scarf on big needles when other people are knitting intricate lace shawls on teeny tiny needles. Others will be happy to help you with your knitting, and you’ll learn a lot just listening to them talk about their projects. You can look for a local knitting group on the Stitch N Bitch website or within the Ravelry groups.
-Join the knitting social network website, Ravelry. You can list your completed projects and those in progress, browse the largest online collection of patterns and yarn, and see what others have made with the patterns or yarn you like. On the forums, you’ll be certain to find someone to answer your “I dropped a stitch!” questions at 3 am.
I am proud to be part of the vibrant and supportive virtual vegan knitting community. Through groups on Ravelry and inspiring blogs like Bittersweet Blog, Vegan Craftastic and Blind Purls, I hear about new products, get great advice, and participate in fun swaps. Knitting socks without wool is even trickier, so check out Vegan Sock Knitalong, and my comprehensive list of vegan sock yarn.
When I’m knitting, I feel like a different person. It connects me with people I love, connects me with new friends who share my passion, and is an important part of my efforts to life a sustainable and cruelty-free life.
Emily Kearney is a special education teacher who lives in Portland, OR with her husband and new kitten. She loves to spend time in her garden, read, knit, watch film noir, and cook. She’s been vegan for nine years.
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