Sooo…. going eco-friendly never occurred to me when I started my knitting journey. But that changed for me and a lightbulb struck as I was listening to the BHooked podcast (episode 98) interview with the author of “Slow Knitting,“ Hannah Thiessen. Contrary to the title this book isn’t about physically knitting at a slow pace, it’s about being conscious of the materials you use and where you source from. Are you supporting a local business or farm? Where is is the company you’re purchasing from getting their yarn from? Are the sheep/alpacas/other animals treated right? (This is also kinda where it hit me to support local businesses, people actually put in the work to trace how each animal is treated and where they source their materials too. Check out this blog post about my favorite small businesses I’ve worked with to this point.)

I’ve given my friends and family members and anyone who is willing to listen an earful about what I’ve learned about eco-friendly/sustainable materials since I’ve become so passionate about it and because I was truly in the dark. But instead of forcing poor souls to listen to me go on and on, I’ve compiled all I’ve learned so far in this blog post.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge why I’m choosing to use the term “eco-friendly.“ Originally, I wanted to go completely sustainable and, in an ideal world, EB Knits would be 100% sustainable. Unfortunately, after much research I don’t feel 100% sustainable is possible given the resources available. I will continue to research and evolve my practices within EB Knits to further reach that goal.

Sustainable (according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative): The creation of products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts; conserve energy and natural resources; are safe for employees, communities, and consumers; and are economically sound

Therefore, I have chosen to use the broader term “eco-friendly,“ thus encompassing a wider range of environmentally-friendly practices, including recycled, upcycled, biodegradable and sustainable materials.

I am by no means an expert (not even close) on this subject, but I have started to do some research and want to share what I’ve collected with you in one spot!

When I first started on this journey, I walked into Michael’s and picked out the prettiest yarn I could find in my favorite colors, regardless of the fiber. I just thought I was purchasing pretty, affordable and soft yarn! And man, did I buy a lot of it. I took advantage of every yarn sale they had last fall/winter and now here I am sitting with a bunch of acrylic/acrylic blend yarn. Call me dense, but I just realized acrylic is actually plastic! While it can be soft and it’s great because it’s machine washable and doesn’t shrink, it’s not actually high-end or environmentally friendly. From the process of mining acrylic (uses major fossil fuels), to washing it (releases micro-plastics into water) to actually disposing of it (not biodegradable), it is not eco-friendly. On the positive side, hats and other handmade items aren’t typically washed as often as other garments of clothing and will hopefully be treasured for a long time, thus not disposed of for years to come, however I still feel passionate about transitioning EB Knits into an all-around eco-friendly business.

I’ve researched eco-friendly companies to work with regarding everything from my materials (i.e. yarns, labels, etc.) to my packaging. Check out this blog post to check my progress on this journey and see some of my research below!

Yarn Fibers

NOTE: When it comes to fibers, I understand there is a great deal of controversy that exists around certain types. I mentioned acrylic above, but issues also exist with some plant-based fibers, but, most controversial are animal fibers. I have chosen to source animal fibers carefully from farms and practices that treat their animals ethically and with care.

• I created a Pinterest board that I’m always adding to featuring articles and blog posts about ethically sourced yarns, which you can check out here!

• Through Instagram I discovered this awesome eco-friendly local yarn shop here in Chicago! I can’t wait to check it out, but in the meantime, they posted some great info about yarns to use and not to use. They call it their Happy Fiber List and No Fly Fiber List.

• I also have a blog post about some of my favorite yarn fibers i’ve tried that I continually update here.

• To be continued, so much more to learn…

Packaging Materials

• I’m going to let EcoEnclose’s blog post do the talking because they break it down for us in great detail. Click here for why sustainable is so important in packaging/every day life.