News

Knitters who think of plump, white sheep grazing along grassy hillsides when their needles start clicking had better think again. Because these days, there's more to yarn than wool. Growing concern for the environment has fuelled the search for kinder, gentler alternatives to grandma's itchy sweaters - everything from organic wool to socks made from crab and shrimp shells.

"I think our eco-consciousness is on 11 right now, and it's absolutely spilled over into the knitting world," says Vickie Howell, host of DIY television's Knitty Gritty and a pixieish poster girl for the new knitting generation. She recently teamed up with the Earth-friendly fibre gurus at Southwest Trading Company (http://www.soysilk.com) to promote "Craft," "Rock," "Love" and "Vegas," a line of beautifully coloured yarns crafted from blends of milk fibre, organic cotton, soy silk, hemp and bamboo.

Though the list of ingredients found in the SWTC yarns reads like something out of your compost heap (a 100-per-cent corn-fibre yarn is also available) the fibres are the result of years of research and experimentation.

"Chitin, our fibre made from the polymers extracted from recycled shrimp and crab shells offers deodorizing properties that we thought would be perfect for a sock yarn," says Jonelle Raffino president and co-founder of SWTC. It sells under the surprisingly cute name "Tofutsies," since the yarn also includes Soysilk, made from soy proteins.

Megan Ingman, owner of Toronto yarn boutique Lettuce Knit (http://www.lettuceknit.com), stocks her shelves with natural and recycled fibres in keeping with the growing number of planet-loving knitsters.

"We carry bamboo yarns and organic cottons such as Blue Sky Alpaca, which are grown in their natural colours and have never been dyed or bleached, along with recycled yarn from sari production in Nepal," Ingman says.

But why go organic? Aren't sheep "natural" enough? A lot of chemicals are used in the production of conventional wool, Ingman explains. Sheep are often dipped in toxic chemicals to eradicate lice. After shearing, the fleece is washed with acids and bleaches, which can dehydrate the fibre. "But organic wool, free of this processing is soft," she says.

As well, she says, conventional wool production is unfriendly to the sheep, which are often shorn when it's still cold out and are given hormones and genetically modified feed.

According to Karen Stewart, part owner and designer of eco-fashion house Stewart + Brown (http://www.stewartbrown.com), based in Portland, Ore., it's not just the planet that is at risk.

Conventional wool goes through a harmful chlorine process, she says. "If garments aren't properly washed before going to customers, this can potentially cause cancer because the chemicals from the chlorine are still in the fibre and then against the skin."

Ingman explains, "People with allergies or sensitivities to wool might actually be reacting to the chemicals in the wool, rather than the actual fibre content."

And allergies can appear in other ways too: "Another bonus to some of the new fibres like corn and soy silk is that a lot of people who have animal allergies can now knit comfortably," Powell says.

But what's mainly moving knitters to pick up green yarn (although not necessarily in that colour!) this holiday season is a desire to do some greater good with their homemade gifts.

Powell sums it up: "I think the thing that's made knitting popular again is our need to produce beautiful things and put them out into the world. If you can do that without depleting our resources and using petrochemicals, then you're leaving a legacy for the next generation."