Doing a handmade craft already makes you more eco-friendly than some people, but you can also green up your crafting by learning about ethical yarn.
Maybe you’re an old pro at shopping for sustainable yarn. Or, perhaps you’re like me and recently discovered it. I know, I know. Where have I been?!
If you search the web for ethical yarn and get overwhelmed, I feel you. My first search was a bit of a shock because there was just SO much. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place because I crowdsourced and asked my readers and followers for their top recommendations, and they delivered.
If you have never encountered a skein of Darn Good Yarn‘s yarn, you have missed something exceptional.
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Why is Darn Good Yarn ethical?
Darn Good Yarn provides a wide range of brilliantly colored fibers made from 100% recycled materials, such as recycled silk, wool, cotton, banana fiber, hemp, nettle, and more, while helping create quality jobs for women in Nepal and India.
If you want to know more about how Darn Good Yarn strives to impact the environment positively and people worldwide, here is the entire story from the owner, Nicole Snow.
What to Buy at Darn Good Yarn
When shopping at Darn Good Yarn, you can always count on great taste, top-quality, unique, ethical yarns, and crafting tools.
Did you know they also have clothing and apparel from the same reclaimed materials? I sure didn’t, and I love that I’ll be sure to find something new and exciting to try out!
So, what should you buy at Darn Good Yarn? And some of my readers and followers recommend yarn, skirts, scarves, bags, knitting needles, yarn bowls, etc.
But the best part is their Yarn of the Monthยฎ Club if you want to save money!
Let’s dig into the subscription box and its benefits.
The Subscription Box: Yarn of the Monthยฎ Club
The Products: eco-friendly handspun yarn, a knit & crochet pattern, and a mystery gift.
The Club: You choose how much yarn you want to receive (starting with 1 or 3 skeins with the ability to add more), access to the FB group, add-on products, and product discounts
The Cost: from $10/month + shipping
The Shipping: US $3.95; Canada, UK, France $8; All other Countries $10
And don’t forget that women in India and Nepal get sustainable jobs while you get monthly packages of gorgeous, ethically-made yarn shipped to your door.
The founder, Nicole Snow, sent me a box to try, telling me I’d love to have the eco-friendly and exclusive handspun yarn!
And I have to admit that I agree!
After opening the box, I was impressed to have found a little treasure.
This yarn is impressive in the same way that Nicole Snow has created something unique and beautiful.
The yarn I enjoyed sampling is Lace Weight Silk Yarn in Vibrant Peacock.
This recycled silk is handmade and hand-dyed in India.
Here is my swatch to give you an idea of this particular yarn’s uniqueness.
I wanted to keep things simple and let the fiber speak, so I used stockinette.
This silk yarn is lovely to knit with. Silk adds a beautiful sheen, strength, drapes, and softness to the knitting experience.
It’s also firm but weakens when wet. It’s not an excellent choice for projects that will need to be washed and used frequently, but it’s a beautiful choice for all types of accessories. Because of its inherent weakness when wet, spray blocking is the best choice.
Knitting using wood, bamboo, or plastic needles will provide more ‘grip’ for your stitches, while they will slip right off metal needles.
I also noticed that it’s easy to tense up and knit more tightly because it can be slippery and less elastic than wool. So try to relax your hands while knitting!
I don’t know about you, but all this talk about ethical yarn and significant savings has got me in the mood for a virtual shopping trip! I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Darn Good Yarn into your life.
In the meantime, make sure you’re ready for your silk adventure by downloading some of my patterns. I can’t wait to see what you will create!
Are you an ethical yarn shopper? Do you have a favorite brand you always buy from, or do you have another significant saving hack for getting a good deal?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments!