Yearn-Worthy Yarns: Lanaknits Hemp Yarns
Before you have visions of joint-smoking hippies in itchy clothing fill your mind, let us clear the air about hemp first. It is a common misconception that hemp and marijuana are the same thing - they are not. Though they come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., they are polar opposite varieties.
Marijuana provides smokers with that oh-so-enduring feeling of utter freedom thanks to a chemical called THC. “Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA,” says the Vote Hemp website.
Grown as a chief agricultural crop for thousands of years, industrial hemp is also one of the fibers the United States was founded upon:
- Thomas Jefferson made most of his money from farming hemp.
- The first sheets of paper and first pair of Levi’s jeans were made from hemp.
- In Early America, you could pay your taxes with hemp.
- The first American flag, made by Betsy Ross, was 100% hemp (and still survives to this day).
Knitwear made from hemp “will be soft and have an outstanding drape and incredible longevity,” says the Lanaknits website.
