Green Options

Icebreaker’s Bodyfit line has long been loved by outdoor enthusiasts, and now children can benefit from the company’s eco-friendly New Zealand wool garments. Icebreaker’s kids’ line features no itch fabric that “smells better, feels better, warms better, and breathes better”.  This line is perfect for active sports and everyday use. Beyond great fabric, Icebreaker features two unique features for kids:  “baa code” and “re-imagined packaging”.

Have you ever wanted to meet the sheep that was shorn for your clothes?  Just enter the “baa code” on your label into the Icebreaker website to meet where your sheep lives.

With most of the things you buy, you’re told little or nothing about how they’re made. Icebreaker is different.

We have a deep commitment to animal welfare, the welfare of the people who work with us, and the environment. And we have nothing to hide.

Your unique Baacode will let you see the living conditions of the high country sheep that produced the merino fibre in your Icebreaker garment, meet the farmers who are custodians of this astonishing landscape, and follow every step of the supply chain. We’re sure you’ll find the experience as inspiring as we do. Enjoy your journey back to the source.

This week’s pick for an eco-friendly yarn is Ecolana by Aslan Trends. An animal fiber that is soft, warm and get’s me to thinking about the coming fall.

Ecolana is a 60% Alpaca 40% Merino Wool blend yarn that is produced with environmentally friendly production methods.

Organic New Zealand Merino wool is truly the finest and purest wool in the world. The characteristics of wool alone make it a natural wonder. It insulates, is incredibly warm in winter, cool in the summer, and breathes. Every climate can appreciate wool.

Wool is the most hydrophilic of all fibers and wicks away excess moisture, drying quickly. It’s a natural fire retardant that can resist flame without chemical treatment and wool is a renewable resource that regrows on the sheep after shearing. It is biodegradable and kinder to the environment than oil-based synthetics that contribute to global pollution. Wool is durable, remarkably elastic for growing children, and is free of dust mites.

Been looking for an organic wool yarn warehouse? A one stop shop for all of your woolly yarn needs? Well, Garthenor Organic Pure Wool has got you covered. With over 80 eco-friendly organic yarns to choose from, this site has it all and more.

The fiber for these yarns are from traditional and rare breeds of Organic British sheep. It is eye opening to learn about all the different breeds of sheep and the different fibers that they produce. Just look at the sweet faces on the Bluefaced Leicesters and the Herdwicks!

In 2007, Rowan brand yarns introduced PureLife a wonderful selection of 100% organic cotton. In the following years Rowan has expanded their PureLife line to address other areas of sustainability.

Rowan still offers their organic cotton yarn in DK weight that is naturally dyed using plants. New this season is their 4 ply organic cotton yarn, also dyed with natural plant dyes. The shades of this yarn are soft, subtle and sweet, perfect for summer knitting.

Folktail Fibers is one of those shops that I have simply fallen head over heels for. The skeins are both whimsical but perfectly easy to knit up.

Offering both vegan and animal friendly fibers, Folktail hand spins amazing fiber and color combinations to create lovely yarns.

With a name like Darn Good Yarn, it’s hard not to like this yarn and their principals. This U.S. based company offers a small variety of yarn but specializes in recycled silk sari.

The yarn is spun from the remnants of the production of silk saris in Nepal. Darn Good Yarn only works with co-ops in Nepal that offer fair trade pricing for the spinning of the yarn.

If you’ve been waiting to add some hemp fiber to your life now has never been a better time to do so. Hemp for Knitting offers a wide variety of yarn in a multitude of weights and colors.

I know we’ve already sang the praises of hemp but it stands to be repeated. Hemp is a fast growing plant that is pest resistant reducing the need for both water and pesticides and herbicides. Hemp also helps nourish the soil right where it is planted, reducing the need for fertilizer.

Here’s another eco-friendly yarn option for those who use animal fibers: Eco Wool from Sirdar in the U.K.

Eco Wool comes in DK weight in 50 gram balls. It looks quite lovely and natural.

There were a few great eco shoe companies at the beginning of this decade that sadly fizzled out. Perhaps there were a variety of reasons, but obtaining sustainable and recycled materials at a feasible cost was a biggie.

Not only are “green” resources more available today, there are authenticity and certification programs, as well as trace systems that track from field to retailer. Simple Shoes is a business with deserved admiration for establishing sustainable material suppliers through a combination of programs. They appropriately describe themselves as a “nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.”

Having lived in Brooklyn for part of my life I can appreciate the creativity that grows there. Bodkin is a good example of a budding environmentally friendly clothing company in New York that specializes in:

• organic cotton, wool, recycled-PET nylon, cellulosic fibers, and kapok
• cute and contemporary styles and designs
• eco vegetable dyed garments
• the principles of sustainability as they relate to fashion