vegan yarn stash

these are my good yarns that i'm stoked to work with. my motivation in posting this is not only to ramble on about yarn, but i also hope this gives people an idea about some of the nicer vegan yarns available and helps demonstrate how vegan knitters don't have to feel deprived if they avoid using wool or silk.

this half finished scarf is one i'm making for my dad out of patagonia hand dyed nature cotton from chile. my dad asked for a ribbed scarf in multi-colored yarn. a traditional rib didn't look good (in my opinion) with the nubby texture, so instead i did a "faux rib" by alternating stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette. so the pattern is: knit 1 row, purl 1 row, knit 1 row, purl 1 row, knit 1 row, repeat.

i love the colors in this yarn, they remind me of the fall foliage in connecticut, where i grew up and my dad still lives. plus, it's sooo soft. i hope he likes it -- if not i'm going to steal it back because i love this scarf.

i also have 3 skeins of patagonia nature cotton in a different color (the green yarn below) that i haven't decided what to do with yet. i was considering making arm warmers out of it. any suggestions?

i got these two blue / grey / gold balls of andalusia lana gatto microfiber on sale from knit + stitch = bliss in bethesda. it has a very funky texture and i really like the combination of these colors together. i think i'm going to try to make a hat for myself out of it.

when i was in san francisco, i found the BEST yarn store -- it's called imagiknit. i wanted to buy half the yarns in the store. i found this beautiful yarn called "stylecraft linen look" on sale for less than $6 per skein (below). i bought all the skeins they had left, which was 3 skeins of the cream, 3 skeins of the plum, and one skein each of the blue, gold, and khaki. it is 65% acrylic, 17.5% linen, and 17.5 viscose, but i think it looks a lot like a linen/wool blend. it's very soft and elegant.


i was thinking of making a sweater with the cream and plum, making the torso out of one color and sleeves and ribbed neck out of the other, but i'm not sure if i have enough yarn for that? anyone have any suggestions? (each skein is 230 yards and the gauge is 4mm/USA 6 needles.)

i figure i can use the blue, gold and khaki to make small projects like ipod covers, or maybe a striped hat with two of the colors.

finally, my next project after my dad's scarf will be a baby hat for my future niece, who is expected in november. i have this beautiful pakucho undyed, organic cotton from peru that i bought especially to make this baby hat.

pakucho yarn is color grown, which means that the colors are the natural colors of the cotton fiber. i bought it in off white, but it also comes in greens, browns, and other color-grown colors. or, if you want to get really creative, you can buy the off white and hand-dye it yourself.

because the yarn is organic and color grown, it's good for the environment. it is also fair trade. i just love the idea that one of the first things "baby girl frey" will own is something that not only is pretty (hopefully!) and keeps her warm, but is also something that was made with care not only for her but also for the earth and for all the people whose labor went into making this beautiful yarn.

p.s. reading siel's and veganknitter's comments reminded me that i should mention that the yarns i have in my stash are just the tip of the iceberg of nice vegan yarns! another one i'm really looking forward to using is soy silk.

i've even heard that there's yarn made out of bananas! other bloggers have much more comprehensive information on vegan yarns, for instance check out fake sheep - that's where i first heard of the banana yarn.