Blizzard Socks by Kay Jones
On Christmas day, after I had finished all urgent Christmas knits, I treated myself by casting on a pair of socks for me! I used the pattern, The Blizzard Socks by Kay Jones. Kay seems to specialize in patterns with unique details that can be easily memorized and then knitted without too much mental exertion for a true relaxing experience. I am also a big fan of her Jemima socks:
I can’t tell you what yarn I used for my Blizzard socks, because it was a one-time purchase at Vogue Knitting live in San Francisco. I wound it during a cleaning whirlwind in our home and the tag disappeared. The resulting yarn mystery got me thinking about how little I really know about the sock yarns I knit with anyway.
We truly live in a time of spectacular artistry among yarn dyers. Whether I am purchasing sock yarn from Olann (my favorite), La Bien Aimée or any of the great indie companies out there, I know my purchase supports the artistry of that particular brand. I love supporting small businesses, especially woman-owned businesses, as I run one myself [Academic Tutoring.] But what are the sources of the fibers that different indie dyers use? Before now, I've been too shy to ask, as I heard it might be a “trade secret,” and I didn't want to put anyone on the spot.
The hand dyer, Krista McCurdy of Pigeonroof Studio yarns admits in her newsletter, “almost all dyers, including me up until now, won't share sources, and it's stupid…. People don't buy your yarn for the yarn. They buy the colors you dye, which will always be unique to the dyer.”
I can imagine important reasons why yarn dyers might not want to reveal their source. But Krista revealed her yarn is sourced from AshlandBay and Wool2dye4. I felt it was really admirable that she was willing to share this information, as I could then research those companies. I am currently interested in buying yarn made from “local” fiber or at least fiber originating from the United States, so I found it interesting that AshlandBay and Wool2dye4 are both NorthAmerican companies although the yarn itself does not seem to be American. Out of curiosity, I visited the AshlandBay website and I read that they offer "a meticulously curated selection of fibers and yarns from around the world.” A further search revealed two sources of AshlandBay’s fiber: Falkland Islands Sustainable Wool and South African Cape Wool. Wool2dye4's website reveals they offer Bluefaced Leicester Bases that come from the UK which they then make into yarn in their Virginia mill. The sources of their merino alpaca and silk were not mentioned directly and I only spent a few minutes browsing the site.
But I feel it would benefit me more as a consumer to ask more questions. Yarn traceability could empowers me to make educated decisions when I purchase yarn. Olann, whose yummy yarn is pictured above, is embarking on a natural dye-based yarn club using non-superwash yarn, which is exciting to me because my favorite dyer seems to be moving in the same direction I am. She has mentioned she is seeking in future to source yarn in Ireland where she lives and keeps her dye studio. Overall, I feel more information just generates more interest in a yarn. If I'm lucky enough to afford it, then I can decide if I prefer to spend, say, $28 for a 400-yard skein of Pigeonroof Studio fingering yarn that might originate from sustainable Falkland wool, or subscribe to Olann's natural BFL yarn club, which just opened for membership today. Would I rather spend $30 for a 400-yard skein of Forest yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery? That sock yarn is 30% tencel and 70% Targhee wool from herds “along the front range of the Rockies” and spun in an organic wool mill in Vermont.
Perhaps I want to support a Virginia mill so I could seek out indie dyers who use the BFL made at Wool2dye4. Or I might prefer to splurge $36 on Cormo fingering from Sincere Sheep since it's made by a California rancher. Why do I care? You ask. Well, I spend a lot of time with that skein of yarn in my hands so its natural to be curious about its fiber source.
Cormo Fingering from Sincere Sheep in California
I’m not going to go all rigid about yarns and where they come from because I think it's all fabulous. But recently, while perusing youtube videos of Fibershed's wool symposia, I discovered to my shock that at least 50% of the wool produced in California is sold for pennies on the dollar on the commodity market, which often results in a financial loss for Californian sheep farmers. The California wool is then processed in China, South America, India or elsewhere using methods and or chemicals that may be undisclosed or unregulated.
However, California and other states need wool so the fiber processed overseas is later shipped back to the USA, without much of any information about how it was milled. Then it may be dyed by a small producer, and ultimately end up in my hands. I’m not saying this always happens or is always an environmental issue, but would you be happy buying apples that were grown in Washington but then shipped overseas to have a special wax added to them to make them look appetizing, only to be shipped back to Washington again for you to eat? Those apples may be cheaper than the ones you can buy at a farmer’s market, but are they as good for your system, or the local economy? You can learn more about this issue here:
The fact that some California farmers actually lose money when they pay to have their sheep sheared because there is so little demand for their fleeces locally just seems sad and makes me wonder how much longer people will want to keep farming sheep in my state. I feel that since I am a California resident I should try to keep this problem in mind as one of the criteria I use for selecting yarn. In fact, recently I've been knitting with Gather yarn, a California wool and Arizona Alpaca blend milled in Arizona and sold in gorgeous sportweight balls at A Verb for Keeping Warm:
Perhaps it’s time to slow down my pace of yarn consumption so I have the time to learn where my hard-earned dollars are going. I don’t have any influence as an individual over the current government shutdown or other nation-level decision making, but on a local level, my purchasing power is real. And I’d like to use that power consciously.
This post was revised from its form earlier today with the goal of clarifying my ideas...