With the goal of fleshing out my me-made wardrobe with cosy garments, I’ve taken up knitting. However, even at this beginner stage, I really want to make more sustainable and ethical choices. In this episode, knitting expert and previous-guest Saskia de Feijter metaphorically holds my hand and talks me through what to look for when selecting yarn for my next project. Saskia tells me about how fibre type and location can be an indicator of animal welfare, how the weight and yarn structure affect the suitability for a particular pattern, and how ply affects longevity of a knitted garment. She was also kind enough to answer questions posed by my colleague Phoebe about deadstock yarn, best practices for caring for your handknits, reusable products you can knit for the home and yarn scrap busting ideas in a segment we’re calling ‘Phoebe Asks’!
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Find out more about Saskia, her business ‘Ja, Wol’, her knitting community, business mentoring AND podcast!
Listen to my first conversation with Saskia for the podcast in Episode 48: How to Knit More Sustainably with Saskia de Feijter.
The knitting community database where I hunted for patterns is Ravelry.
‘Let’s Boogie’ Cardigan by A Honey Knits is the pattern I’ve chosen to make next.
image source: A Honey Knits
Saskia recommends the Craft Council Standard Yarn Weight System for guidance.
Check out Bart & Francis for deadstock yarns.
Hi Zoe, just listened to this episode. If you are interested in working with locally sourced yarns, the Woolwork podcast is a huge source of information. New episodes are no longer being made, but there are loads of back episodes.
Also top tip for a new knitter, choose a pattern that lots of other people have made (which you can see on Ravelry). It’s more likely to be a well produced, well considered pattern. ☺️
Love the podcast, Jackie
Hi Jackie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! Thanks for the tipoff about the Woolwork podcast, I’ll check that out. Also great tip about finding popular patterns on Ravelry. I’m become a bit addicted to checking out that site. I really like the feature where you can see wha others have made using your exact yarn. So useful!
All the best and thanks for listening, Zoe x