Wool
You may think this post is about yarn. Mmm… not really. I want you to look at what you are wearing right now. Do you know what your pants or shirt are made of? If you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt you say - Cotton! Well, do you know where that cotton was grown (and with what chemicals), where it was processed into cloth (with what chemicals) and who sewed it (probably a woman in a far away country who was not paid a fair wage). I am not a purist- I have jeans and t-shirts too. I struggle with the significant human an environmental cost to fast fashion - here is where I am in my journey….
As a textile artist I weave with primarily natural fibers (yarn made of wool, linen, hemp, cotton) that are either up-cycled, or come from farms and dyers that support local and sustainable farming practices. I also sparingly work with recycled or low environmental impact semi-synthetic fibers like Tencel. Lets get a bit more specific. I am a member of the Livestock Conservancy and the Shave Em to Save Em program. I am trying to weave with wool from breeds that are endangered in US. (Yes we have a list of endangered sheep and you can find more about them here.) I only purchase yarn from local independent yarn stores like Haus of Yarn here in Nashville and from spinners and dyers who can tell me exactly where they sourced their fiber. (You would be amazed at the number of folks who use ‘natural dyes’ but source their fiber from some unknown entity across an ocean.)
As a person - I limit clothes to only things I love, those that are made well and from companies whose practices are good and transparent, and those gems I find at Goodwill or other used clothing stores. I also read the labels to understand what the clothes are made of and I avoid most synthetics (I am trying to reduce plastic use in my home, why would I put in on my body?) If I had to guess I would say 90% of my clothes (and my kiddos’ clothes) come from Goodwill and most made from natural plant and animal fibers.
Back to the title of this post. Why wool? Wool is soft, warm, and a joy to weave with. Wool is breathable, antibacterial, moisture-wicking. Wool is compostable so if I can’t find a use for the little bits I can put them in my backyard compost bin and they will feed my garden next summer. Wool is the hair of sheep (it grows back) and sheep, when managed properly, help the soil (unlike cotton which is always extractive). So yes I love wool and deeply thank the shepherds and their flocks for ‘growing’ the stuff that makes my art possible.
It takes 3-6 skeins of wool yarn for each project that I make. A sustainably sources skein is anywhere between $24-60. This means that my raw material cost is higher than other fiber artists who are not sourcing as intentionally as I am. So I want to thank YOU for understanding why my woven work has a price point higher than average. You should know that for every weaving I sell this year I am donating 10% to the Shave Em To Save Em program so your patronage gets paid forward.
Ok, back to weaving!