conversations and

Planet Friendly Projects

ANN BUDD

paris recycled scarf

green grocery bag

tree-hugger pullover

table of contents
introduction
articles and essays

projects

Allegoro Lace Tunic Therese Chynoweth

Blue Cloud Afghan Ann Budd

Better Baby Rattle Katie Himmelberg

On-the-Go Bike Basket-Purse Kim Hamlin

Honor-the-Buffalo Socks and Mitts Ann Budd

The Gray of Green by Clara Parkes

Eco Vest Katie Himmelberg

The Meaning of Organic by Pam Allen

Catarina Wrap Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

Cunene River Pullover JoLene Treace

Back-to-Nature Hat Michele Rose Orne

Green Grocery Bag Ann Budd

Commuters Knapsack Deborah Newton

Soy Silk Kimono Vicki Square

Paris Recycled Mags Kandis

Save-the-Streams Slippers Kim Hamlin

Soap Nut Vessels Kristin TenDyke

Sustainable Bamboo Scarf Ann Budd

Solstice Skirt Cecily Glowick-MacDonald

Organic Sprout Tank Pam Allen

All (North) American Hoodie Veronik Avery

Tree-Hugger Pullover Therese Chynoweth

Cotton Comfort Bear Michele Rose Orne

Videvik Estonian Shawl Nancy Bush

A Shop Owners Dilemma by Lisa R. Myers

Too Much of a Good Thing? by Amy R. Singer

Ode To Sheep by Kristin Nicholas

Its Not Easy Knitting Green by Sandi Wiseheart

Its All About the Color by Darlene Hayes

Knitting Stone Age by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

Touching the Sun by Carmen S. Hall

glossary
sources for supplies
contributing designers
index

knitting green

designer:
Ann Budd

blue cloud

afghan

Instead of turning up the thermostat when the temperature plunges,

Ann Budd likes to snuggle under an afghan. The yarn she chose for
this afghan is a luxurious handpainted mix of merino, alpaca, silk,
and Donegal produced by Araucana Yarns, a group of artists and designers dedicated to supporting local, sustainable job development
in Chile. The afghan begins and ends with a simple lace pattern; the
center is worked in mistake rib to produce a lofty texture that is extra insulating and has excellent drape.

Finished Size

Needles

About 42" (106.5 cm) wide

and 54" (137 cm) long. note:
There is plenty of widthwise
and lengthwise stretch in this
fabric.

Size U.S. 11 (8 mm): 24"

(60cm) circular (cir). Adjust
needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions

Yarn
Chunky weight (#5 Bulky).
Araucana Azapa
(45% merino, 30% alpaca,
15% silk, 10% Donegal; 197 yd
[180m]/100 g): #804 sky, 9
skeins.

Shown here:

Tapestry needle.

Gauge
14 stitches and 18 rows = 4"
(10cm) in mistake rib pattern.

knitting green

Afghan

Inc row: (WS) K1, purl to last st and at the

Use the cable method (see Glossary) to CO 153

sts. Alternate 2 rows each from 2 skeins of yarn
throughout (see Note). Work edging as foll:

Rep Rows 1 and 2 of edging 3 times, then work

Row 1 once more. With WS facing, BO all sts.

Row 1: (RS) *K1, yo, k2, sl 2 sts tog kwise, k1,

p2sso, k2, yo; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 2: (WS) K1, purl to last st, k1.

Rep these 2 rows 2 more times, then work Row

1 once more7 rows total.
Dec row: (WS) K1, purl to last st and at the

same time dec 6 sts evenly spaced, k1147 sts

rem.
Set-up row: *K2, p2; rep from * to last 3 sts,

k2, p1.
Rep this row for both RS and WS rows until
piece measures about 52" (132 cm) from CO, or
2" (5 cm) less than desired total length, ending
with a WS row.

same time inc 6 sts evenly spaced, k1153 sts.

Finishing
Weave in loose ends. Block lightly, pulling out
scallops in edging.

its not easy

knitting green

Sandi Wiseheart

Im as passionate about the planet as the next gal. I

choose nontoxic ant deterrents; my laundry soap is
bio-everything-it-should-be; I recycle, reuse, and compost. But how on earth does a planet-loving knitter
go green and simultaneously support a serious yarn
habit?
I use my friend Google to educate myself about knitting green, but quickly get bogged down in regulations
that vary from one country to the next and from one part
of the process to the nextmaybe the sheep were raised

Ive begun to realize that

buying local takes on a whole
new meaning in this age of
Ravelry, blogs, podcasts ,
and internet meet-up s.

Speaking of local yarn shops, Ive noticed that a good

selection of organic yarns is often hard to come by. I like
to support my local community. But Ive begun to realize
that buying local takes on a whole new meaning in this
age of Ravelry, blogs, podcasts, and Internet meet-ups.
When I ask who my real knitting community is, its a
complicated matrix. I live 50 kilometers away from the
Toronto shop that I consider to be my local yarn shop. I
have close ties to a shop in Michigan, so it, too, is part of
my community. I chat daily with knitters and spinners all
over the world; if they sell yarn or fiber, I buy from their
online shops. That, too, is supporting my knitting family.
I buy local to support the village that supports me; it just
happens to be spread out over several thousand miles.
So put me on the spot. Do I buy organic? Do I knit
green? I support my knitting community by supporting
them. I avoid over-processed yarns whose origin and impacts on the earth are suspect. I buy as many natural fibers as I can. I bring my own shopping bag to the yarn
shop.
I dont buy only certified organic yarnsthe selection is
too limited for someone whose passion and profession is
knitting. I try to choose wisely, which is tough to do when
the issues are so tangled. Were all going to have to figure this out together, because knitting green is a whole lot
more complicated than I thought it would be.
Sandi Wiseheart lives near Toronto, Canada, with her
husband, rescue dog, and cats. Its only a matter of time
before she adopts some sheep as well.

organically, but the mills processed the yarn with Yucky Stuff, or the dyes might BE
Yucky Stuff. Hows a knitter to know?
The idea is that the label will tell meit may say certified organic, for example. But exactly what has been certified organicthe sheep, the wool, the yarn label? Then
there is the yarns carbon footprint. How much oil and
gasoline was burned in processing and transporting it?
Was it packaged in dangerous-to-wildlife plastic bags?
Was the truck driver eating yellow arches hamburgers
along the way?
Theres a whole dyepot of dilemmas right there . . .
and the worst part is, there is no way to figure it all out
while standing at a display of luscious wool at your local
yarn shop.

knitting green

Knit for a greener planet

What does it mean to be an environmentally conscious knitter?
Knitting Green explores ways to integrate green perspectives
into knittingand day-to-day lifewith articles, essays, and
planet-friendly projects.
Learn ideas from knitting superstars who lend perspectives
on incorporating green principles into the craft, from using fiber
that would otherwise go to waste to seeking alternatives for
chemical detergents to keeping wearers warm or cool without
using energy.
Inside Knitting Green, readers will:
G
 ain encouragement, information, and inspiration from
knitting industry leaders, including French Girls Kristeen
Griffin-Grimes, designer Kristin Nicholas, yarn company
creative director Pam Allen, and writers/editors Amy R.
Singer and Clara Parkes.
U nderstand the issues behind green marketing.
C reate planet-friendly wearables and accessories from some
of the best-known knitting designers, including Mags Kandis,
Deborah Newton, Michele Rose Orne, Vicki Square, Vronik
Avery, Nancy Bush, and more.
C
 hoose from 20 fashionable designs, including a lace tunic,
fingerless mitts, a cabled vest, knapsack, grocery bag, and
hats, wraps, scarves, tanks, and more.
Knitting Green offers suggestions for making knitting sustainable, finding easy ways to add extra eco-awareness to the craft,
plus beautiful, fun projects with beautiful yarns for all skill levels.
Paperback, 812 x 9, 160 pages
75 photographs, 20 illustrations, and 10 charts
ISBN 978-1-59668-166-8
$24.95
Available May 2010

About the author

Ann Budd is the best-selling author of a
dozen knitting books, including Interweave
Presents Knitted Gifts and Simple Style. Formerly
the senior editor of Interweave Knits magazine,
she is now a book editor and knitwear
designer. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.