What has inspired me to blog?  I’m kind of a shy person, not a particularly skilled writer.  As matter of fact, I often have a hard time expressing myself articulately.  Well, it’s the journey to live more naturally, more practically.  I want my children to live and thrive on this beautiful earth and be an example for others. ….without being perceived as an “eco-nut,”  you know the kind of person everyone thinks has gone over the edge.  How do you convince others to be kinder to the earth?  I guess that’s a topic for another post.  It’s almost overwhelming all the ways you “must” lead your life in order to protect the earth.  I try to take it one step at a time.  You know… recycling, getting rid of household chemicals, composting , reducing waste…..   The more I learn and do the more I find I could be doing. 

One area I am particularly intrigued by is the yarn or fiber I use for knitting and crocheting.  I just assumed that by knitting a wool sweater I was doing plenty to be more eco-friendly, but once , when I looked into how my 50/50 pima cotton and tencel yarn was made I was embarrassed to find out that it wasn’t as natural, organic, or earth-friendly as it been advertised to me (more about this on another post).  

I am a fairly new knitter, and with a process engineering background I am intrigued about all the aspects of yarn making.   I had been searching for a book to learn more about how yarn is made.  I came upon “The Natural Knitter” at the library.  It’s one of only two non-fiction books I have read front to cover.  Needless to say I bought my own copy and wish I could afford to buy it for all my knitting friends.

The Natural Knitter by Barbara Albright

“How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak”  is so true.  The author covers all the animal and plant fibers (learn what vicunas are and why buffalo fiber is so expensive).  The book is filled with excerpts on farms and yarn companies that produce organic fibers and/or practice truly natural farming (no chemicals or herbicides, of course, or predator-friendly practices like using guard llamas instead of killing the sheep’s natural predators).  Page 15 also has a useful reference chart to help you decide how organic your yarn really is.   And the icing on top of the cake, all the nice knitting patterns interspersed throughout the book.  I already have one in my queue on ravelry.  The Natural Knitter is a “must read” if you want to be more conscientious about the yarn you use.

So what has inspired me to blog?  The Natural Knitter certainly had a lot to do with it. I would like to document my endeavors to make my knitting  more natural and share it with others, so they might be able to learn along with me.

P.S.  My site is still under construction so bear with the changes.