Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day. The goal of the day is to have bloggers comment about sustainability and the environment in their own way. In the knitting world, alternative fiber sources, organic wools, and sustainable practices have been a hot topic. As a staunch environmentalist (I clean the bathroom with lemons, baking soda, and vinegar and my mother thinks I'm crazy), I have begun to think about the yarns that I purchase and their impact on the earth. I do like that by knitting, I avoid a good amount of conspicuous consumption, and like the individual stamp that I put on my work. But, I will be making an effort this weekend to look over the new eco-friendly stalls at Rhinebeck. One stand in particular is that of Hope Spinnery. It was recently mentioned on Ravelry as a shop that people are curious to see, and I can be counted among that group. Hope Spinnery is from Camden, Maine, and they operate their business by harnessing wind power. To quote their webpage:

"Hope Spinnery is a wind-powered fiber processing mill nestled in the hills a few miles inland from the coast of Maine. Our fiber comes from local farms, we are committed to chemical-free processing methods and use only natural dyes to create our beautiful and striking yarn, knit wear, and other products.In addition to creating our own line of yarn, we also offer custom processing services.We take great care with your fiber and each step ensures that the texture, luster, and beauty of the original fiber will be retained."

I keep bandying about the idea of getting wind power and solar power whenever we take the plunge and buy our first home, so the fact that a fiber company is incorporating it into their process makes me a little giddy. I'll update on Sunday how the yarn feels and for which project I chose it. Fingers crossed to a beautiful day that day!!

-B