Sustainable Knitting for Beginners and Beyond: 20 Patterns for Environmentally Friendly Knits

by epipa

Overview

The perfect resource for any knitter wanting to reduce their carbon footprint and create wonderful, sustainable projects for their friends and family.

This collection of twenty projects from knitting blogger and environmentalist Epipa shows you how to knit more sustainably. With this practical guide you can learn how to make your knitting more environmentally friendly by choosing the most eco-friendly yarns such as bamboo, organic cotton, linen and flax, as well as tips on how to reduce your yarn footprint.

Drawing on her childhood experience where she was encouraged by her grandmothers to reuse, repair, and recycle, Epipa shares all her ideas for living a more sustainable lifestyle while still enjoying the craft of knitting.

As well as advice on yarn sourcing and the environmental impact of various different types of yarn, Epipa shares her knitting patterns for a more zero waste lifestyle. There are instructions for how to turn old t-shirts, bed linen and tablecloths into your own cotton yarn and how to restore unravelled yarn from unfinished projects to its former glory rather than laying abandoned in a cupboard.

The projects include beautiful, useful and practical things for everyday life such as shopping baskets for the larder, the kitchen and the bathroom as well as rugs and runners and accessories for the bathroom. Choose from knitted tea towels, dish clothes, and shopping bags so you don’t need to buy “disposable” plastic versions. Many of the projects are suitable for beginner knitters, and all the basic knitting instructions are included, but there are also more complicated projects including a knitted top and backpack for those with more experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781446380925
Publisher:	David & Charles
Publication date:	05/25/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	127
File size:	133 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Sascia Strohhammer is a knitting pattern designer, blogger and author best known by her brand name 'epipa.' She is the author of numerous books and is also an accomplished photographer. She lives in a small village near the Bavarian Alps, Germany, with her family, a dog, three cats and some chickens.

Table of Contents

5         Preface

7         THE BASICS

8         Introduction

10       Mindful and sustainable in the yarn shop

12       Yarns from animals

15       Plant fibres

20       Standards and certifications

22       Make your own T-shirt yarn

24       Make your own cotton tape yarn

25       Relaxing frogged yarn

26       The colours

28       Dyeing yarn with food colourings

30       Sustainable care

32       Knitting techniques

43       PROJECTS       

45       Everyday

46       Introduction   

49       Basic top        

52       Little case       

55       Backpack        

58       Easy peasy cowl         

61       Kitchen           

62       Introduction

65       Kitchen towel 

69       Mesh shopping bag   

73       Hanging organiser baskets    

77       Place mats     

80       Kitchen baskets

83       Dish sponge

87       Bathroom

88       Introduction

91       Body scrubby massage glove

94       Back scrubby

97       Small bathmat

101     Hairband

105     Facial pads for the home spa

108     Scrunchie

111     Living room

112     Introduction

114     Table runner

117     Meditation cushion

121     Patchwork mat

124     About the author

124     Thanks

126     Sources

127     Index

Preface

As a small child, my parents and grandparents taught me how to live sustainably and protect the environment and its resources in order to continue to live off and with it. Neither of my grandmothers ever threw anything away if there was even the slightest chance of finding another purpose for it in the house. They either used it again and again, or turned it into something new. How often did I hear the words, “But you can easily do it yourself, child”? And then they showed me how. With ten children between them, my grandmothers had perfected resource-saving life and sustainable housekeeping. They grew their own fruit and vegetables all year round in the garden, which they cooked and preserved. Clothes were passed on, repaired or patched, as long as it was possible and looked good. When they were too far gone even for that, they were reused – repurposed – in many different ways. Fabric was torn into strips and turned into new rugs, made into toys or – if nothing else was possible – used as cleaning rags. We little girls had bright patches from old floral blouses sewn onto our jeans, which we wore for playing. I could fill another book with the many and inventive examples of how my grandmothers and mother reused and simply reinvented things. I grew up with this wealth of ideas and the joy of thinking ‘outside the box’, of giving new life to old clothes or objects, and the passion of making things myself. In this book, we're going to turn old T-shirts, bed linen and tablecloths into our own cotton yarn and restore unravelled yarn from unfinished projects to its former glory. We will craft beautiful, useful and practical things for everyday life; shopping bags and baskets for the larder, place mats and runners for the kitchen, and rugs and accessories for the bathroom. Finally, I really hope that this book will help you to create lots of lovely projects. For yourself, your home and those who are dear to you. I would be delighted if you would post your finished projects in your InstaStories or feed with the hashtag #sustainableknitting. This will help me to find your channel and share your work with our epipa community. I look forward to it! And now it only remains for me to wish you lots of happy hours of knitting! Ahead of you are lots of cosy hours of making your own sustainable projects which – just like the ones our grandmothers made – may become much-loved family heirlooms. One thing is certain: something you have made yourself will be a gift that no one ever forgets. With very best wishes Yours, Sascia von Epipa