7 Ways to Go Green as a Maker
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Sometimes the thought of “going green” can be so overwhelming that many of us don’t know where to begin.
For a lot of us, it causes us to give up. But we as crocheters can begin making an impact on our world by taking small steps towards leaving the world a better place than when we came into it.
One of the ways we can help our planet is by using recycled or organic yarns. I’ve made a short list of companies that carry some recycled and organic yarns for you to check out that will help you know where to begin in your search.
Lion Brand carries a yarn called Re Up that is made of recycled cotton, as well as organic yarns like Just Hemp and Truboo, and Nuboo. They even have an organic baby yarn for making for your littles (which is especially important if you are making teethers)!
Knit Picks also carries a beautiful organic cotton that is made using zero dyes or bleaches. Not only is this good for your skin and the environment, it’s great if you wanted to dye your own yarn. They have a large selection of other natural fibers without dyes or bleaches, so be sure to check them out!
WEBS also has a great selection of recycled fibers, from cashmere to fibers made from plastic bottles! You can find their selection of recycled and organic yarns here.
Darn Good Yarn has a line of eco-friendly recycled yarns that you can browse here. They even have bundles of recycled yarns that you can purchase, (including dreamy silks!), and a very large line of unique natural vegan fibers that you will not find anywhere else.
Another way to help your planet is to visit your local thrift stores and try to reuse embellishments off of old purses for your crochet bags, or other buttons, etc. off of older styled clothing. Even an old belt would make a really cool strap for a purse!
Think outside the box when shopping for accessories and embellishments. Small steps like this can prevent those items from filling up a landfill—or worse, being dumped in the ocean.
Thrift shops are also great places to find yarn. I love going and looking for cool retro yarns that have stood the test of time. They also usually have old crochet pattern books, stitch markers, hooks, knitting needles, and other great tools. I have even found large bundles of brand new purse findings and embellishments that someone had decided to get rid of! It is definitely worth your time to browse the craft sections at your local thrift stores.
Another step you can take as a maker in going green is to make things that are very useful but reusable. For example, many of us drink coffee every day. Some drink it at home, but many of the working class get it on the way to work from their favorite shop. Imagine if every one of those people were using a reusable coffee sleeve rather than a paper one!
You can help as a maker by crocheting some coffee cozies out of a durable cottons or other natural fibers that will help prevent hundreds (if not thousands) of those paper coffee sleeves from getting dumped in a landfill.
The Bowtique Pocket shown as a coffee sleeve. Photo credit: Amber Gillis of Orange Olive Road.
Many makers have free coffee cozy patterns (check out this beautiful free pattern by my friend Danielle over at A Knotty Habit!) , and you may have seen the one I offer for free on my blog called the Bowtique Pocket. It functions as a coffee sleeve, a wrist wallet, and a cuff bracelet. You can find the free pattern here or an ad-free printable pdf in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.
My Bowtique Pocket functions as a wrist wallet, a cuff bracelet AND a coffee cozy! They make great gifts!
Other items that are very useful, reusable and good for the environment are handmade washcloths, soap sacks, and face scrubbies. Made with 100% cotton, they are biodegradable yet will last for years to come.
If we were to go back to using bar soap instead of liquid soap that comes in bad-for-the-environment plastic, imagine how better it would be! Soap sacks function as both a way to hold the bar soap and as a washcloth for scrubbing the body. They are also a great replacement for plastic loofahs that fall apart easily and just end up in the trash for thousands of years to come. They are great for traveling and camping as well.
Face scrubbies take the place of makeup removal wipes full of harmful chemicals that are only used once and then dumped in the landfill. They are just the right size for getting the job done, and very gentle on the skin. They can be washed hundreds of times and be great for years to come. You can find my free patterns for my washcloths, soap sacks and face scrubbies on my YouTube channel.
Another great way we as crocheters can make a positive difference in going green is to make and use reusable market bags.
Market bags are a wonderful way to take your groceries and goods home from the store instead of using plastic grocery bags. Some great materials for market bags are 100% cotton or t-shirt varieties made from cotton—something that is durable and often stretchy to accommodate the items placed in the bags. They are easy to take with you and will last for years, yet be biodegradable once they’re no longer useful. I have a few market bag patterns that I love using for this purpose and also for taking to the beach.
Pictured is the Star Trellis Bag
My Mesh Market Bag is probably my most popular market bag. It can be made with a stretchy t-shirt yarn I love to use called Bernat Home Maker yarn or with double strands of cotton yarn. You can find the free YouTube tutorial here or an ad-free printable pdf in both my Etsy and Ravelry shops.
Pictured is the Mesh Market Bag in Bernat Home Maker Dec yarn in the color Clay.
The written pattern also includes this version with a rectangular-shaped bottom. This is made using double strands of Lion Brand’s Comfy Cotton Blend in the colors Whipped Cream and Cotton Candy.
If you’re like me and you sometimes forget to take your market bags into the store, getting plastic grocery bags is something you can’t help in these situations. I am one that will reuse them as much as possible before recycling them. This is why I designed my Boho Bag Saver. It’s a very stylish but functional way to store the grocery bags until you’re ready to reuse them. You can find the pattern in my blog as well as the ad-free printable pdf in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.
I hope you will join me in taking these small steps in making our world a greener place! The struggle is often knowing where to begin, but I hope I was able to give you a few ideas on how you can do your part as a maker.
Do you have any other suggestions on how we can go green as makers? I’d love to know your thoughts! Please leave them in the comments below.
Happy Hooking!
~Dana