Thoughts for Vegetarian Knitters

feminine_earth · 02-14-2007, 12:10 PM

Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a debate about working with animal fibers or cruelty to animals. It's simply the thoughts and concerns of a vegetarian who loves to knit with animal fibers, but sometimes can't get past the guilt. Also, this discussion is mainly aimed at vegetarians...I don't want to offend any meat-eaters here. I have no problem with meat-eaters...my husband eats meat and so do my cats and my dog (in fact, they eat a homemade, mainly raw meat diet...that I prepare for them!), so please don't misunderstand my intentions. Thank you.

I'm not sure how many fellow vegetarian knitters are here on KH...but for those here who are knitters and vegetarians...what are your views on working with silk?

Now...I'm not a vegan. I do eat dairy, eggs, and honey...and I primarily knit with wool yarns. But...somehow I just can't seem to force myself to buy silk yarn.

I'll touch it, pet it, sniff it...dream of all the pretty things I could make with it...but when it comes time to make a decision, I simply can't buy it. I know where silk comes from...I know there is no way to get silk without the silkworm dying...and that one issue loses to my morals. *sigh*

A similar mind-game situation happened to me a couple weeks ago when I was reading an Interweave Knits magazine gifted to me by a lovely KH'er. There was an article about buffalo yarn. I immediately thought, "Hey, cool!!" and was all excited about trying it out until I finished the article and read that there is no way to get fiber from a live buffalo. The fiber is only cultivated from slaughtered (for meat) animals. Now, again, I do realize that most wool yarns I can buy commercially probably come from slaughtered sheep...but I've been trying to buy my wool from more economical sources, or second-hand. I don't like supporting slaughter houses.

I just wish there was a way to get these wonderful, natural fibers without any harm coming to the animal it came from. I suppose, though, until my husband and I can afford our 5-10 acres of land and adopt our own sheep and alpacas, I will have to make do with what I can get and just hope that the animal it came from did not suffer much.

Any thoughts from my fellow veg knitters? Thanks for reading.

Julie · 02-14-2007, 05:20 PM

Have you done any reading about Peace Silk?

http://www.aurorasilk.com/info/peacesilk.shtml

feminine_earth · 02-14-2007, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Julie

Have you done any reading about Peace Silk?

http://www.aurorasilk.com/info/peacesilk.shtml

No, I've never heard of it. Thank you for the link, I'm checking it out now!

Stiney · 02-14-2007, 05:28 PM

I highly doubt that "most" yarn comes from slaughtered sheep. It's more profitable to raise the sheep and get wool every year. I think sheepskin is more likely to come from slaughtered sheep, especially since Ugg boots have become so popular lately.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I can see where you're coming from with silk. But it's so soft.

feminine_earth · 02-14-2007, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by cawthraven

I highly doubt that "most" yarn comes from slaughtered sheep. It's more profitable to raise the sheep and get wool every year. I think sheepskin is more likely to come from slaughtered sheep, especially since Ugg boots have become so popular lately.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I can see where you're coming from with silk. But it's so soft.

See now, that's what I originally thought. That wool comes from sheep that are being raised just for their wool. But then somebody told me that they only raise them for their wool for a couple of years, and then they are sent to slaughter! This person seems to like shattering my dreams though, so perhaps she only said this to hurt my feelings. Who knows...

brendajos · 02-14-2007, 05:32 PM

I am not vegetarian though most people think I am. I eat very little meat and am very conscious of where my meat comes from.

One thing I would have to consider is that I would prefer that if they are already killing the animals for their meat, isn't it better to use as much of the animal as possible? (there was no way of asking that question without me shuddering a little bit) In my mind I think of all the time that animals have been killed strictly for their pelts while leaving the carcass to rot. It is sort of the same thing to me. It seems better to use the whole animal rather than to just discard the pelt. (I really don't feel like I am being clear about my thinking here!)

I do have some curiousity about why they have to be killed for the fur but not enough that I actually want to know the answer because i am about 99% positive i will NOT like the answer.

Kirochka · 02-14-2007, 05:33 PM

I struggle with these kinds of issues myself, and tend to see myself as wildly hypocritical, to be honest... I'm not a vegetarian (yet?), but won't eat anything from a mammal and haven't for 12 years now (except that sometimes gelatin sneaks in with vitamins, because I've been unable to find vegetarian alternatives for some of them) ... I do wear leather shoes... I do eat poultry and fish (for now), and can't see giving up eggs or dairy (for now) ... I won't wear fur... so I'm kind of all over the map. I do have and use silk yarn.

I have no answers. I feel very conflicted.

Kirochka · 02-14-2007, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by feminine_earth

See now, that's what I originally thought. That wool comes from sheep that are being raised just for their wool. But then somebody told me that they only raise them for their wool for a couple of years, and then they are sent to slaughter! This person seems to like shattering my dreams though, so perhaps she only said this to hurt my feelings. Who knows...

I'm pretty sure your friend is right, based on the fact that dairy cattle are eventually usually slaughtered for meat as well, as are layer hens.

niffer · 02-14-2007, 05:36 PM

I believe killing the worm is the commercial way to do it but not the only way - The other way is longer and more expensive but the wormy gets to live!

Something that concerns me and I would Never by this is the yarn called Tufutsies by SWTC (I think) it contains Chitin which is made from
shrimp and crab shells. I don't eat meat or seafood, so why should I wear it.

I've had the discussion on numerous occasions that the shells are a bi-product of someone else eating it and it would go to waste otherwise, but in my opinion the 'waste' should be put back into the ecosystem it came from to allow for some kind of balance.

I've heard that some Yarns use Lanolin in the making too, although that's not from a reliable source and I haven't managed to find a lot of info about it - yet.

I think we should all be careful about where our yarn was sourced and how it was fabricated though, there is so much natter about the clothes dying industry polluting the earth I'm sure Yarn falls into there somewhere.

Its just so expensive to buy the more ethical yarns though

I'm gonna git that kitty and shave it and knit it!

feminine_earth · 02-14-2007, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by brendajos

I am not vegetarian though most people think I am. I eat very little meat and am very conscious of where my meat comes from.

One thing I would have to consider is that I would prefer that if they are already killing the animals for their meat, isn't it better to use as much of the animal as possible? (there was no way of asking that question without me shuddering a little bit) In my mind I think of all the time that animals have been killed strictly for their pelts while leaving the carcass to rot. It is sort of the same thing to me. It seems better to use the whole animal rather than to just discard the pelt. (I really don't feel like I am being clear about my thinking here!)

I do have some curiousity about why they have to be killed for the fur but not enough that I actually want to know the answer because i am about 99% positive i will NOT like the answer.

I know where you're coming from. Many people have that way of thinking...and it makes perfect sense to use the whole animal so none of it gets wasted. However, I'm of the frame of mind that if I give my money to a company slaughtering animals, even if my money does not go towards their meat, I am still contributing to their slaughter. The guilt becomes overwhelming at times.

Kirochka, the life of a vegetarian is a very conflicting one. It seems as though no matter how hard we try to be kind to our furry friends, our kindness doesn't even begin to make a dent in the cruelty that is many times forced on them.