Yarns Made From Recycled Products

Newspaper can be recycled into yarn.

According to the EPA, in 2008, the average American generated 4 1/2 lbs. of trash every day, and recycled only 1 1/2 lbs. of it. While those recycled plastic bottles will probably not end up in your knitting basket, knitters and crocheters do have a lot of choices for yarn made from recycled products.

Manufacturer Leftovers

Some yarn companies buy the waste from the clothing manufacturing industry and recycle it into yarn. One example is sari silk, which is re-spun silk remnants from Indian sari manufacturers. Another yarn company collects the cast-offs from cotton clothing manufacturers to create a recycled cotton yarn.

Vegetable Waste

Another source material for yarn is the waste from food processing. Soy silk is created from the waste of tofu manufacturing. One yarn company extrudes liquefied soy protein into long fibers, then dyes and spins it into yarn. Another company soaks banana leaves in water, extracts the fibers, hand-crushes them for softness and spins them into yarn called banana silk. These fibers take dye well and have a silky sheen.

DIY Yarn

Plarn, or plastic yarn, is popular with some knitters and crocheters. Cut plastic grocery bags into strips, then loop or knot the strips together to create the length needed to knit or crochet items. Popular projects for plarn include rugs, purses and reusable grocery bags. Other DIYers have even used spindles to twist strips of newspaper into yarn. Then they weave the resulting strips into household items such as rugs, curtains and floor mats.

Small Producers

Some of the most innovative recycling efforts come from small producers. For example, a small yarn company in New England produces hand-spun and -dyed yarn made from the fleece of rescued sheep. Another company, Mango Moon, recycles rayon fabric from batik producers to create yarns in tropical colors. If you are looking for finished products, fiber to spin or yarn to knit or crochet with, try searching small-producer websites such as etsy.com or artfire.com for recycled yarn.

Beyond Yarn

In addition to producing yarn from recycled products, some yarn companies work hard to support the workers that create it. Be Sweet produces banana and sari silk yarns. In addition, this small company based in Sausalito, California, supports job creation programs to help South African women support themselves and their families. Mango Moon works with women's cooperatives in Nepal and Indonesia to create their yarns.

References

• Knitter's Review: Yarn Profile: 2nd Time Cotton
• Crafting a Green World: Yearn Worthy Yarn: All Eco Banana Silk (AU)
• greenUPGRADER: Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn
• Be Sweet: Job Creation Programs
• Mango Moon Yarns: Doing Good Having Fun

Resources

• Green Knitter: Natural, Organic and Eco-friendly Yarn Chart
• EPA: Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States