This new series of posts, entitled the “Yearn-worthy Yarns” collection, is for all the knitters and crochet-ers out there (myself included). I took up the hobby for the first time two years ago and my crafty resolution for 2008 is to finally move past scarves and knit my first sweater. Of course all of the yarns we’ll be featuring are organic, all-natural, fair trade or a combination of the three. In honor of this new series, I am featuring Farmhouse Yarns in this first post. From the previous sentence, you might think that I’ve been a fan of Farmhouse for years, but I just heard about them for the first time last month. What drew me to Farmhouse Yarns was not only the fact that they buy wool directly from local, American sheep farmers, but they also hand-dye the brushed fleece themselves, in a menagerie of color combinations no less! Personal service is another thing that you will notice if you contact this Connecticut-based company. “I try to get to know my customers so that I learn their likes and dislikes. When you phone me, I answer the phone personally. You will not have to navigate through a computerized menu with a robot voice to find me,” says owner Carol. Also perfect for felting, 2 of Farmhouse’s 10 available yarns are sold on Purl Soho’s website, including their “I Am Allergic to Wool” offering, which is comprised of 85% cotton and 15% rayon (yes, I wish it was organic cotton too). Personally, I often find wool to be too itchy to wear, but the colors offered in “Andy’s Merino II” are too vivid to resist. For a listing of other online and brick-and-mortar stores that sell Farmhouse Yarns, simply visit their website. [Image courtesy of Purl Soho: Farmhouse Yarns’ Andy’s Merino II in Zinnia] Who makes your favorite sustainable yarns? Which natural fiber is your favorite to work with? (i.e. cotton, wool, bamboo … etc.) Let us know what you love to create with and we might feature them in the next installment of Yearn-worth Yarns!
