What does she like to make. Hemp is similar in use to cotton. It had no elasticity and flabby drape vs something like wool or synthetics which have stretch and bounce. If she makes cuddly things it is not a good choice but if she makes placemats or string bags go for it.

I don't know what she's making these days as she lives across the country now. Last Christmas she made me a hat, and the year before she made a chunky scarf. I think both were synthetic, or a wool blend. My daughter told me she recently got into sustainable yarns. I thought the string bag might be fun for a change of pace. She graduated from college this spring.

Bamboo yarn has a nice soft feel and drape to it.

Is Joanne's a good website to buy yarn? Any other recommendations?

If you want really nice yarn, you can't beat WEBS: https://www.yarn.com/

They are pricey, but that's because their yarns are far superior than the typical Jo-Ann/Michaels stuff.

They also offer some free patterns

Ravelry has tons of free patterns.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns

Isn't wool a sustainable and renewable material?

Pure wool is a difficult fabric. It can be uncomfortable on the skin and hard to launder due to shrinkage. Wool is the only fiber that will keep you warm when wet or damp. Wool is combined with ny!on or rayon at about 10% to 20% for comfort and machine washability. It is ideal for socks, hats,gloves and mittens.

I did make a sweater out of washable wool, which is available, and it is very soft and comfortable...though not all wools are.

Maybe a gift certificate would be better than trying to pick out yarn if you aren't familiar with suitable yarns for specific projects. I'm not a knitter or crocheter, but I get cones of weaving yarn from Organic Cotton Plus. They have knitting yarns in skeins and also wool & cotton yarn in 1 lb. cones that a knitter can use.

https://organiccottonplus.com/collections/yarn-all

I agree, a gift certificate would be better as if you choose something she doesn't like, odds are it won't get done...or she won't be happy doing it.

My cousin Barbara, who died several years ago, was a fabulous knitter. Her favorite yarns were recycled. I guess that could be considered eco-friendly. She would buy cashmere and other yarns from eBay sellers who had unraveled them from sweaters.

I would just choose a worsted weight yarn because its so useful i would not want to be gifted yarn and pattern because i like to make my own choices. Thats why a gift certificate is nice.

i like Webs but Knit Picks is another good place to shop.

"Sustainable". "green", "eco" are all hyped buzz words. There is no "sustainable" element in any one product because what is not sustainable is our over reaching over consumption of all things.

Natural fibers are nicer to use all the way around.

Plant fibers are best for non wearables, generally. They dont have that bounce back that wool has.

Superwash wool would be your best bet for anything to be worn. And, I agree with Annie to go to the WEBS site and choose a wool. I have no idea how experienced you are with yarn, but be prepared to pay for it.

If she is going to make a bag of some sort, by all means, use a plant fiber. Hemp would probably be good for that.

Elmer, you asked if wool meets the merit. But, what really IS "suistainable" or "renewable" after all has been accounted for.? Does that apply to the land used to raise the sheep, or grow the plant fiber, the fossil fuel and chemicals used in the raising, the facilites and chemicals needed to process and dye and treat the fiber, the spinning, plying , packaging, transporting, and disposal of the resulting waste yarn? Is it still in the camp of sustainable/renewable/ green/ecofriendly/natural after all of that is said and done?

There are very few things in our modern life that really is any of that.. It is a much darker and a much larger picture when you look at the supporting cast that brought that product to your hands and contemplate where it is going.

Where do you begin to measure such merit? Do you start with the seed or the birth of a lamb, neither of which appeared out of nowhere? And, where do you quit with this accounting? Do you stop after the yarn had been packaged for selling, or do you quit with the eventual disposal of a finished garment that is no longer used and gets discarded into the landifll? That is the fate of so many things that were lovingly hand made. They end up in a charity shop, yard sale, the back of a drawer, or maybe worn to pieces. Or, they took a walk on the wild side and never returned.

I dont mean to be critical of your comment/question. It is a valid question, and a good one. I would strongly suspect that this is probably not the train of thought that you were expecting. But, this is the reality. So much of the time we are looking at only one small aspect of the production, use and eventual disposal of a product that we are now holding in our hand. It is only passing through our hands and our lives. Most of us have no idea how it got here and there is no end in sight, literally. We are seeing only one small pixel of this picture. It will end up in a landfill and after that, who knows? Some of this stuff in going to still be there hundreds and thousands of years in the future.

So, where does the reckoning begin and where does it end? How does one determine the sum of it all if we dont know the beginning or the end?

What comes the closest to meeting any of those merits is to alter our expectations of what we think that we deserve, what we think that we need, and what we think we can use with abandon.

It is our overly consuming lifestyle that has brought us here to this polluted and struggling earth.

I have always said that we are not inclined to be proactive, but we are, indeed, higlhly reactive and that brings us much turmoil and conflict. Have you read the news this morning? Brace yourself. It is not good news, any of it!

I address this not just to you, Elmer, but to any that are willing to consider that there is a much larger scenario around the things that most of us have taken as granted to us.

I also knit, crochet and sew. I have added my own weight to this burden, but strive to do better for the remainder of my life and to encourage more to think a bit deeper about what they do for the rest of their lives.

I have no idea how experienced you are with yarn . . .

Zero experience. As a rug hooker, I work with 100% wool, but it's in the form of cut strips from woolen clothing that I buy at the Salvation Army and other thrift stores.

Lukki, that yarn is beautiful as is your work!

Lukki, Malabrigo is one of my weaknesses. I like their alpaca/silk blend the best. WEBS offer a discount if your order is at least $65 so I often find a skein or two of Malabrigo can bring my total up to the minimum discount. Indicito a really pretty colorway.

Not meaning to be difficult here, but acrylic fiber is often made from recycled plastic. So where would that fit in here?

I entirely agree to stay away from Michaels and Joanns and acrylic yarns. A nice yarn is a pleasure to knit with.

However, if it is a bag of some kind, do use a harder yarn such as cotton or hemp.

If it is a wearable garment use something nicer.

I used to collect, save and do things with repurposed wool such as what you do. Have not done that in decades.

Just sharing this. Good for beginners.

DD has made a few things from this company.

I consider my knitting to be a fiber art, and I would not want to waste my time and effort on unworthy yarn. However, when I knit one of my "famous" baby sweaters, the rule is that it has to be both machine washable and dryable. Drool happens, and if the item is too difficult to clean, it will never be worn. Some of my creations are on their second generation of babies.

I do like some of the Lion Brand stuff, especially because I remember going as a child with my mom to their store on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Sometimes, I order online from them when they have a sale. I like the BabySoft for the aforementioned baby items. I've almost completed my pandemic challenge of scarves for all of my 12 first cousins and their spouses, using their Superwash Merino. A few years ago, there were a number of yarn stores in my area--all gone now. Maybe that British diver will spur a resurgence. Dare I hope?

I agree to a point that many with sincere and important views may often use trendy buzz words. The meanings can convey a sentiment but whose definitions can be somewhat nebulous.

I don't know all that much about animal husbandry and less about yarns and which are better for what uses. Sheep producing areas are often out in the boondocks. I think in very many areas they eat local vegetation and do not require separate feed crop production. Keep vegetation low and fertilize the land, a double win.

Insofar as wool from sheep is concerned, it would seem to tick many of the right boxes for those with important views about the environment.

A nice thing about raising sheep is that you can eat them as well as keep them for their wool. Sheep breeds raised for meat generally don't have the best wool for garmets, but is fine for outer wear, carpeting and so on. I have spun lambs wool from a local farm that raised meat sheep. It wove up into coat fabric nicely. I'm pretty sure it was the only time those lambs were shorn.

I've never heard of an animal confinement operation that raises sheep, so they are more humanely raised than cattle, pigs & chickens. Not all sheep graze ranges and pastures. The famous "Wooldorf Astoria" farm in Australia keep their flock in a luxury barn.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/13/australia.davidfickling

I agree with those who suggested a gift certificate for yarn. Perhaps print a free pattern (or 2 or 3 or 4) from Ravalry.com to send with the certificate as suggestions. I think a big part of the joy of creating is in the choosing of materials, in this case, the yarn.

Rusty

I think a big part of the joy of creating is in the choosing of materials, in this case, the yarn.

I certainly can't argue with that. I love buying art supplies (and probably have more than I'll ever use), and, like those who acquire fabrics for quilting and sewing, I love the hunt for rug woolens. ("She who dies with the most wool wins." lol)

But I also love the unspoken "Look what I found for you!" If the recipient's interest were far removed from mine, I'd be more likely to go the gift certificate route. But in this case even when she was an adolescent our gift exchanges have always been from one creative person to another.

Lukki, that's beautiful! I love the colors.

"If the recipient's interest were far removed from mine, I'd be more likely to go the gift certificate route."

This is so true and the tip of an iceberg. I don't know why so many assume they know what someone might like as a gift without inquiring of others (like spouses or close friends) who may know more or know better. Return slips in gifts that are delivered, what used to be long lines at department stores after Christmas, or items tucked away in drawers or closets, are what happens when someone gets something they don't want, need, or like.

For anyone other than a little kid, I think a gift certificate is best. For adults in the family, who know we'll be giving them a gift for a birthday and other commemorations, I will ask directly "where would you like a gift certificate from?"

I knit and I would not want someone else picking out yarn and patterns! Please, a gift certificate to a local yarn shop.

Thank you for the comments on my scarf. It’s a beautiful yarn to work with and in person, the colors are stunning. I’ve never used the alpaca silk, I’ve used the Cascade Eco Alpaca which is soft as butta, but it stretches like crazy. I bet the silk helps to prevent that.

Alisande, as you can see, lots of opinions about you choosing vs a gift certificate but I totally get what you mean about gifting the yarn. When I’ve been given yarns, it’s always been easy to find projects that I could make with them. Often times, I make something pretty and surprise the giver with it! On the other hand, I’ve had a gift certificate that was given to me years ago and I’ve yet to use. Six to one and half dozen to another.

The reason I suggested the Malabrigo Rios is because at $15 - $16 dollars per skein, it’s not something that many can or want to spend their money on. It is something that would be a treat for anyone to receive and one skein is enough to make something. The commerical yarns serve a great purpose for every day projects, but anyone can buy them and one skein is going to be the same as the next. Hand dyed yarns offer individuality as each one is a one of a kind and IMO a work of art. There are lots of beautiiful hand dyed yarns out there to choose from but I’ve found that the Malabrigo offers a nice balance. There are also different weights available in the Merino yarn that are listed on the Malabrigo website, Outside of the Rio my experience has been with Dos Tierras (a DK) and Arroyos (a DK/sport) where the thread isn’t as thick as the Worsted. Both are equal in quality and versitility but I can’t say if one skein would be enough for a full project. You have my email address. If you want to choose a yarn and get a second opinion, send me a note and I’d be happy to give you feedback on it. There is a website called Ravelry, it’s free to join and one of the benefits is it has user reviews for thousands of yarns, along with pics of finished projects. If you aren’t interested in joining it, I can always grab a couple of pics so you can see what a yarn might look like when it’s used. :c)

Lukki, thanks so much for the additional information. I just found out the recipient of the gift mostly crochets. Does that make a difference?

No the yarns are the same for both crafts...it's more about the outcome of the garment rather than the craft used to create it.

Doesn't crochet yarn require a higher twist than knitting yarn? DMC crochet yarn is very different from pearl cotton & embroidery floss for example.

https://www.knittedknockers.org/. i wonder if any of you who knit heard of Knitted Knockers. This great organization is nationwide and matches breast cancer survivors with knitters who make knitted breasts for their bras. it's such a worthwhile investment of time and there are groups who fill orders together in towns across the country.

Take a look

I've used the same yarn for both knit and crochet projects without noticing much difference between them. Different twists will yield different results in both cases.