When you buy a skein of yarn or bump of fiber from a US wool producer you support a family, help the environment, the US economy grows and you get a product you can feel good about using.
How can all this happen with one purchase? Let me show you.
Support a family
Many of the wool products I buy come from family ranches along the way. As such when I buy wool either from them or from a dyer who buys from them I am supporting that family and the work that they are doing. Here are some links to family ranches and dyers that I have bought from.
Help the environment
When wool is grown in the US, processed in the US and then sold to someone in the US, the carbon footprint of the product is smaller than a product that was grown here and then shipped overseas for processing and then shipped back to be used.
Also use of American wool, or any wool raised responsibly for that matter, draws carbon down from the atmosphere and puts it back into the soil where it is needed. There is a lot of research to show how this IS working and that sheep, cattle and goats are the answer to the carbon issue.
US economy grows
When we spend money on items, food, anything that is made, produced or grown here in the US it supports the people here in the US. Not that everyone else is unimportant, not at all. This gives the US an opportunity to contribute to the world economy and not just be takers. The more people that support US makers, producers, the more other companies will see that the American people value each other and the work they are doing. Then maybe some of these jobs can and will come back stateside. This will not be an overnight thing, it has taken us a long time to get here but you can be part of the reason that the tide shifts and things go the other way. Click below to read stories about the changes in the economy and many other areas.
A product that you can feel good about using
When you buy a US wool product, often, not always, do your research, the wool comes from a family farm. Family farm doesn’t mean small. I follow some neat farms on Instagram, “family farms” and they have thousands of animals. When you can see the pictures of the animals, videos of them outside on the green pasture and in fresh air it does something for you as the consumer; be it a steak or a skein of yarn. I have experienced both and it is a feeling I can’t really explain. You need to experience for yourself. It brings a new level of connection, pride and responsibility. Similar to buying a pattern from an indie designer. You know who and what you are supporting.
I hope this inspires you to try some American wool and see for yourself.
Happy making!
Azariahs Fibre Arts 