10 Awesome Ways To Be a More Sustainable Knitter
I believe that sustainability (on an individual level) is all about incorporating green practices that can fit into your lifestyle. In this blog post, we are going over 10 thrifty tricks and sustainable tips that will help make your knitting practice even more green. Keep reading to see if you can fit any of these options into your craft to become an even more sustainable knitter!
First: Knitting is a sustainable practice
Before we dive into 10 different ways you can be sustainable in knitting, I first want to emphasize that knitting itself is a sustainable practice. Creating your own garments is a way to opt-out of fast fashion, which is an extremely unsustainable system that harms its workers as well as the environment. Even if you are knitting without following these additional sustainable suggestions, you are still being sustainable simply by making and wearing garments that you made through slow fashion. So give yourself a pat on the back!
Also, it’s important to note that not all sustainable practices are accessible to everyone. As someone on a strict budget, I am constantly trying to balance sustainability with accessibility. Below, you’ll find a range of sustainable options. A large majority of the options are budget friendly, but I realize some options are not so affordable (looking at you #2 and #10). But again, individual sustainability is all about fitting green practices that can realistically fit into your routines!
1. Make garments you’ll actually wear
Not only is an unworn knit sad, but it’s also wasteful! There are two main reasons why you may not wear a finished object:
It’s a style you don’t typically wear
It’s a color you don’t typically wear
To help avoid this, I highly recommend you plan out a knitwear capsule wardrobe. When you plan a knitwear capsule wardrobe, it is important to be honest with yourself about what colors and styles will flatter you, bring you joy, and make you want to incorporate them into your knit fits each and every day! To help you get started on your knitwear capsule wardrobe journey, you can download the Free Knitwear Capsule Wardrobe Checklist. Or if you're looking for even more guidance and structure, you can get the Knitwear Capsule Wardrobe Blueprint!
Click here to learn the 5 Reasons Why You Need a Knitwear Capsule Wardrobe!
2. Use sustainable yarns
This tip is definitely one that is not always the most budget friendly, but if it is in your budget, using sustainable yarns is a great way to make your knitting practice more green! A rule of thumb here is to avoid synthetic fibers, such as acrylic, polyester, and nylon, as they typically require the use of many fossil fuels and resources to produce and are plastic-based.
Opting for animal fibers is the most sustainable, as they typically require the least amount of resources to produce and are biodegradable. However, the treatment of the animals is something that varies and should be considered, and of course you should avoid certain animal-based yarns if you are allergic. Plant-based fibers are also better than synthetic fibers, but typically require a lot of water to produce. And yarns made from recycled materials are also a sustainable option!
Click here to learn more details about the most and least sustainable yarns.
3. Upcycle thrifted sweaters
If you’re feeling extra thrifty, then consider upcycling thrifted or old sweaters! This could be a great way to get some yarn on a dime while also giving new life to something that might otherwise go to a landfill.
I haven’t tried doing this yet, but you KNOW it’s on my list of to-dos (and when I do, I’ll be doing a whole blog post on it!). However, Ida from @ambivalentkingdom on Instagram has this super helpful video on her YouTube channel, Ida’s Corner, called “unravel + reknit a sweater with me”! Up until 3:30, she shares her process for disassembling an old machine knit sweater. After that, it shows her upcycling it into a beautiful sweater! The video itself is so cute, and I’ll definitely be referencing it when I do my own upcycling project!
4. Make yarn from old t-shirts
Similar to upcycling old sweaters, you can also upcycle old t-shirts (or really, any kind of fabric!). Again, this is another trick I haven’t tried yet, but I have a number of old shirts in my closet that I could totally see being a part of a new upcycled t-shirt yarn based top. There a number of tutorials on how to do this on YouTube, but I particularly love “How to Make T-Shirt Yarn Using the Whole Shirt” from Sustain My Craft Habit’s YouTube channel because it shows how can you can preserve as much material as possible from each shirt to repurpose into yarn. I can’t wait to give it a shot!
5. Use your yarn stash
As irresistible as buying new yarn can be, having an excessive stash that only keeps growing is definitely not the most sustainable (or budget-friendly). Here are two tips I have that will help you work from your stash rather than buying new yarn:
Download Eshani’s (@woolwala on Instagram) free stash organizer! This Excel sheet helps you keep track of the yarn you already have so that you can easily see if it works for an upcoming project you have in mind! Rather than getting frustrated hunting through your stash, giving up, and buying new yarn instead, this organizer helps you to consider how you can utilize your existing stash.
Get the Knitwear Capsule Wardrobe Blueprint! The planning process prompts you to consider what yarn you’ll use for each project. This helps you to assign yarn you already have to projects you want to do in the future, rather than having the yarn sit in the pile while you think “Oh, I’ll use it someday.” You can also incorporate a number of scrap-friendly patterns into your blueprint to ensure you use up all your odds and ends!
6. Use your yarn scraps
The Staple Scrunchie pattern gives you guidance for making 3 different sizes. Grab your free pattern now!
Speaking of scrap-friendly patterns, here are few that are AMAZINGLY scrap friendly:
The Staple Scrunchie by New Wave Knitting (me!), which is a FREE pattern that allows you to use any weight yarn and any gauge, making it a perfect scrap busting project!
The Staple Sock by New Wave Knititng (me again), which is a sock pattern that allows you to use any weight yarn and any gauge! For a scrap project, I recommend using your scrap sock yarn to make super cool unique socks.
The Stay Pull sweater by @parknknit, which gives you directions on how to combine a number of different yarns and yarn weights to create this super cute crew neck sweater!
The Anytime Tank by @camelknits, which is a classic tank top that you can make with any weight of yarn!
The Leiblingstank by @oopsnloops, which is a great sweater vest/tank top pattern that would work well if you have a lot of yarn scraps of the same yarn or similar weight yarns.
The Lizzy Jumper by @renewal.collective, which is a great sweater pattern if you have a bunch of super bulky roving yarn scraps lying around!
Other smaller projects like mittens, hats, coffee mug warmers, and pom pom garland are awesome for scrap busting! You could always make a patchwork sweater or cardigan too! Using up your scraps reduces waste, and is a great way to add sustainability to your knitting practice.
7. Reuse Yarn from Gauge Swatches
I know you ALL do gauge swatches like good little knitters, so you must have tons of swatches laying around. (Right??) In order to make sure all that swatch yarn doesn’t go to waste, here are a couple of things you could do instead:
You could frog it and reuse it! This video from Suzanne Bryan’s YouTube channel is an amazing step-by-step on how to frog and reset swatch yarn. That yarn can then be used in a scrap project, or to finish up a garment you just lost a game of yarn chicken to!
You could frame your swatches! This is such a cool way to show off swatches that test out more complex stitch patterns, but I think it would still be so sweet to frame them up even if they aren’t stockinette. Because swatches are art!
Dive into a brief art history of knitting!
Turn them into a patchwork sweater or blanket! I’m currently saving up my swatches for one of these projects, and I would love to wear a patchwork sweater made up of different fibers, colors, and textures. I haven’t found a guide that I love yet for making a patchwork sweater (particularly with gauge swatches that aren’t uniform in size), so if you know of one, please send it my way! However, if you always make your gauges the same size and the same way, there are lots of patterns for making patchwork sweaters and blankets out there.
I recently heard of some knitters throwing away their swatches. Hearing that literally made me cringe. Reduce waste and make every fiber count by repurposing your gauge swatches!
8. Repurpose yarn from old projects/WIPs
If you have a finished object that isn’t getting worn, or a WIP that has been gathering dust for way too long, let’s figure out a way we can reuse that yarn. In both situations, it sounds like those projects just aren’t giving you the joy they should. Frog them and repurpose the yarn into something else!
For instance, you could use the yarn for a different pattern that you’re more excited about. Or (and this recently happened to me) if the yarn simply isn’t a color you don’t think you’ll ever wear or use, frog the project and use it to make a gift for a friend! If you’re not a gifting knitter, see if another knitter would be interested in the yarn! Ultimately, we don’t want to see that beautiful yarn go to waste.
9. Gift/Donate/Raffle/Sell finished objects that you don’t wear
If you think it’s too much of a shame to frog a finished object that you’re not wearing, consider gifting, donating, raffling, or selling it to a loving home! Of course, if you're thinking of selling and the finished object was made from a designer’s pattern, look over the pattern’s fine print to see if if the designer says if it is okay to sell or not and make sure to respect their wishes. You could always gift or donate the sweater to a friend or clothing donation. And if you’re interested in raising money for a cause, you could raffle it off!
I recently raffled off this cow print sweater, which I made from mashing up @beatificbrenda’s Happy Hygge Vest with @karaskniteng’s In the Moo’d Sweater. I first contacted them both to make sure they were okay with me raffling, and they were. I then held a raffle that raised money to support relief efforts for Ukraine refugees! It felt so good to raise money for a good cause while also finding a loving home for an FO I didn’t wear enough.
10. Get an interchangeable needle set
Buying an interchangeable needle set is definitely a big investment with cost upfront, and may not be accessible to everyone. However, it does end up saving you money so you don’t have to buy a new pair or set of needles every time you start a project that calls for a different circular needle length or a knitting needle size that you don’t have yet. And of course, not having to buy new needles as often means that you are using less resources! It’s important to know that some sets cost more than others. I recently got the Lykke Driftwood shorties set from my local yarn store and absolutely love them. However, there are also a number of more affordable options out there as well!
Again, knitting itself is a sustainable practice. However, adopting any or all of these sustainable suggestions can help you cut down on waste, use what you have, and be a more conscious consumer! While #2 and #10 do require a bit more of an investment, all of the other ways are super thrifty and can actually help you save money! If you found this blog post helpful and informative, be sure to share it with a knitting pal so help them add a little more green to their knitting practice.