We’re halfway through the year and halfway through our Mindful Fiber series. A perfect time to answer the question: Where can I find all these eco-friendly and animal-friendly yarns? I find a lot of mine at Green Sheep Shop where Annette specializes in yarn that “treads lightly on the planet.”
12 Month of Mindful Fiber: July.**
That sheep and I are good buddies.
It’s completely refreshing to shop in an environment where someone else has done the homework and selected a variety of yarns that I would buy with confidence in the knowledge that they are easy on the environment as well as easy on the hands and eyes. I also love the flat rate shipping, great pictures, thoughtful descriptions and paying with PayPal. I asked Annette what inspired her to open up shop in such an eco-friendly way, her story follows.
“It all started with girlfriends and a baby boom. About 5 years ago was the start a baby boom among my girlfriends, which is continuing on until this day. I really enjoy making knitted and crocheted gifts for all the new babies coming into the world. Also, at the same time I was personally changing to incorporate organic foods and more sustainable practices into my life. With my new attitude, I wanted to incorporate using organic yarn into my knitting and crochet projects. As I went to my local yarn stores I was limited to one or two lines of organic cotton, which was a start but not quite enough variety to satisfy me. After a while, I thought there has to be more options than this, so I started searching on-line for organic yarn, where, to my surprise, I found a large variety.”
Ecobutterfly Organics’ Pakucho Qoperfina – Color Grown (seriously) Organic Cotton
“Then I started to do research about the differences between traditionally produced yarn and organic yarn, which influenced me even more so to use organic yarns. Then my search widened to other eco-friedly yarns and whole world of choices opened up. But in doing my research I noticed there was not one store that carried a large selection of eco-friendly yarns. A store would carry a few lines and another different lines and so forth, that’s when the wheels started tuning and the concept of Green Sheep Shop came into existence, a yarn store that focus on earth-friendly yarns. I have to say I had quite a few nay-sayers when I was stating my business but I pursued my plan and two years later, my shop is growing and I have a wonderful loyal customer base. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that others appreciate earth-friendly yarns and support my business.”
Love a yarn but at a loss for a project? Green Sheep Shop has patterns too.
“My hopes for the future are to continue to find wonderful eco-friendly yarns for my customers and eventually introduce my own line of eco-friendly yarns which will focus on local, organic and sustainable yarns produced within North America”.
Three cheers for green yarn! Three winners in June! This month’s featured yarn can be found in Green Sheep Shop, Pakucho Qoperfina. A 97% certified color grown organic cotton infused with 3% soft virgin copper fiber. That’s right: copper. Many people believe that copper has healing properties and other mysterious benefits but it is also naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Perfect for a hand towel or wash cloth! Conveniently, Annette has already created kits that pair Qoperfina with several sweet cloth patterns.
Also the cutest tissue paper ever.
I picked the Butterfly, Dragonfly and Lotus Blossom motifs for the winners and three less common color grown cotton shades (Sage, Deep Green and Deep Golden Brown). Kits will be assembled randomly (one pattern, one color yarn), I’ll even label the boxes with the winners’ addresses after I’ve packed them. For a closer look at all the available colors and motifs, just visit the product listing (the poppy is marvelous). While you’re there, you may as well look around at the cotton and the yarns made form recycled fibers, the vegan yarns and the fair trade certified selection…
WAIT!
Don’t go before you leave a comment to enter the drawing for June’s Mindful Fiber Giveaway! May the Random Number Generator favor you on Saturday, June 30 when this giveaway is closed and winners are chosen! Many thanks to Annette and Green Sheep Shop for making sustainability and consciousness in knitting that much easier.
12 Month of Mindful Fiber: July.**
Green Sheep Shop looks amazing! I had not heard about them so thank you for sharing. The kits look great–we are re-doing our Master Bath and I’d love to knit up these towels to feature there–the colors are perfect.
Thanks again for sharing this wonderful site.
beautimous! 🙂 <3
What a great idea for a shop! And what gorgeous yarn! I would love to win. 🙂
Once again, you are so generous…thank you Emily, for helping all of us be more mindful.
Love it! And gorgeous yarn too, what a bonus!
Oh my goodness. They have a banana silk yarn in a colorway called “steampunk” – I think I’m in love! (:
I love the idea of copper being a component. For years I have believed in the benefits of copper.
All the colors are wonderful.
Can’t wait to go see everything she offers for myself.
Green was good enough for Scarlett & it’s good enough for me. 😉
I’d love a nice pea grn skein of yarn or..any really.
Have a great week!
What a lovely shop! Thanks Emily for sharing it with us!
oh how fun. >Love some giveaways, Im still thinking about just exactly what I’ll cast on with MY win from 2 months agO!!!!!
It is such lovely stuff, it must be the perfect knit up!
I am so glad you are doing this series. Being allergic to many fibers this is a great resource. Thank you!
As an aspiring metallurgist and avid knitter, I’m so excited about the idea of trying out a yarn with copper in it!
I had no idea you could get copper in yarn! So Cool. I used to make washcloths all the time, but have been busy with test knits. If I win I’ll totally drop everything to knit a facecloth for me! if not, I’ll have to do some shopping at Green Sheep 😉
Gorgeous yarn, awesome colors. Love it!!!
Thanks so much for sharing this site! It is a brilliant idea and I’m so glad it exists.
I’ve knit with silver, but I love copper — how fun! And the yarn flights are way too cool. A vegan flight might be the perfect gift for my niece who’s struggling right now … .
Those yarn colors are beautiful and the addition of copper is intriguing. I’m off to browse the website. Thanks for sharing.
That dragonfly motif is stunning. I can only imagine what the butterfly, and especially the lotus, look like! Thanks for the links.
Are you staying cool in Alabama?
Just went to Green Sheep and bought myself a wrap pattern and the yarn to make it — all on sale! Thanks again.
Safe for the environment yarn? Great idea and looks great! Thanks for a giveaway chance.
Copper is one of my favorite colors. Hope the Green Sheep Shop continues to grow. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful! Did I see this yarn at VK Live in L.A. last year???? There’s something very familiar looking about that green sheep!
Thank you Emily for the wonderful blog post about my shop, you’re a gem! And thank you all for the positive comments about my shop. @Jani – yes we were at VKL last September, good memory, it hard to forget the sheep 😀
I loved learning about this shop. I love the colors you chose they are so pretty! Thanks for giving me a chance to win again!
It’s so nice to find a shop where you can purchase a variety of yarn that is eco-friendly!
I had not heard of this shop but will definitely check it out now. Thanks!
I would love to try some of this yarn.
This is great! I’ve been wondering if there might be a shop like this.
I’ve never heard of the company but I am willing to try it and see if it would help my allergies. The yarns look yummy and “soft”!! I’d love it if you could enter me in the drawing. Thanks a bunch
Cotton Cotton, Who has the Colored Cotton!
Now we know! Thanks for introducing us to such great places!
I love the idea of copper in my washcloths! The colors are gorgeous!
Definitely count me in on this one! Copper and cotton – how interesting.
I’ve purchased from the Green Sheep shop numerous times, and have loved every transaction. I especially love that the shipping price is extremely fair and the delivery is very fast. I hope my number is the lucky one!
Love the idea of green yarn! And how cool that copper is in it! You are so kind putting kits together and letting us try new things branch out to new products.
What a great company! I so want to knit that dragonfly pattern. Thanks for the giveaway!
Love the cloth patterns, fancy shipping Down Under if the number generator goes my way? 🙂
I was in the market for some special knitting related door prizes, and these were exactly what I needed. I’ve already ordered several kits. Thanks for the heads-up. It WOULD be nice to win a skein for myself, too.
Wanted to let you know that the Green Sheep order I placed on the 20th arrived TODAY! So thank you so much (again) for the tip. I’m totally impressed with the shop.
Thanks for highlighting this shop. Adding to my list of stores for when my purchasing freeze is over.
They have some gorgeous yarn!
Wow, that yarn looks scrumptious and the packaging is too cute! Thanks for sharing Green Sheep Shop with us!
I’ve knit with organic cotton before but never yarn with copper in it. I’d love to try it. Thanks for the chance to win!
squeezing before it’s over!
oops, forgot ‘in’….squeezing in before it’s over!
Love green sheep shop
I am a huge fan of the Green Sheep Shop. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Just found your site via green sheep shop! love your creations
and your witty and down-to-earth writing – and your generosity –
Thanks for the giveaway!
What a nice idea — thanks! I love Green Sheep Shop — and also the pig and elephant toys shown on your blog.
Love this shop! And these colors are all so beautiful!
Love green sheep shop! It has lots of yarn that is hard to find elsewhere or at a LYS.
Love GSS! Love knitting with Lollipop Cabin yarns, and many others!
Never heard of copper in yarn, but I’m intrigued!
Annette and Green Sheep Shop were so fast and friendly; she responded to me email question quickly, and ship my yarn right out. My hemp cardi is coming out beautifully, and I’ll be ordering from her again!
Would love to try it!