vegan knitters?

[unbitten]

so i'm pretty new at both knitting and veganism, and i've definitely not changed my wardrobe much (all my favorite shoes are still leather:( ) i'm planning on knitting and cooking all of my christmas presents this year, and plan on eventually making all of my own clothes (once i don't suck at it anymore.) the book i picked up suggested starting with wool yarns because they are a bit stretchier than cotton, and i haven't really tried the cotton yet so i can't say whether the wool is easier or not. most of the patterns i've seen call for wool yarns, and i wonder if simply subbing cotton or acrylic would make much difference??

i guess what i'm wondering is if there are any other vegan knitters out there who could advise me on this?

[Elena99]

You don't need wool for anything. Well, except for felting; you can only felt with animal fibers.

That aside, the advantages of wool are that it can absorb more water before you start to feel wet or cold. They also can be warmer and softer, but not necessarily. You can do fine with acrylics, nylons, linens, and cottons. There are also bamboo yarns, soy, corn, and other materials. Bamboo and soy can be more expensive.

Here's a link for a decent yarn site: http://www.earthfriendlyyarns.com/ Just click on vegan.

What you can sub with depends on what you're doing, usually.

[bekajoi]

The acrylic fibers are everywhere, softer than the wool, and cheaper for the length. :) You can get them in a very simple yarn that is easy to work with (another reason they reccommend starting with simple wool yarn)~

[Pirate Ferret]

Acrylic = way cheaper than wool anyway!
I think as long as the thickness is the same it shouldnt matter, doesnt for me anyway.

[cftwo]

I'd sub acrylic yarns (and have) over cotton. As you said - cotton doesn't have the same give to it that wool and acryllics do.

The Veganlunchbox blog writer is also a vegan knitter and often posts about her projects on her personal blog.

[Tray]

I've been knitting for a while now, and haven't had any trouble substituting cotton or acrylic for wool. There are lots of nice blends out there that personally I think are nicer than wool anyway. Just remember to check your gauge before getting a project underway, especially if you're going to substitute. Good luck! :)

[bekajoi]

I like the "Knitting and Crocheting for Dummies" book, by the way. ;)

Your yarn will tell you, right on the package, what size/guage needle to use, so look for that size needle when you are choosing your yarn. I'd suggest bigger guage/needles for beginning, as it will go faster. And start with something simple, like a scarf. Once you feel confident in your knitting, you can always move on to more complicated stuff. :)

[Keelin]

Acrylics= cheaper and non-itchy. They're way better anyways :D

I'm an avid knitter... PM me if you ever want help or just to chat, heh.