Socially Responsible Knitting

The hippie chick in me often clashes with my inner diva. Most of the time, I try to reconcile the two: shoes can be both comfortable and cute. Other times, I just give in and wear the toe-crushing shoe in the name of fashion.

Recently, I purchased some wonderful, handcrafted, kettle-dyed yarn from a local yarn shop. I like hand-dyed yarn because it's unique. There are usually no dye lots so the items that one crafts from the yarn are truly one-of-a-kind. Oh, sure the colors and the process can be replicated but the end product will never be exactly like the yarn that came before it.

Anyway back to my purchase: This yarn is good stuff. It's comes in ninety great colors, is 100% wool and supports an awesome cause. Manos del Uruguay is a non-profit co-op comprised of over 400 artisans throughout the country. Their mission is to provide rural women with social and economic opportunities. How could I not buy their stuff? It's not cheap but progress takes money. I'm doing my part just by pursuing my hobby.

And my inner hippie chick and diva? They've come up with some hip knits that could inspire anyone:


Baby Banana tote in Rainforest