Pattern for Waste Not sweater, an homage to Isabel Marant's S/S Ready to Wear 2012 collection will be posted soon, and yes, ecomodista remembers she must post medium and large sizes patterns for the Noro Gansey as well. Waste Not is really fun to knit because there are no mistakes to be made, you choose whatever leftover yarns are lying around as long as the gauge is similar, approximately 7 or 8 skeins for the small size, no ends to be woven in and it's knit in the round with a simple bateau neck.You may be wondering if this is the only neckline I know, or if it's an aesthetic preference. I adore bateau necklines, and don't often find one in commercially produced clothing. Easily modified, the body and sleeves may be longer or any length desirable. In fact, the only difficulty knitting this, is deciding where to place beginnings and endings of color changes. The merest purling appears near the ribbing for the neck/shoulder. Just in case you're not fond of wandering about the wilderness without a pattern, you may follow mine, one day soon.
As the commitment to slow clothing and sustainable living gains adherents, one does wonder what the economic impact may be, since consumer spending accounts for approximately 65% of the US economy. How could the economy survive if everyone became an environmental asetic? One need only look around the highways and roads in our country to see the parallel trails of rubbish drivers and passengers leave behind. Environmental remediation is critical both on land and sea, which in itself could create jobs employment.
Elke Duerr's design for laptop case using recycled plastic bags
One proponent of slow clothing, Elke Duerr, practices as a speech pathologist, but also makes films about wildlife policy and knits. Duerr has knit since she was 5. Her family are organic farmers in Germany, near what was once the border of the DDR (German Democratic Republic, a Soviet satellite) and West Germany. Duerr is one of my role models, being extremely thrifty and a firm believer in reduce reuse recycle. In fact, this past year she has not purchased any clothing, instead knitting or sewing what she needs. She took a sewing class to learn tailoring and produced a beautiful coat. This has inspired me to consider doing the same in 2013.
Elke carrying laptop bag from recycled plastic bags
Duerr has formed the Web of Life foundation (IRS status 501 C3) to support efforts to change wildlife policies, both in the US and Europe. Her film, Stories of Wolves: The Lobo Returns, traces the policies resulting from the 1973 US federal Endangered Species Act. It has been screened n the US and Europe. In an interview with a reporter for New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, she states, “I’m interested in solutions, instead of [appropriating blame]...” Attending university in Munich then Germany's film capital, many of her friends were film makers.
To raise funds ethically for her foundation, Duerr intends to sell not coffee mugs and other consumer items that ultimately damage the environment either in the production or waste but instead knitting patterns for recycled yarn, created by cutting spiral strips from plastic shopping bags. Ironically, the use of "disposable" shopping bags is increasing in the EU just as we are beginning to eschew them in favor of reusable bags and totes in the US.
ecomodista loves these links for knitting or weaving w/recycles:
w/recycles: http://www.weavezine.com/summer2008/wz_su08_JanaTrent.php
w/recycles: http://www.weavezine.com/summer2008/wz_su08_JanaTrent.php
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