Kelly Rand
Not too long ago, I did a thorough de-sash of my yarn pile so I could better utilize the yarn I had in my stash. Some I got rid of through an online swap and the rest I donated to Craft Mutiny’s Craft Supply Swap, a swap very similar to the Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap. After all the yarn was cleaned out, I rediscovered a bag of soft green yarn, that I think my mother had given to me.
I started looking it over and knew that it was the right weight for my next project. I wanted to start knitting with it right away, so I pulled out a skein and pulled the tag off of it to start winding it into a ball. That’s when I noticed the label had a Forest Stewardship Council certification stamp. Wow, a yarn that’s been FSC certified?! My lucky day!
The yarn in question was Bernat brand yarn made from soy of their Natural Blends collection. Bernat offers soy yarn in 8 soft soothing colors. A great compliment to the soft yarn. I happen to have Celery, but it comes in Seasalt, Raspberry, Oatmeal and Flax.
The label certifies the yarn as FSC from mixed sources, which means that the soy the yarn was made from is sourced from:
well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fiber.
The other great thing about this yarn is that it is made by Bernat, a company that has a wide reach and available at your local big box store, along with other big brands. It is great to see that eco-friendly choices are starting to infiltrate even the big companies. Bernat has many other eco-friendly yarns in their Natural Blends collection and are worth another look.
The soy yarn is a fingering weight, perfect for crochet or knit scrafs and makes a smooth, small stitch. The yarn is a bit sticky so if you are a tight knitter it could be a little bit more tricky to work with. It also is easy to split and can get a bit fuzzy while working but if you take extra care to keep an eye out for the splits, they are easily manageable.
More Yarns and Fibers:
[Image credit: Bernat]
I am very upset at the moment. I just finished a lovely little hoodie sweater for my first great grandchild in Bernat Soy in the celery colour. Love the feel of this yarn, just wonderful for a new born. However after I hand washed it and started to block it I discovered that a couple of the tied knots that were in the yard when I bought it had come undone and left a hole. I did manage to repair them but can you imagine how I felt when I saw them? What I want to know is, do you sell seconds to the Hudson’s Bay Comapny (Zellers) and is this why my yarn had knots tied in it? The other thing I want to know is …why are there knots in the yarn?
As much as I like this yarn I am not in any hurry to use it again. Having your knots come undone and leaving holes is not my idea of a good product. I sincerely hope that the other sweaters that I have knitted as gifts for newborns have not had the same thing happen, That would be altogether too embarrassing.
I do hope you will send me a reply.
Barbara Coburn
When I see a knot coming up, I don’t take a chance, I knit to the end of the row or go back to beginning of the current row, break the yarn, and knit as though I was beginning a new ball. It’s a pain, it’s true, but better that than surprises when you wash your project.