On Garment Waste

Organic Cotton Stripes

If you are a regular reader, you will probably know that I do love a stripey sailor top, especially if it is made from organic cotton and is in a fabulous colour, like orange perhaps. 

I was interested, then, when I noticed that my local Seasalt branch was having a sale recently. I popped in, with no particular intention of making a purchase and discovered this beauty on the sale rack: 

Brilliant Mistake

It turns out that this, and a bunch of other items were all reduced because they have flaws: tiny rips, buttons missing, small marks, that sort of thing. Well, naturally I headed straight for the checkout with my prize. I bet you didn't even notice the tiny mark either- it's barely even visible in the picture, despite the huge incriminating arrow!

Marks for Thought

This got me to thinking: why don't we see more slight second in shops like this? In short, I suspect it is because they are sent to be mulched before they even reach the shop floor, or worse- to landfill. There's nothing wrong with recycling of course when something has reached the end of its life, but how much better to offer people the choice? Surely it's up to the individual consumer whether a 'flaw' is acceptable to them or not? 

Thank you, Seasalt

So, thanks Seasalt for putting these less-than-perfect garments out there for us to make up our own minds, and giving items which have taken resources and energy all along the production line a chance to be used before they go to be recycled. 

Could Try Harder?

I was pleased to be handed my top in a small paper bag. The paper comes from 'sustainably managed forests' which is great, but wouldn't it be better if it was recycled paper? The receipt was also handed to me in a quite a large piece of folded card, and on reflection I wonder whether this is at all necessary- especially as due to the nature of my purchase it was going to be un-returnable anyway... food for thought.

New Pattern Announcement: Cornish Sunset Crochet Throw

I devised this pattern some months ago, but having taught it to a group of lovely ladies at Roseland Mews last weekend, I finally had the impetus to dot the slip stitches and cross the trebles, and get the finished result listed up on ravelry. 

Cornish Sunset Crochet Throw 

The colour scheme was mainly dictated by what I had in my stash at the time, but I feel it works well for the sunset theme, with a little pop of colour in the centre of each motif. 

Bobbles!

The pattern is both written and charted, allowing my workshop participants to familiarise themselves with both, as well as looking at some more-advanced techniques like bobbles. 

Pattern on Ravelry

Following the pattern is a great exercise in counting stitches and reading what you have done- skills which are always useful! 

Crochet Throw

I can deliver this workshop on request, so if you have a crochet group or just a few friends who you want to get together for me to visit then please contact me so we can discuss it!

Hexagon Blanket

The blanket is worked in Aran-weight yarn, so it builds up quite quickly. My sample is about 3' square, but of course you can keep adding hexagons until you reach the size you want. 

Lap-sized Throw

It occurred to me after the workshop that I have lots of odds and ends in Aran weight yarn, which I could collage together to make more of a random result. Because there is a lot going on in this version, I have kept the coloured centres to a single colour, and I've also left out the bobbles. 

I can make these motifs pretty much without even looking now, so this is great TV crochet for me. I'd like the result to be big enough to thrower the bed, where we have duck-egg-coloured walls... but, there's no urgency so I'll just see where this project goes. 

The Next Crochet Blanket

The Cornish Sky