Knit Against Global Warming

Ok, that seems a little over the top. But I think there is merit in the basic idea. Brenda Dane, on her very cool podcast Cast-on ends by reminding her listeners, "If you're cold, put on a sweater--that's what they're for." Makes sense, doesn't it? And if more people wore sweaters to ward off a chill in their homes, as President Carter recommended many years ago, we could save heating oil, gas, electricity or whatever else we are using to keep warm. Wool socks, fingerless mitts, sweaters worn around the house would provide cozy warmth without the need to burn fossil fuels.

In addition, if we insist on knitting with wool, we wil not be using fibers created out of a petroleum base. So there too, we might be doing our small part to cut down on oil consumption.

And wool is, or at least can be, a very sustainable domestically-produced product. Groups like the Green Mountain Spinnery and many small suppliers of fleece and hand-spun and hand-dyed products provide jobs that are often home-based and thus further save on the consumption of fuel.

We also are doing our small part to respond to the Walmartization of America, which is based on the premise that cheaper is always better and that it doesn't matter where the products you buy come from or how they are produced as long as the prices are "always low." The aesthetic choice of wanting something unique and designed for our own taste rather than the lowest common denominator of what the country as a whole will buy may not help prevent global warming, but the willingness to work with our own hands to produce something of real worth is important.

So knit on!