By Claudia Ostrop
In recent years veganism has also gained considerable popularity in Germany. Being vegan is no longer considered a “quirk”, but rather a way of life which seeks to protect animals from exploitation and cruelty. More and more people all over the world avoid products of animal origin and still many others are trying to limit their consumption be it food, or everyday items such shoes, cosmetics and even clothing. So that vegan yarns play an important role in our lives today.
Veganes Garn? Darüber möchten wir in diesem Beitrag etwas mehr erzählen!
Vegan zu leben ist schon lange nicht mehr die „Marotte“ einiger weniger. Vielmehr ist das Bedürfnis, Tiere zu schonen und potentielles Tierleid zu verhindern, zum salonfähigen Bedürfnis vieler Menschen quer durch alle Gesellschaftsschichten geworden. Mit dem „vegan“-Label schmückt sich heute eine entsprechend stetig wachsende Zahl von Produkten aus nahezu allen Lebensbereichen.
What Are Vegan Yarns?
Vegan yarns are not really a novelty - vegetable fibres were already used for weaving in the Stone Age and sheep were only used for their meat. It was not until the Bronze age that sheep fur was used to manufacture textiles. However, not all plant fibres used in the past are used in modern times - many are simply too rough on the skin. Fibres such as linen, cotton or ramie have prevailed. As the textile industry continues to advance, new and innovative yarns are produced, such as that made of corn fibre, for example.
This brings us to the crossroad between vegetable and synthetic fiber yarns. Yarns made out of corn, are not spun from the actual fibre. As part of a chemical process, the structure is split and an artificial thread is made from the natural basic material, the pulp. This is comparable to the production of viscose. Other yarns in this segment are made from bamboo, milk, and even cotton or wood.
“Classic” synthetic fibre yarns from chemical production with only chemical raw materials also fall by definition under the vegan category. When, in fact, they should be classified under a subordinate category. But, we will not go into this here. We do need to point out though that all Pascuali yarns are limited to and made from renewable raw materials.
Why Vegan Yarns?
Even people who are not vegan are increasingly thinking about the environment and treating nature and its resources with more respect. This also includes a more humane treatment of animals. Fortunately, more and more people refuse to have a soft scarf or a fluffy hat at the expense of animal suffering. You can be sure that all Pascuali yarns come from the best possible, strictly controlled animal conditions!
There are also a lot of people with sensitive skin for whom wool is too scratchy or too prickly. There are others who simply don't like the feeling of wool or for whom wool is just too warm. And last but not least, there are wool allergy sufferers who have skin reactions such as reddening and irritation when in direct contact with clothing made from sheep, goats, or other animasls. These people simply cannot wear wool clothing.
Pascuali Vegan Yarns
Taking into account all of this, we include a wide range of high quality vegan yarns in our collection. Needless to say that you will NOT find the usual "potholder " cotton yarns you get in every corner, or yarns made from 100 % poly-something. In the vegan category, we offer you very special yarns: five types completely plastic free! Our goal was to create plastic-free vegan yarns which feel like those made of fine wool. This is how our unique creations came about. Following is a brief description of each:
Suave: A GOTS-certified cotton yarn produced according to the best possible environmental and sustainable standards. The cotton for Suave is not spun or twisted. Instead, the loose cotton fibers are blown into a kind of mesh tube that holds them together. The result is a wonderfully light, fluffy, pure cotton that looks like wick yarn and is as soft and light as a cloud.
Re-Jeans: Re-Jeans is made of pure cotton. It is quite unique in that it is a recycled cotton yarn! Recycled cotton out of denim is the basis for re-jeans. The fibres come from the jeans production, where material residues are gradually dissolved and cleaned down to the individual fibres. The fibres are then mixed again and spun into a yarn. The recycling process gives the yarn a beautifully rustic and appealing structure. It is reminiscent of bourette silk.
Mais: Our "maize" yarn has a raw material that is rather unusual for textiles. As the name suggests, this yarn is made from corn fibres. However, no grown fibres are spun here. Instead, new fibres are created in a process similar to the production of viscose. The result is a very soft yarn that is reminiscent of fine wool. It is also absolutely stable and hard-wearing.
(From the assortment)
Cumbria: This is a blend of 60 percent pima cotton and 40 percent bamboo viscose. This wonderfully silky and delicate shiny yarn was named after the former home of the "inventor" of the vegan movement, Donald Watson. We believe Cumbria is just as good or maybe even better than a silk merino blend! It is exceptionally hard wearing and stable.
Nepal: Zu 60 Our Nepal is made up of 60 percent organic cotton, 28 percent linen and 12 percent nettle fibres. I f you think that can't be soft, you need to feel it. This blend makes this yarn easy to handle and soft at the same time. Due to its special twisting, Nepal has a particularly beautiful and natural structure with a delicate sheen. Cooling in summer, warming in winter - a great year-round yarn!
(Coming soon in the second generation)
Have you already knit or crochet with with any of our yarns? Give them a try! You will find lots of inspiring projects and patterns on our website and of course in our Pascuali Collezioni magazine!
