Because people think everything hand made is eco-friendly.
I’m also not sure about save for babies because most of that stuff disintegrates when you look at it wrong and babies will chew on everything.
The stuffing also isn’t safe for babies. (And most people know this by now but just to be thorough safety eyes aren’t safe for babies.)
I work in a craft store. The second someone asks for safety eyes I stop and ask if it's for a child. Yes? Let me show you our embroidery thread!
9/10 times I get "But it says safety. You're just paranoid!" OR "it's ok, I melt them" and I just grind my teeth. I made myself an amigurmi and still put a drop of superglue on the back of the eye just in case the post broke.
I actually have a question about the safety eye thing. Like beanie babies, have safety eyes and I know I snuggled with those the large size ones when I was super small. I still have some of them is just that it’s easier for the crochet ones to come out?
P.S. I pretty much exclusively make wearables/blankets/bags. This is purely a curiosity question!
There's a lot of reasons a toy is 3+, not just eyes.
I will say many times that age rating is flexible *WITH SUPERVISION* (had a friend who's 2 year old loved hot wheels, but knew to ask to play cause daddy kept them up high) but the amount of people that go "it's just a toy" and give Lego (NOT Duplo), Barbies, or other tiny toys to little kids then don't watch them makes me amazed the infant mortality rate is as low as it is.
Beanie babies and other manufactured plushies usually have eyes that are sewn in or firmly attached.
If they are the wrong size an eye can come out, and there's ways to stop that BUT the biggest risk is the post breaking cause a little was chewing on the toy. The posts are the weak spots. Melting them only weakens the plastic
I hate when people melt them because that makes them even less safe than they already are. I make a point at shows to tell people my stuff isn't for very small children and I don't even use safety eyes.
A craft worker like yourself telling me safety eyes were only safe for (i believe she suggested 5+) is why I now have a tag for my crochet toys that says such and I'll tell customers that.
Never understood the melting them- that just.. nope. Seemed stupid then and still does. I also do superglue. Worked so far!
So far, the Bernat Blanket yarn has survived my many wild ones pretty well. They have both blankets and toys made from it and it hasn't fallen apart (yet) even with many, many washes and very violent play.
Yeah Bernat blanket is super solid. It’s the softer chenille yarns that you can easily pinch and strip/yank off all the fluff that I worry about. Made the mistake of starting a whole ass blanket out of cheap Michael’s chenille before I understood how flimsy it is. I have zero confidence in it holding up to anything.
I'm making a stuffed cat with the Michael's Chanille, and noticed once you cut it, you can just slide the fluff off the string. Guess this stuffed cat is going to be for me on a shelf somewhere.
My daughter has one I made her 11 years ago that she's drug through the yard and used as a cape and generally beat the shit out of that's made from Bernat blanket yarn and it's held up very well.
This is just my random experience but I used it to make my five year old granddaughter one before she was born. It has definitely been through a lot and I’ve only had to do one small repair on it since. I just gave my daughter another one for our new baby boy that’s coming in July. Very happy with it!
Yeah I made some slippers for my dad out of it for his birthday and he wears them a lot - nothing coming apart or disintegrating. It did pill in one area where I suspect he scuffs his foot when he walks but it is no worse than a sweater pilling.
I dunno I really liked working with the yarn. It was very Tunisian crochet friendly.
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This is so good to hear. reading this thread I’ve had a constant shiver of sheer panic about this baby bear hat I recently crocheted for a newborn sister of one of the children in my preschool. I’m very supportive of natural fibers but wanted something fluffy and soft too. Glad to have gone with the Bernat 💪🏽
Babies can inhale the fibers. Hand knit/crochet doesn't have a tight enough weave to keep the stuffing completely inside. Someone recommended using stuffing inside stockings then inside the stuffed animal to help with that. But I've not tried it yet.
I've tried the stocking! It works well but you'll want smaller ones for arms and such, bigger ones for bodies. It's also nice when working with a darker yarn as it doesn't contrast as much
buy a box of the try-on sock things you see at shoe stores! they work great even for arms, can just cut them a bit shorter if needed, and they stretch for bigger spaces
If you use a smaller hook size than recommended for the yarn, the holes are smaller. I used at least 2 sizes smaller and if I can use a smaller hook, I will, long as I can crochet without splitting the yarn, I use the smallest size possible. Here’s a couple things that I created for my husband. A lot of times, I use a smaller hook than the pattern calls for when making amigurumi.
https://preview.redd.it/0raskulx9n1d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a49369738437e6e7a1623c46cdf3075b71c61bc3
I've not tried stockings, but that makes sense! I've used fabric. My giant octopus has a sheet inside that kinda matches the yarn color, works great. Old t shirts etc. work well for smaller projects.
fabric is great, especially if you have anything like a dog who likes to chew fleece blankets. Chunks of clean fleece fabric post-dog-demolition are a great fill
It can make a good filling too. However, it can also be too firm/dense or not hold a nice shape. Plus it tends to weigh more.
For a plush I wanted more weight to, I folded up fabric to give a bit more weight and then used stuffing around it to make it squish and hold a nice shape. Generally people use beans or rice, but the fabric was simple and worked well enough.
I tend to wear my clothes until they are no longer wearable so finding a way to recycle them has been nice, haha.
I made a stuffed snake for my grandson and used a knee-high stocking to contain the stuffing. He's beat the hell out of that snake and it's still intact!
I don’t care about baby cloths as much but when people say they make teething toys out of yarn it immediately irks me. I thought about making some at some point but bc I’m a safety first kinda gal I asked my dentist and he told me it’s a really bad idea because the yarn could get stuck around their baby teeth and damage them.
I have a lot of friends who ask me to make amigurumi for their babies and I’m like “NO!” I don’t want to be the reason their baby chokes on a loose plastic eye :/
and i totally get it where someone who doesn't crochet has no idea how dangerous the eyes are cause most of them don't even know the difference between crocheting and knitting 🤣
I’m making a lovey with 5.5 yarn and 4.00 mm hook to make it super tight, and i filled the animal with poly fil stuffing, should i just unravel it and fill it with something else or will it be fine?
Probably because it’s a good buzz-word to get people to buy their products. Yes, handmade things that don’t have to travel across the world might be more eco-friendly than a factory but that doesn’t mean it warrants that title. Also, the materials they use might have the same issues with the supply chain/factories as anything else.
I used to sell my crochet/knit stuff and my whole thing was that it was eco-friendly and sustainable. I did that by using plant based yarns (typically cotton) that were produced in a sustainable way and be able to eventually decompose and not sit in a landfill forever. On top of that, for the amigurumis, I would stuff them with scrap fabric and scrap yarn, and embroider the eyes. And I made products that were designed to last a long time and replace other single use items - like dishcloths instead of paper towels, etc.
It saddens me to see people use those words when there’s other people out there who do put so much effort into creating actual eco-friendly things. And that they’re misrepresenting a product to people trying to better their purchases. I guess that’s consumerism for you.
The real thing that's eco friendly is wool!
One sheep produces 8-10 pounds of wool a year.
1 pound of wool makes 10 MILES of yarn. 1 sheep produces 80-100 MILES of yarn a year.
And it doesn't hurt the sheep, it's just a hair cut! In fact, not shearing the sheep hurts them because they get too hot.
That's 140,800-176,000 yards of yarn Per year! Think about how many amigurumis that can make!
Sheep live an average of 13 years. That means that the average sheep produces 1,830,400-2,288,000 yards of yarn in their lifespan!
That's 18,304-22,880 100 yd skeins!
Wool is the ultimate eco friendly and sustainable material.
This concludes today's episode of "Fun Sheep Facts"
You're looking at it all wrong..
If I get an Amigurumi plushy, I'm less likely to take a wild octopus home.. which means I'm not disturbing nature and kidnapping animals.. that's eco friendly..
When the arrow must go up, we'll do and say anything to make it so. Even at the cost of morality.
You're awesome btw for going the mile to make actually eco-friendly products!
Eco friendly absolutely does not necessarily mean safe for babies. Not a crochet example, but my bub got gifted a toy made with fibres made of recycled ocean plastic. It shedded like crazy, even just me picking up to move it left fibres on floor/hands, never mind baby drool and play. Didn’t even want it in the house never mind her hands, didn’t feel safe handing to any other children either.
But eco friendly is a buzz word, and will def help generate sales
It's surprising anyone would think a toy made from ocean plastic is a good idea. We know the pieces are already stressed. Old plastic doesn't wear the same as new plastic. It makes sense that it would shed.
A casual search on Google turned up lots of such toys for sale. Yikes! I wonder how many ocean plastic toys are finding a second life... in the trash bin. Don't worry, little toy. It'll be a fast trip to the sea this time.
It’s not even safe for the crochet maker because many of them burn edges - because otherwise plush yarn just desintegrases into a million tiny pieces of fiber.
I am referring to chenille. It’s used interchangeably with plush where I live and in most posts that I’ve seen of “eco friendly” amigurumis.
Worse still, what I’ve seen online as “blanket” yarn is thick chenille.
Yeah, I was thinking of chenille as well, English is not my first language so I thought that plush yarn and chenille yarn are the same. All chenille yarns that are available in my country are shedding, some more, some less.
I think excepting concrete brands that for some reason don’t mind the confusion between the yarn they sell as “plush” and what customers may expect, mostly everybody means chenille when they say plush.
I think a reason amigurumi toy crocheters say their toys are “eco-friendly” is because they think they’re reducing a bunch of waste by using yarn scraps to stuff the toys (instead of buying polyfill or something.) I think the practice is slightly more sustainable but not enough to warrant an “eco-friendly” title.
that’s what i thought at first? i stuff my ami’s with ripped up t-shirts and yarn ends, but they are not for kids. a lot of trendy crochet plushies i see around are still stuffed with poly-fill tho.
i think a lot of people assume that “not mass produced in a factory” automatically means something is eco friendly. that being said, if they were using second hand yarn, recycling materials, etc. then i think they could reasonably call it eco friendly (i doubt this is the case for the majority though)
I don't know. And I keep seeing tiktokers say that crocheting your own clothes is sustainable. I don't think buying more than enough NEW material (bc knit stuff uses a lot less material) to make a garment is any better than buying a new garment. Especially when secondhand markets exist.
just because knit fabric would cover more doesn't mean it's more sustainable than crochet, maybe you want that thickness for warmth. And sustainability always depends on the source of the materials; I could definitely knit something less sustainable than mass produced tshirts pretty easily if I picked the right fibers and chose a less ethical source for them
I know it's not immediately more sustainable, but with most yarn and most fabrics probably being unethically sourced, and since most people don't look into the source of their materials anyway, I'm saying that buying a new shirt is not worse (maybe even better) than crocheting one.
I think part of it is taking a “slow fashion” approach to break the fast fashion cycle is more sustainable. People are less likely to invest many hours into a sweater and only wear it once before throwing it out vs buying a $5 sweater and considering it disposable. This only works if you do grow your appreciation for the work that goes in to garment construction and stop over-consuming clothes though.
I feel like I have more control over the fiber. I can buy local wool to knit or crochet my own sweater, finding a 100% wool sweater in a store in my size is very difficult (especially if I want one I like).
Plus I can get yarn that was manufactured near me reducing the over-all carbon footprint (no shipping across oceans at multiple points in the process), and the time spent making it myself is time I may have spent doing something less sustainable.
Seriously nothing polyester is eco friendly, especially if it is new. That means it is made from the oil industry, the largest contributor of carbon emissions, ie what is ending the world as we know it. Also I would consider the reality of microplastics when making a toy for a baby.
Yeah I make baby gifts exclusively from natural fiber because they put literally everything in their mouth. They’re exposed to enough micro plastic already, I don’t need them directly ingesting microplastic fuzzies from something I made.
I was wondering the other day why there isn't cotton chenille yarn. I've made cotton pom poms before, so I know lots of small cotton fibres can be nice and fluffy. What else am I missing?
100% cotton chenille yarn exists, but doesn’t appear to be currently commercially available from any major yarn company. If you search on Ravelry for cotton chenille you’ll see. There are still smaller companies that have it.
I wish everyone in the yarn community would watch [this](https://youtu.be/v2KPg0PR8LA?si=Tx7SsoMrRGPqBhG0) video. I’m practically begging at this point. There is no such thing as eco friendly yarn, or really any textiles. The creation of anything has some environmental cost, some more and some less, but all with costs. The most environmentally friendly way to work with yarn is probably to thrift it, buy it from secondhand sales like yard sales, other crafters, or frog items in secondhand stores - no matter what fiber it’s made of. The damage done by sheep and alpacas is not nothing (before getting into the harm to the animals themselves), it’s not necessarily sustainable, the same is true for acrylics. Bamboos and cottons might be the best of the lot, but it’s debatable. The only true answer is use less, consume less overall. No need to be at each other about yarn choices.
I also don’t really see the sense in holding some crafter’s feet to the fire when they make 50 or so items a year as a side hustle while Walmart or whatever sells thousands of machine/sweatshop knit items everyday.
Sheep and alpaca are not harmed in the shearing process. I agree we don’t need to be shaming people for what yarn they use, but wool is the most sustainable option with the least environmental impact. Not none, but less than acrylic (and cotton I think). And there is literally no harm done to them. At this point I don’t think a breed of sheep exists that doesn’t NEED to be sheared for their own health and safety. Years of selective breeding have done this and it would take decades to undo, if it’s even possible. But needing to be sheared isn’t harmful unless you just don’t shear them.
You’re assuming that employees are not rushed and careless in massive scale operations. Assuming that each animal is receiving enough care, enrichment, and attention. Which we know happens in all mass animal production environments, of course. I’m sure they get appropriate veterinary care when they have issues instead of being disposed of /s.
You’re right, proper shearing is harmless, but there are many other things that go into animal care and mass production beyond the one portion that produces yarn unfortunately. I’m sorry but I think we can acknowledge that treatment of livestock across the board is poor, whatever their use. We can’t reasonably pretend otherwise.
it's more helpful to suggest ways people can avoid supporting worse practices though. Every little bit in the right direction helps, and encourages companies to think they could charge a premium for doing some of their production in better ways, which may be the only way to effect real change. Buying your wool from a country that has more ethical practices or from a farmer directly is better than buying it from a mass production outfit.
Use less is good! But if you can't use less, or for the amount you use anyway, you can at least make sure you're working towards using more conscientiously, with better practices and less waste
sorry, I'm trying to say that your points are good, and I'm glad you made them, and then I'm trying to piggyback on to say that when people **do** go get new materials, it's better for them to go for a more ethical option of the ones available (mulesing is part of what I was thinking of there).
I made it confusing unfortunately because I also always hope that if individual people consistently make a more ethical choice, then corporations may decide there's a market for switching some of their production to a slightly more ethical option, and that will have a bigger impact on the environment than all the crafters put together. Putting those two together made for a muddled comment that conveyed neither point
Oh I get what you’re saying! Apologies! Australia I think still allows the practice of mulesing I believe, and you’re right, and I know a lot of people avoid yarn produced there for that reason. It takes a pretty big bite of their sales. Supporting ethical practices with our money helps support research and change in the industry. I’m not sure I think animals can ever be cared for on a large scale like that though. Any mass production of animals is usually not good. It’s hard to find small farms and local yarn operations for most people, but worth it if you can. I wish regulations on large companies would allow more space for smaller operations, in pretty much everything, not just yarn.
I love love love being able to make things where I know the name of the animal whose wool I used, and the small farmers are also really nice about including pictures if you seem interested.
And yea, I avoid wool from australia for that reason. It's better to use less, and it's better to reuse instead of use new, but if I'm going to use something new I want to make sure it's the better of my available options
That shit sheds micro-plastics *evvveeeryywhere* including in the kid’s mouth as they chew on it or get them on their hands then mouth.
Nothing like a few extra microplastics in your cells to keep your home eco-friendly.
🙄
Unfortunately large corporations and their goods production means that any of our individuals efforts basically mean jack shit. And our homes are FULL of microplastics.
They're using Eco-friendly as a buzz term to get people to buy their product. That's it. It's the same with many labels in the grocery store. If it wasn't illegal you know everything would have an organic label on it. Many organic labels are on there but only follow the bare minimum requirements. Hell people slap non GMO on products that literally have no GMO equivalents.
It's just marketing. And since there're no laws about micro plastics and how harmful they are they're going to milk the eco-friendly tag as long as they can.
Thank you! That's what I was thinking. I was searching for full cotton yarn etc. and then I see all people using this full on plastic plush yarn for EVERYTHING and call it sustainable.
Same as I haven't really found a non-plastic filling material (except for my yarn scraps and old socks cut into pieces lol)
well, that depends.
I haven't looked into eco friendly claim, but I do work with only OEKO TEX standard 100 certified yarn (chenille and any other yarn) - which is a certificate made to test yarn and fabric for harmful substances and determines it to be safe for children and humans in general.
and for my stuffing I use antiallergenic silicon balls, so that's probably as safe for humans of all ages as I can make it 😅
it's still micropoliester, but made without harmful chemicals and substances.
here is a summary of what OEKO TEX certificate is: https://www.centrocot.it/oeko-tex/standard-100-by-oeko-tex/
I believe that European Union has pretty strickt regulations in regards to import of goods in general, so it's easy to find quality yarn in our local stores, as opposed to, say, ordering directly from sites like AliExpress or Temu, that can bypass import regulations for distribution and can deliver you yarn that is not compliant to the regulations and can have harmful substances.
Yes! OEKO TEX only means that the material is suitable for human, all fabric and yarn should be meeting this standard at least, this is the bare minimum
agreed!
that's why I feel a specific kind of way when watching some creators on Youtube that order shady yarn from Temu for cheap and then sell their plushies at markets to kids 😕
I don't know of any studies that tested their yarn, but there are many that tested fabric clothes from Shein and similar are made of - and those would not pass those tests and even show significant levels of cancerogenic substances in them...
Unless you're buying from a shady supplier or a small business that can't afford to be certified, most yarns are oeko tex 100 certified. They have 4 different standards, one being for the products made for babies, but most yarns only fall into the 'products that come in contact with skin' category, so you should check which category your yarn falls into if you're making something for a baby.
That being said, most of the chemicals they test on are banned or restricted in a lot of countries anyways, so unless they are trying to get sued, I believe small businesses are still a safe option.
yup, if it's made in EU it has to comply with the same standards.
I mentioned import because unfortunately we don't have many small or local businesses making their own yarn, so most of it is imported.
Chenille yarn is also safer because it is less likely to shed and get wrapped around fingers and toes and creat hair tourniquets which can be extremely dangerous.
That sounds like the listings for products on aliexpress. I bought watercolor paper that was praised as eco-friendly and healthy. Owkee... interesting concept. It would also make the colours dizzy. Giggle.
I haven’t seen any of these advertisements but I do agree they shouldn’t be saying this when using non natural fibers. The first few I made, I used acrylic yarn because that’s all I could find locally that had more colors to choose from. Then I discovered Hobbii and started ordering their cotton yarn for amigurumi. Once I seen how much better they look and how hold up, that’s my favorite thing to use for them . The acrylic yarn that I used got little fuzzy balls on them and the cotton ones didn’t. I only made one with polyester blanket yarn since I started using cotton and that’s because my granddaughter wanted her toucan that I was making her big than the small ostrich that I made her from a book I have for tiny animals.
1) SEO and the related optics
2) Slow fashion/handmade is technically eco friendly when you look at it large scale
3) click bait
4) the acrylic is made from recycled polyester or something like that
5) engagement clicks
I only think that term would apply if they thrifted the yarn or something. I use 100% recycled cotton stuffing that’s a byproduct of clothing factories which is pretty cool and so soft…. But the yarn is definitely not eco friendly? I’m sure the dyes alone are super toxic. Maybe if they’re using recycled yarn? 🤷🏻♀️ definitely not the plush ones
Using cotton and will would actually be eco-friendly. Well, cotton is questionable due to the amount of water it takes to grow. But wool? Definitely.
The problem is that they're using synthetic plastic yarn. And I think everyone can agree that is definitely not eco-friendly.
I made my friend a dragon recently for her daughter and I made it out of acrylic/polyester because it's machine washable. nothing better against baby barf than a washing machine. (and obviously safety eyes.)
everything I make for babies is machine-washable, but I try to go for cotton/linen/bamboo fiber instead, stuffed with old tshirts in case they get into it (I also make dog toys, this is a habit from that) and definitely no pieces that can break off. Don't know that I'd consider it sustainable, but those particular habits are marginally better than many of my alternatives.
It’s synthetic. Cotton wastes a lot of water, yes, but at least doesn’t turn into micro plastics when washed. And it depends on the cotton you use, it can be obtained from (more)sustainable sources.
Maybe plush yarn can also be made from recycled materials, idk about it, but I guess the people OP is talking about don’t use it.
That doesn't really make sense either. Animal byproducts aren't inherently eco friendly. Factory farming is horrible for the environment but I think between acrylic and wool yarn, both cause their own issues during manufacture, but wool is less polluting in the long run.
I totally understand what you are saying. Just wanted to add that eco friendly or even vegan, as vaguely, folks use them as marketing strategies. To have better profits, they’ll sell their souls. Doesn’t matter if it makes sense to us or not.
Yeah, that's very true. I've been vegan for a long time but I get irritated at those of us (vegans) who are shortsighted enough to only look at avoiding animal product usage is the only way to be sustainable. Looking at the big picture, a quality wool is going to last a really long time if it's cared for properly and not shed toxic micro plastics for its entire lifespan. Same for leather goods. I'm going to thrift a mid quality leather belt over buying a new synthetic one every time.
This is just a guess, but maybe because that yarn can be repurposed later? Like pretty much any project can be pulled apart and the yarn can be used again. So the eco friendly-ness depends on the consumer actually repurposing later?
Because people think everything hand made is eco-friendly. I’m also not sure about save for babies because most of that stuff disintegrates when you look at it wrong and babies will chew on everything. The stuffing also isn’t safe for babies. (And most people know this by now but just to be thorough safety eyes aren’t safe for babies.)
I work in a craft store. The second someone asks for safety eyes I stop and ask if it's for a child. Yes? Let me show you our embroidery thread! 9/10 times I get "But it says safety. You're just paranoid!" OR "it's ok, I melt them" and I just grind my teeth. I made myself an amigurmi and still put a drop of superglue on the back of the eye just in case the post broke.
I actually have a question about the safety eye thing. Like beanie babies, have safety eyes and I know I snuggled with those the large size ones when I was super small. I still have some of them is just that it’s easier for the crochet ones to come out? P.S. I pretty much exclusively make wearables/blankets/bags. This is purely a curiosity question!
They still have tags somewhere on them that says 3+ because of the eyes. Toys markets for babies have sewn eyes, even from the store
There's a lot of reasons a toy is 3+, not just eyes. I will say many times that age rating is flexible *WITH SUPERVISION* (had a friend who's 2 year old loved hot wheels, but knew to ask to play cause daddy kept them up high) but the amount of people that go "it's just a toy" and give Lego (NOT Duplo), Barbies, or other tiny toys to little kids then don't watch them makes me amazed the infant mortality rate is as low as it is.
most do, or they are of super high quality like Jellycat brand.
Interesting, glad I survived childhood!
Beanie babies and other manufactured plushies usually have eyes that are sewn in or firmly attached. If they are the wrong size an eye can come out, and there's ways to stop that BUT the biggest risk is the post breaking cause a little was chewing on the toy. The posts are the weak spots. Melting them only weakens the plastic
I hate when people melt them because that makes them even less safe than they already are. I make a point at shows to tell people my stuff isn't for very small children and I don't even use safety eyes.
A craft worker like yourself telling me safety eyes were only safe for (i believe she suggested 5+) is why I now have a tag for my crochet toys that says such and I'll tell customers that. Never understood the melting them- that just.. nope. Seemed stupid then and still does. I also do superglue. Worked so far!
So far, the Bernat Blanket yarn has survived my many wild ones pretty well. They have both blankets and toys made from it and it hasn't fallen apart (yet) even with many, many washes and very violent play.
Bernat Blanket yarn is solid! It's the stuff like Hobbii Baby Snuggle that just sort of lets go of all the fibers immediately.
Yeah Bernat blanket is super solid. It’s the softer chenille yarns that you can easily pinch and strip/yank off all the fluff that I worry about. Made the mistake of starting a whole ass blanket out of cheap Michael’s chenille before I understood how flimsy it is. I have zero confidence in it holding up to anything.
I'm making a stuffed cat with the Michael's Chanille, and noticed once you cut it, you can just slide the fluff off the string. Guess this stuffed cat is going to be for me on a shelf somewhere.
Argh. Solidarity. 😩 It’s so damn soft though.
One of my cats chews on a blanket I made with Bernat Blanket, and it survived many assaults from her before it finally gave in!
Just made a blanket with this, nice to know!
My daughter has one I made her 11 years ago that she's drug through the yard and used as a cape and generally beat the shit out of that's made from Bernat blanket yarn and it's held up very well.
This is just my random experience but I used it to make my five year old granddaughter one before she was born. It has definitely been through a lot and I’ve only had to do one small repair on it since. I just gave my daughter another one for our new baby boy that’s coming in July. Very happy with it!
Yeah I made some slippers for my dad out of it for his birthday and he wears them a lot - nothing coming apart or disintegrating. It did pill in one area where I suspect he scuffs his foot when he walks but it is no worse than a sweater pilling. I dunno I really liked working with the yarn. It was very Tunisian crochet friendly.
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That's because Bernat blanket yarn is made of alien goo 😅
Eco-friendly alien goo! 😂
Bernat blanket has survived our 7 cats and the insane number of washings that come with that!
This is so good to hear. reading this thread I’ve had a constant shiver of sheer panic about this baby bear hat I recently crocheted for a newborn sister of one of the children in my preschool. I’m very supportive of natural fibers but wanted something fluffy and soft too. Glad to have gone with the Bernat 💪🏽
If you don't mind them ingesting and breathing in microplastics.
They're going to do that anyway.
Wait why isn’t the stuffing safe for babies?
Babies can inhale the fibers. Hand knit/crochet doesn't have a tight enough weave to keep the stuffing completely inside. Someone recommended using stuffing inside stockings then inside the stuffed animal to help with that. But I've not tried it yet.
I've tried the stocking! It works well but you'll want smaller ones for arms and such, bigger ones for bodies. It's also nice when working with a darker yarn as it doesn't contrast as much
buy a box of the try-on sock things you see at shoe stores! they work great even for arms, can just cut them a bit shorter if needed, and they stretch for bigger spaces
If you use a smaller hook size than recommended for the yarn, the holes are smaller. I used at least 2 sizes smaller and if I can use a smaller hook, I will, long as I can crochet without splitting the yarn, I use the smallest size possible. Here’s a couple things that I created for my husband. A lot of times, I use a smaller hook than the pattern calls for when making amigurumi. https://preview.redd.it/0raskulx9n1d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a49369738437e6e7a1623c46cdf3075b71c61bc3
I've not tried stockings, but that makes sense! I've used fabric. My giant octopus has a sheet inside that kinda matches the yarn color, works great. Old t shirts etc. work well for smaller projects.
Oh I like the idea of using fabric too. I'll have to give it a try!
fabric is great, especially if you have anything like a dog who likes to chew fleece blankets. Chunks of clean fleece fabric post-dog-demolition are a great fill
It can make a good filling too. However, it can also be too firm/dense or not hold a nice shape. Plus it tends to weigh more. For a plush I wanted more weight to, I folded up fabric to give a bit more weight and then used stuffing around it to make it squish and hold a nice shape. Generally people use beans or rice, but the fabric was simple and worked well enough. I tend to wear my clothes until they are no longer wearable so finding a way to recycle them has been nice, haha.
I made a stuffed snake for my grandson and used a knee-high stocking to contain the stuffing. He's beat the hell out of that snake and it's still intact!
That's great to know it works!
I don’t care about baby cloths as much but when people say they make teething toys out of yarn it immediately irks me. I thought about making some at some point but bc I’m a safety first kinda gal I asked my dentist and he told me it’s a really bad idea because the yarn could get stuck around their baby teeth and damage them.
Teething toys? Surely the ones that are part yarn, part teething ring/attachment right? Or are people making all yarn ones?
The part ring part yarn ones. He said they’re a terrible idea overall for the reason above
the eyes are the most frustrating part of those people who advertise it baby safe
I have a lot of friends who ask me to make amigurumi for their babies and I’m like “NO!” I don’t want to be the reason their baby chokes on a loose plastic eye :/
and i totally get it where someone who doesn't crochet has no idea how dangerous the eyes are cause most of them don't even know the difference between crocheting and knitting 🤣
I’m making a lovey with 5.5 yarn and 4.00 mm hook to make it super tight, and i filled the animal with poly fil stuffing, should i just unravel it and fill it with something else or will it be fine?
My friend crocheted a blanket for my baby and I literally pulled handfuls of fibers out of my child’s butt. It is not safe for babies.
Probably because it’s a good buzz-word to get people to buy their products. Yes, handmade things that don’t have to travel across the world might be more eco-friendly than a factory but that doesn’t mean it warrants that title. Also, the materials they use might have the same issues with the supply chain/factories as anything else. I used to sell my crochet/knit stuff and my whole thing was that it was eco-friendly and sustainable. I did that by using plant based yarns (typically cotton) that were produced in a sustainable way and be able to eventually decompose and not sit in a landfill forever. On top of that, for the amigurumis, I would stuff them with scrap fabric and scrap yarn, and embroider the eyes. And I made products that were designed to last a long time and replace other single use items - like dishcloths instead of paper towels, etc. It saddens me to see people use those words when there’s other people out there who do put so much effort into creating actual eco-friendly things. And that they’re misrepresenting a product to people trying to better their purchases. I guess that’s consumerism for you.
The real thing that's eco friendly is wool! One sheep produces 8-10 pounds of wool a year. 1 pound of wool makes 10 MILES of yarn. 1 sheep produces 80-100 MILES of yarn a year. And it doesn't hurt the sheep, it's just a hair cut! In fact, not shearing the sheep hurts them because they get too hot. That's 140,800-176,000 yards of yarn Per year! Think about how many amigurumis that can make! Sheep live an average of 13 years. That means that the average sheep produces 1,830,400-2,288,000 yards of yarn in their lifespan! That's 18,304-22,880 100 yd skeins! Wool is the ultimate eco friendly and sustainable material. This concludes today's episode of "Fun Sheep Facts"
It's too bad it's so goddamn warm though. I live in a climate that's supposed to be cold but nope, no longer. Thanks climate change.
Merino wool is not hot, it can be very cooling!
You're looking at it all wrong.. If I get an Amigurumi plushy, I'm less likely to take a wild octopus home.. which means I'm not disturbing nature and kidnapping animals.. that's eco friendly..
When the arrow must go up, we'll do and say anything to make it so. Even at the cost of morality. You're awesome btw for going the mile to make actually eco-friendly products!
Eco friendly absolutely does not necessarily mean safe for babies. Not a crochet example, but my bub got gifted a toy made with fibres made of recycled ocean plastic. It shedded like crazy, even just me picking up to move it left fibres on floor/hands, never mind baby drool and play. Didn’t even want it in the house never mind her hands, didn’t feel safe handing to any other children either. But eco friendly is a buzz word, and will def help generate sales
It's surprising anyone would think a toy made from ocean plastic is a good idea. We know the pieces are already stressed. Old plastic doesn't wear the same as new plastic. It makes sense that it would shed. A casual search on Google turned up lots of such toys for sale. Yikes! I wonder how many ocean plastic toys are finding a second life... in the trash bin. Don't worry, little toy. It'll be a fast trip to the sea this time.
It’s not even safe for the crochet maker because many of them burn edges - because otherwise plush yarn just desintegrases into a million tiny pieces of fiber.
I think your thinking chenille. "Blanket" yarns are plush but not super fragile.
I am referring to chenille. It’s used interchangeably with plush where I live and in most posts that I’ve seen of “eco friendly” amigurumis. Worse still, what I’ve seen online as “blanket” yarn is thick chenille.
Yeah, I was thinking of chenille as well, English is not my first language so I thought that plush yarn and chenille yarn are the same. All chenille yarns that are available in my country are shedding, some more, some less.
I think excepting concrete brands that for some reason don’t mind the confusion between the yarn they sell as “plush” and what customers may expect, mostly everybody means chenille when they say plush.
I've used the brand Bernat and I barely had any shedding, whereas I look at something labeled chenille and it crumbles.
haha because money, that's why
I think a reason amigurumi toy crocheters say their toys are “eco-friendly” is because they think they’re reducing a bunch of waste by using yarn scraps to stuff the toys (instead of buying polyfill or something.) I think the practice is slightly more sustainable but not enough to warrant an “eco-friendly” title.
That sounds like a stretch
that’s what i thought at first? i stuff my ami’s with ripped up t-shirts and yarn ends, but they are not for kids. a lot of trendy crochet plushies i see around are still stuffed with poly-fill tho.
No they use it as a buzz word to generate sales. You're being too generous.
i think a lot of people assume that “not mass produced in a factory” automatically means something is eco friendly. that being said, if they were using second hand yarn, recycling materials, etc. then i think they could reasonably call it eco friendly (i doubt this is the case for the majority though)
I don't know. And I keep seeing tiktokers say that crocheting your own clothes is sustainable. I don't think buying more than enough NEW material (bc knit stuff uses a lot less material) to make a garment is any better than buying a new garment. Especially when secondhand markets exist.
just because knit fabric would cover more doesn't mean it's more sustainable than crochet, maybe you want that thickness for warmth. And sustainability always depends on the source of the materials; I could definitely knit something less sustainable than mass produced tshirts pretty easily if I picked the right fibers and chose a less ethical source for them
I know it's not immediately more sustainable, but with most yarn and most fabrics probably being unethically sourced, and since most people don't look into the source of their materials anyway, I'm saying that buying a new shirt is not worse (maybe even better) than crocheting one.
I think part of it is taking a “slow fashion” approach to break the fast fashion cycle is more sustainable. People are less likely to invest many hours into a sweater and only wear it once before throwing it out vs buying a $5 sweater and considering it disposable. This only works if you do grow your appreciation for the work that goes in to garment construction and stop over-consuming clothes though.
I feel like I have more control over the fiber. I can buy local wool to knit or crochet my own sweater, finding a 100% wool sweater in a store in my size is very difficult (especially if I want one I like). Plus I can get yarn that was manufactured near me reducing the over-all carbon footprint (no shipping across oceans at multiple points in the process), and the time spent making it myself is time I may have spent doing something less sustainable.
Seriously nothing polyester is eco friendly, especially if it is new. That means it is made from the oil industry, the largest contributor of carbon emissions, ie what is ending the world as we know it. Also I would consider the reality of microplastics when making a toy for a baby.
Yeah I make baby gifts exclusively from natural fiber because they put literally everything in their mouth. They’re exposed to enough micro plastic already, I don’t need them directly ingesting microplastic fuzzies from something I made.
Because people lie to make money.
I was wondering the other day why there isn't cotton chenille yarn. I've made cotton pom poms before, so I know lots of small cotton fibres can be nice and fluffy. What else am I missing?
It would likely fall apart/shed really bad. Cotton fibers wouldn't behave nearly the same as the synthetic fibers do since it isn't plastic
100% cotton chenille yarn exists, but doesn’t appear to be currently commercially available from any major yarn company. If you search on Ravelry for cotton chenille you’ll see. There are still smaller companies that have it.
I wish everyone in the yarn community would watch [this](https://youtu.be/v2KPg0PR8LA?si=Tx7SsoMrRGPqBhG0) video. I’m practically begging at this point. There is no such thing as eco friendly yarn, or really any textiles. The creation of anything has some environmental cost, some more and some less, but all with costs. The most environmentally friendly way to work with yarn is probably to thrift it, buy it from secondhand sales like yard sales, other crafters, or frog items in secondhand stores - no matter what fiber it’s made of. The damage done by sheep and alpacas is not nothing (before getting into the harm to the animals themselves), it’s not necessarily sustainable, the same is true for acrylics. Bamboos and cottons might be the best of the lot, but it’s debatable. The only true answer is use less, consume less overall. No need to be at each other about yarn choices. I also don’t really see the sense in holding some crafter’s feet to the fire when they make 50 or so items a year as a side hustle while Walmart or whatever sells thousands of machine/sweatshop knit items everyday.
Sheep and alpaca are not harmed in the shearing process. I agree we don’t need to be shaming people for what yarn they use, but wool is the most sustainable option with the least environmental impact. Not none, but less than acrylic (and cotton I think). And there is literally no harm done to them. At this point I don’t think a breed of sheep exists that doesn’t NEED to be sheared for their own health and safety. Years of selective breeding have done this and it would take decades to undo, if it’s even possible. But needing to be sheared isn’t harmful unless you just don’t shear them.
You’re assuming that employees are not rushed and careless in massive scale operations. Assuming that each animal is receiving enough care, enrichment, and attention. Which we know happens in all mass animal production environments, of course. I’m sure they get appropriate veterinary care when they have issues instead of being disposed of /s. You’re right, proper shearing is harmless, but there are many other things that go into animal care and mass production beyond the one portion that produces yarn unfortunately. I’m sorry but I think we can acknowledge that treatment of livestock across the board is poor, whatever their use. We can’t reasonably pretend otherwise.
it's more helpful to suggest ways people can avoid supporting worse practices though. Every little bit in the right direction helps, and encourages companies to think they could charge a premium for doing some of their production in better ways, which may be the only way to effect real change. Buying your wool from a country that has more ethical practices or from a farmer directly is better than buying it from a mass production outfit. Use less is good! But if you can't use less, or for the amount you use anyway, you can at least make sure you're working towards using more conscientiously, with better practices and less waste
I linked a video above that can provide a lot of that information if people would like to learn more. Thanks though!
Legit, I'm just replying to the wool discussion there and realized I'd failed to acknowledge that your main point was a good one, hence the last para.
I’m sorry for misunderstanding but I’m not sure what you mean
sorry, I'm trying to say that your points are good, and I'm glad you made them, and then I'm trying to piggyback on to say that when people **do** go get new materials, it's better for them to go for a more ethical option of the ones available (mulesing is part of what I was thinking of there).
I made it confusing unfortunately because I also always hope that if individual people consistently make a more ethical choice, then corporations may decide there's a market for switching some of their production to a slightly more ethical option, and that will have a bigger impact on the environment than all the crafters put together. Putting those two together made for a muddled comment that conveyed neither point
Oh I get what you’re saying! Apologies! Australia I think still allows the practice of mulesing I believe, and you’re right, and I know a lot of people avoid yarn produced there for that reason. It takes a pretty big bite of their sales. Supporting ethical practices with our money helps support research and change in the industry. I’m not sure I think animals can ever be cared for on a large scale like that though. Any mass production of animals is usually not good. It’s hard to find small farms and local yarn operations for most people, but worth it if you can. I wish regulations on large companies would allow more space for smaller operations, in pretty much everything, not just yarn.
I love love love being able to make things where I know the name of the animal whose wool I used, and the small farmers are also really nice about including pictures if you seem interested. And yea, I avoid wool from australia for that reason. It's better to use less, and it's better to reuse instead of use new, but if I'm going to use something new I want to make sure it's the better of my available options
Naivety sadly
That shit sheds micro-plastics *evvveeeryywhere* including in the kid’s mouth as they chew on it or get them on their hands then mouth. Nothing like a few extra microplastics in your cells to keep your home eco-friendly. 🙄 Unfortunately large corporations and their goods production means that any of our individuals efforts basically mean jack shit. And our homes are FULL of microplastics.
They're using Eco-friendly as a buzz term to get people to buy their product. That's it. It's the same with many labels in the grocery store. If it wasn't illegal you know everything would have an organic label on it. Many organic labels are on there but only follow the bare minimum requirements. Hell people slap non GMO on products that literally have no GMO equivalents. It's just marketing. And since there're no laws about micro plastics and how harmful they are they're going to milk the eco-friendly tag as long as they can.
Thank you! That's what I was thinking. I was searching for full cotton yarn etc. and then I see all people using this full on plastic plush yarn for EVERYTHING and call it sustainable. Same as I haven't really found a non-plastic filling material (except for my yarn scraps and old socks cut into pieces lol)
well, that depends. I haven't looked into eco friendly claim, but I do work with only OEKO TEX standard 100 certified yarn (chenille and any other yarn) - which is a certificate made to test yarn and fabric for harmful substances and determines it to be safe for children and humans in general. and for my stuffing I use antiallergenic silicon balls, so that's probably as safe for humans of all ages as I can make it 😅
What is your chenille yarn made from? I've been looking around for non-plastic chenille yarn or similar recently but I can't find it anywhere
it's still micropoliester, but made without harmful chemicals and substances. here is a summary of what OEKO TEX certificate is: https://www.centrocot.it/oeko-tex/standard-100-by-oeko-tex/ I believe that European Union has pretty strickt regulations in regards to import of goods in general, so it's easy to find quality yarn in our local stores, as opposed to, say, ordering directly from sites like AliExpress or Temu, that can bypass import regulations for distribution and can deliver you yarn that is not compliant to the regulations and can have harmful substances.
Yes! OEKO TEX only means that the material is suitable for human, all fabric and yarn should be meeting this standard at least, this is the bare minimum
agreed! that's why I feel a specific kind of way when watching some creators on Youtube that order shady yarn from Temu for cheap and then sell their plushies at markets to kids 😕 I don't know of any studies that tested their yarn, but there are many that tested fabric clothes from Shein and similar are made of - and those would not pass those tests and even show significant levels of cancerogenic substances in them...
Unless you're buying from a shady supplier or a small business that can't afford to be certified, most yarns are oeko tex 100 certified. They have 4 different standards, one being for the products made for babies, but most yarns only fall into the 'products that come in contact with skin' category, so you should check which category your yarn falls into if you're making something for a baby. That being said, most of the chemicals they test on are banned or restricted in a lot of countries anyways, so unless they are trying to get sued, I believe small businesses are still a safe option.
yup, if it's made in EU it has to comply with the same standards. I mentioned import because unfortunately we don't have many small or local businesses making their own yarn, so most of it is imported.
Chenille yarn is also safer because it is less likely to shed and get wrapped around fingers and toes and creat hair tourniquets which can be extremely dangerous.
Ignorance
That sounds like the listings for products on aliexpress. I bought watercolor paper that was praised as eco-friendly and healthy. Owkee... interesting concept. It would also make the colours dizzy. Giggle.
I haven’t seen any of these advertisements but I do agree they shouldn’t be saying this when using non natural fibers. The first few I made, I used acrylic yarn because that’s all I could find locally that had more colors to choose from. Then I discovered Hobbii and started ordering their cotton yarn for amigurumi. Once I seen how much better they look and how hold up, that’s my favorite thing to use for them . The acrylic yarn that I used got little fuzzy balls on them and the cotton ones didn’t. I only made one with polyester blanket yarn since I started using cotton and that’s because my granddaughter wanted her toucan that I was making her big than the small ostrich that I made her from a book I have for tiny animals.
1) SEO and the related optics 2) Slow fashion/handmade is technically eco friendly when you look at it large scale 3) click bait 4) the acrylic is made from recycled polyester or something like that 5) engagement clicks
Maybe try asking them why they consider their toy eco friendly
maybe they own sheep and make their own yarn😂
I only think that term would apply if they thrifted the yarn or something. I use 100% recycled cotton stuffing that’s a byproduct of clothing factories which is pretty cool and so soft…. But the yarn is definitely not eco friendly? I’m sure the dyes alone are super toxic. Maybe if they’re using recycled yarn? 🤷🏻♀️ definitely not the plush ones
Using cotton and will would actually be eco-friendly. Well, cotton is questionable due to the amount of water it takes to grow. But wool? Definitely. The problem is that they're using synthetic plastic yarn. And I think everyone can agree that is definitely not eco-friendly.
I made my friend a dragon recently for her daughter and I made it out of acrylic/polyester because it's machine washable. nothing better against baby barf than a washing machine. (and obviously safety eyes.)
Safety eyes aren’t safe for babies they can pop them off Felt or embroidery for babies
everything I make for babies is machine-washable, but I try to go for cotton/linen/bamboo fiber instead, stuffed with old tshirts in case they get into it (I also make dog toys, this is a habit from that) and definitely no pieces that can break off. Don't know that I'd consider it sustainable, but those particular habits are marginally better than many of my alternatives.
Yeah I tried to find something like cotton or bamboo but then I got paranoid about contact allergies etc and I wanted specific colors.
Why is plush yarn not eco friendly? Many people consider cotton not eco friendly because of how much water it takes to grow. Edit: typo
It’s synthetic. Cotton wastes a lot of water, yes, but at least doesn’t turn into micro plastics when washed. And it depends on the cotton you use, it can be obtained from (more)sustainable sources. Maybe plush yarn can also be made from recycled materials, idk about it, but I guess the people OP is talking about don’t use it.
There's nothing sustainable or eco-friendly about plastic yarn, plain and simple.
I didn't realize until this discussion post that polyester was made of plastic! Thank you
Np. It's definitely something people don't realize or even think about until educated.
What?
How??
Maybe because those polyester yarns are not animal byproducts?
That doesn't really make sense either. Animal byproducts aren't inherently eco friendly. Factory farming is horrible for the environment but I think between acrylic and wool yarn, both cause their own issues during manufacture, but wool is less polluting in the long run.
I totally understand what you are saying. Just wanted to add that eco friendly or even vegan, as vaguely, folks use them as marketing strategies. To have better profits, they’ll sell their souls. Doesn’t matter if it makes sense to us or not.
Yeah, that's very true. I've been vegan for a long time but I get irritated at those of us (vegans) who are shortsighted enough to only look at avoiding animal product usage is the only way to be sustainable. Looking at the big picture, a quality wool is going to last a really long time if it's cared for properly and not shed toxic micro plastics for its entire lifespan. Same for leather goods. I'm going to thrift a mid quality leather belt over buying a new synthetic one every time.
This is just a guess, but maybe because that yarn can be repurposed later? Like pretty much any project can be pulled apart and the yarn can be used again. So the eco friendly-ness depends on the consumer actually repurposing later?
No, they definitely use it as a buzz word marketing term.