All About Hemp Yarn
Hemp yarn deserves it’s own blog post in my opinion. It’s my first love before linen just because it solved a zero waste problem I was having just before byGoldenberry came to life. I wanted to make myself a zero waste washing up sponge and hemp was the perfect fibre. It ticked all the boxes for me.
So why is hemp yarn so good and what benefits does it have towards the environment?
First and foremost it’s 100% natural. There are no harmful substances or toxins in the hemp yarn that I stock. It is grown and produced in Europe using only water in the production process. By using hemp, there is also no worry about microplastics running down the drain and getting into the water system. This is my main worry about using acrylic yarn. It is so versatile yet when you wash it or even just wear it, it continuously sheds microplastics into the environment. I really worry about how much of it we are breathing in. I still own acrylic jumpers that I have had for years, but I hope that one day I will have a completely natural wardrobe.
Hemp is naturally organic. There are no insects that want to set up home on hemp plants and so there’s no need to spray it with pesticides for it to keep growing healthily.
It is less water intensive. Hemp doesn’t need as much watering as other plants like cotton for example. Also, my suppliers make the extra effort to filter and recycle the water they use for retting and spinning.
It gives back to the environment. Not only does hemp not encourage any damage to the environment but it also helps to protect it. Whilst it grows, it absorbs 4 x more carbon dioxide than trees during its 12-14 week lifecycle. Plus its cultivation regenerates the soil by putting nutrients back in.
Hemp is naturally antibacterial. One of the main reasons I chose hemp yarn was because I wanted to replace my washing up sponge. The fact that it is naturally antibacterial means that the sponges don’t end up smelly or mouldy even without intermittently washing them. I always recommend washing your sponges but in all honesty they don’t really need it.
Washable. As mentioned above, hemp yarn can go into your washing machine to give your items a refresh. I suggest max 30. They may shrink ever so slightly but they will also stretch back out again.
Home compostable. Finally, hemp yarn is fully home compostable. So when you have used your washing up sponge, or whatever else you have made with it, to its last breath, you can simply cut them up and put them into your home compost. This makes me so happy, that there is no waste afterwards and it goes back into the soil, once again giving back to the earth.
Head to the shop to browse the hemp yarns.
