there are no alternatives if you want to have the same properties.
it causes your hair to stick together whereas other fibers can separate them.
would you be opposed to buying a wool tam from someone who owns their own sheep and raises them organically and then spools it into yarn?
right but i mean i think if the sheep is shaven gently, and only shaven for purposes of hygiene and not for profit, and they're not freezing their ass off, then the argument would be a little better.
Can't you just use cotton? Cotton is so great. ^_^
cotton is low on the list of electrons..
wool attracts your hair to eachother. its magic. it really just creates static. if you get static from acrylic it's opposite where your hair draws apart.
No offense at all, bro. It's good to want to learn, as long as you're respectful (which you were) I don't mind answering questions.
You pretty much got it right, we don't want to use any products that are made by harming the animals. The thing is wool is, unless you know where it's coming from, you don't know how they got it. Most of the people the shear the sheep don't care much for how they do it, and the sheep does end up being hurt by it (not everyone is like this, though.) Also a most of these products that come from animals seem to be a by-product of animal farming.
An example of this is boar hair bristles for hair brushes. Some say they get them by simply clipping the boar's hairs, but it's hard to believe that someone (at least a big company) would spend the effort of doing this when they could be obtained from slaughtered pigs.
The majority of animal products are a by-product of animal farming. We want animals to lead a natural life, and since we are so developed here in America, we HAVE the choice to not use animal products. We simply want to end the suffering of the animals, or at least lessen it by not using the products ourselves and we should also educate others, and maybe they'll use them less.
Hope this cleared up why we don't use wool. There's so many people that don't seem to care about animals it's hard to believe someone isn't harming them unless you see the process in person, you know what I mean?
And also, once the animal is done being useful, where will it end up?
(Long, and edited to add more things that came from discussing this with my girlfriend. I've only been vegan for a couple of years, I can relate to the ease of these products, but they cause too much harm. We wouldn't want this to happen to us, why let it happen to them?)
Alex Angam said:Can vegans not use wool? I thought it was only animal products that harm or kill the animal. Don't get mad, I'm just curious! Because we all know that sheep get super gnarly and there wool grows right back, kind of like some dogs!
Hi! Not trying to argue with you but I don't think you have all your info correct Jon. As far as wool goes...years ago I am sure it was much different, but these days with the popularity of fiber arts such as kntting and crocheting yarn (especially wool ) is big business. Skeins of pure wool can cost as much as $200! Yes, that is right, $200! I have been to yarn shows and festivals where the yarn is as precious as gold. The sheep that produce this yarn are the manufactures bread and butter and they want that sheep (or rabbit, or alpaca, etc.) to be healthy and well cared for so that they can continue to produce beautiful yarn. On top of that, sheep need to be sheered to keep them healthy and happy. Without sheering, an animal can attract bugs and other problems due to their bulky coat. Sheep are sheered in the warm weather and they are more comfortable with their new haircuts. Sheep can produce yarn their entire lives so what is so wrong with people making beautiful items out of what could be just thrown away in the routine caring of the sheep? It is in no way humane to let an animal become infested with bugs or swelter in the heat and search the wilderness for food when they can be in the shade, feed well and sheered and kept healthy. I think it is unfair to assume that people harm animals across the board. The workers who sheer the sheep can do their job in a matter of minutes and the animal is unharmed.
Howdy.
I think the reason why we're both disagreeing is because we're thinking of completely different scenarios. I can see how the animals kept by someone who uses their yarn for fiber art are going to be kept healthy, but I'm thinking more of cheap, commercially available yarn like what you might find at the nearest department store.
Places like these, I just can't see them working with someone that sells for that kind of price. If you work with fiber art, I can see your yarn being from such a place. If you were someone like me, who doesn't have that much money and would be looking for a cheaper yarn, I don't think I would get something like what you're talking about. The places I would look for this yarn probably sell wool as a by-product of meat. At least, this is how I believe they would do it, I cannot see such stores who would sell these yarns for a couple of bucks spending time, effort and money on keeping an animal healthy and happy, as it should be when they'll most likely send if off to a slaughter house at some point.
My comment was not directed to all who sell/use yarn. You always have to look at the big picture, IMO. I just think big commercial chains that sell cheap wool wouldn't do it as you are describing it. Thank you for the info on fiber art, though. That way it does make sense to me, but I know I don't have the money for something that expensive lol.
Panterra Caraway said:Hi! Not trying to argue with you but I don't think you have all your info correct Jon. As far as wool goes...years ago I am sure it was much different, but these days with the popularity of fiber arts such as kntting and crocheting yarn (especially wool ) is big business. Skeins of pure wool can cost as much as $200! Yes, that is right, $200! I have been to yarn shows and festivals where the yarn is as precious as gold. The sheep that produce this yarn are the manufactures bread and butter and they want that sheep (or rabbit, or alpaca, etc.) to be healthy and well cared for so that they can continue to produce beautiful yarn. On top of that, sheep need to be sheered to keep them healthy and happy. Without sheering, an animal can attract bugs and other problems due to their bulky coat. Sheep are sheered in the warm weather and they are more comfortable with their new haircuts. Sheep can produce yarn their entire lives so what is so wrong with people making beautiful items out of what could be just thrown away in the routine caring of the sheep? It is in no way humane to let an animal become infested with bugs or swelter in the heat and search the wilderness for food when they can be in the shade, feed well and sheered and kept healthy. I think it is unfair to assume that people harm animals across the board. The workers who sheer the sheep can do their job in a matter of minutes and the animal is unharmed.
Not to mention the large amounts of synthetic nitrogen based fertilizers. It takes 1/3 of a pound of those nasty ferts to produce 1 pound of cotton and 1 pound of cotton makes about 1 t-shirt! Researchers have found that the fertilizers used on cotton are the most detrimental to the environment, running off into freshwater habitats and groundwater and causing oxygen-free dead zones in water bodies. The nitrogen oxides formed during the production and use of these fertilizers are also a major part of the agricultural sectors greenhouse gas emissions. All extremely BAD for any living creature animal or Human!
Jon said:
Yes, cotton would work too. The only reason why I was thinking of something other than cotton and other fabrics is that I've been browsing through here and it seems like it could slow down the dreading process? Have you noticed anything with using the cotton?
Desirae Rose said:Can't you just use cotton? Cotton is so great. ^_^
