Julie Himmelwright
Nothing softens the chill of cold weather like wrapping up in a warm, wooly scarf. This season’s best eco picks are cleverly embellished with flora-inspired prints, natural buttons and exquisite lacy detail. Organic cotton is a choice material as well as ultra-soft light weight organic alpaca.
1. Alena Hennessy
Organic cotton adorned with queen anne’s lace using earth friendly ink, $34 at www.alenahennessy.com
2. Burning Torch: Decadent yet responsible, swaths of 100% recycled cashmere are pieced together to create a cascading work of art. $328 www.burningtorchboutique.com
3. Rock-a-bye bebe
Handknit to order in sage colored 100% organic cotton, fastened with distinctive wooden buttons, $35
www.rockabyebebe.etsy.com
Consider selecting a made-to-order piece from the charming and unique offerings on www.etsy.com. With over 31,000 listings for “organic”, this is a treasure trove of handmade and vintage pieces from individual crafters.
If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit, perhaps this is the year. Handmade gifts are especially attractive now, as our focus turns toward enjoying the simpler things in life. As an added benefit, the gentle, repetitive act of knitting rows can have a meditative effect for you as well. Look for organic yarn colored with natural and environmentally friendly dyes and sustainable bamboo needles. You’ll find everyone’s favorite color at www.yarn.com, and plenty of support online to help you get started. www.learntoknit.com offers comprehensive illustrated instructions for beginners. If you need to produce a few practice squares first, don’t fret! http://www.warmupamerica.com collects these and sews them together to create blankets for people in need.
Above photos (in order) courtesy of Alena Hennessy , Burning Torch, and Rock-a-bye bebe.
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