Welcome to the Plant & Fiber Blog: Knit With Plants.

Welcome to the Plant & Fiber Blog: Knit With Plants.

Hello and Welcome to the new Plant & Fiber Blog: Knit With Plants.

I'm beyond excited to be writing to you today. It's been a dream of mine for as long as I've been vegan to create a space like this.

A safe space in which us fiber enthusiasts of all backgrounds can shop, learn, and expand our creative minds together.

A community that allows vegans and non vegans alike to gather peacefully and geek out over our mutual love of the fiber arts.

But before we get any further into the why's behind creating this shop and blog I'd like to first take the time to introduce myself.
 

A Chaotic Introduction.

 A picture of Denine in a black dress sitting in front of a white brick wall
 

Hello, my name is Denine. I'm a nearly 30 year old vegan from the central valley of California. 

I am a vegan for my health, for the planet, and for the animals. I've been following a well planned plant based diet since 2015 and I am THRIVING!

Knitting is a skill that I have been interested in learning since I was a little girl, but YouTube wasn't a thing back then and I had no one to teach me.

In fact, my first experience with attempting to learn to knit was using a kit made by RoseArt (this exact kit!) which contained two shades of rainbow variegated acrylic yarn, a pair of plastic knitting needles, a plastic darning needle, teddy bear stuffing, and a set of paper instructions.

 
RoseArt 2-in-1 fashion knitting kit

Left to my own devices, child me had to read these instructions and teach myself a complex new skill. How to knit.

Needless to say I did not teach myself how to knit with that kit.
Sometime after that I was gifted a crochet hook. I'm not sure whether or not this was also apart of a kids craft kit, but I did somehow learn how to create a crochet chain.
 
Denine as a child wearing a pink track suit trying to hide from the camera.
 
Child me was so proud of what I had accomplished that day that I continued to chain until I had crocheted a chain the length of a jump rope. 
To this day I still don't know how to crochet. I will occasionally learn enough to complete a specific pattern that appeals to me, like these super cute coffee mug coasters, but because I rarely use my crochet skills I loose them.
As for knitting, it wasn't until I graduated from high school and enrolled in my local community college that I revisited the idea of learning how to knit.
I set reasonable expectations for myself. I began slowly and worked my way up. I followed beginner tutorials and fully mastered each technique before moving on to the next. 
Just kidding...

I am a very intense and goal oriented person who regularly jumps into hyper focus mode.
And so, as with all of my other hobbies, knitting quickly became an (un)healthy obsession of mine. 
I stayed up all night for days watching and re-watching knitting tutorials. I ripped back my work hundreds (if not thousands) of times.
I moved from one instructional video to the next in rapid succession, running on fumes and the intoxicating gratification that comes from achieving multiple goals in a short period of time.

I finally decided to slow down after learning to knit basic cables. 
It took me at least two weeks to put my life back together and re-establish my daily routines, but I did it.

And hey I learned how to knit. That's all that matters... right?

I'm obviously joking.

If I could turn back time I would remind 2012 Denine that there is no need to rush because this information isn't going anywhere.
That this is the start of a beautiful new chapter of my life and I should enjoy every moment of it.
Even in those moments when I discovered (all to late) that I'd dropped a stitch, but because I was new to the craft, I didn't know what search terms to use to find help. 

I look back at frustrating moments like that and I smile at just how far I've come.
Today I'm much calmer and happier when I'm knitting. For me knitting is grounding.
When I find myself overanalyzing my day and trying to determine what I should have said or done in one situation or another, knitting allows me to get out of my own head and re-connect with the physical world.

Knitting makes me feel accomplished, talented, successful, and present. I am forever grateful for the immensely positive effect that knitting has had on my mental health and my self-esteem.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
 

Back to Plant & Fiber.

My colorful vegan yarn stash
 

As I mentioned before, I started this website with the intention of creating a fun and unifying place for makers of all backgrounds to connect and engage through their shared love of animal free yarn. That was a mouthful.

But there's a little more to it than that.

As a plant based human who loves to knit with (and hoard) pretty yarn, I wanted to curate a beautiful shop to make yarn hunting easier for other plant based makers.

I'd grown weary of jumping from website to website or scouring Ravelry reviews and blog posts, only to find the one or two vegan yarn options that other retailers were offering at the time.

When it comes to vegan yarn today, pickings aren't as slim as they used to be.
In fact I've begun to see more and more gorgeous plant based hand dyed yarns from brands like Peacock Yarn and Bzy Peach as well as fun and unique yarns made of post consumer materials from brands like Darn Good Yarn.

Yarn choices have and are continuing to improve for plant based makers, eco-conscious fiber artists, and makers living in warmer climates.
But in most cases we're still being forced to choose between yarns made entirely of plastic or abrasive yarns commonly used to make dishcloths. 

My hope for Plant & Fiber is that we will help to further fill in the gap by offering a wider selection of yarn and other fiber art supplies to individuals who choose to knit with plants.

 We work hard everyday here at Plant & Fiber to ensure that this goal becomes a reality, and your support of us helps more than you will ever know. Thank you.
 

What To Expect.

 
 
 

 Keep an eye out for:

  • Knitting Tutorials
  • New Products and Pattern Releases
  • Gift Guides
  • Opinion Pieces
  • Guest Posts
  • and more...

Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when new blog posts go live!
 

Thank You.


Before I go I just wanted to take a moment and once again thank you for supporting my small business. 

I hope you're able to find as much joy through the fiber arts as I have found throughout my knitting journey.

Chat with you later,
Denine C. ❤

P.S. Now that I've shared a bit about myself, I'd like to learn more about you.

If you're comfortable, leave a comment below letting me know who you are, what state or country you're from, what your fiber hobbies are, and what your favorite plant fiber yarns are.
If not then, reach out via the contact form or DM me on Instagram through the main Plant & Fiber account. Let's connect!

 

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