This interview with local knitter Felicia Gurley will have you ‘skipping’ all the way to the yarn store.

Your Daily Thread interviewed Cal Poly alumni, Felicia Gurley, about her passion for sustainable knitting. Born in Okinawa Japan, Felicia hopes to one day live on a ranch where she can garden, knit, spin, weave, sew, and raise alpacas, goats and sheep. For now, she runs Nordic Mart yarn shop in San Luis Obispo and provides us helpful tips on how to stitch green.

AP: When did you get into knitting? What inspired you to start?

FG: I started knitting in the summer of 2001 when I came home from college. I’ve always loved to create things with my hands and I saw a picture of a sweater with skulls and crossbones on the elbows from Debbie Stoller’s book Stitch and Bitch, and knew that I had to learn to knit.

AP: What project are you currently working on?

FG: I usually have several projects going on at the same time. Right now, I’m working on the Lightweight Pullover by Hannah Fettig, the Traveling Woman shawl by Liz Abinante, Beatnik sweater by Norah Gaughan, and a Drops Design bolero. Also, with the new Harry Potter movie coming out, a bunch of my friends are working on the Dark Mark scarf by Lindsay Henricks. I decided to join along but I am altering the pattern so that I can make an arm warmer instead of a scarf.

AP: What’s the benefit of making your own knits?

FG: Knitting is not always an inexpensive hobby and it definitely takes up time (it’s certainly cheaper and faster to just buy a sweater at the store), but the true reward is knowing that you are wearing something you made yourself. For me, the journey (picking out your yarn and pattern, sitting down and knitting it) is just as important as the destination (the finished object).

AP: How can knitters go green without spending lots of money?

FG: There are several great options for knitters to find materials without spending lots of money. Thrift stores and yard sales are awesome for finding needles and notions (it’s pretty hard to find decent yarn at thrift stores and yard sales though, you usually end up with old acrylic). At thrift stores, you can search through the sweater section to find sweaters that are made of nice natural fibers (wool, cashmere, silk, etc.) and unravel them to repurpose the yarn. Just check inside the sweater to make sure the seams have not been serged. If the seams are serged, you won’t be able to unravel it in a continuous strand. Another great option is thrifted or vintage fabric and even old T-shirts. You can cut fabric into thin strips and basically turn it into yarn.

AP: What helpful resources would you recommend for earth friendly yarns and supplies?

FG: There are several books out right now that focus on earth-friendly yarns and being an eco-conscious knitter.

Knit Green: 20 Projects and Ideas for Sustainability by Joanne Seiff.

Knitting Green: Conversations and Planet Friendly Projects by Ann Budd

AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitcher by Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong

Alt Fiber: 25 Projects for Knitting Green with Bamboo, Soy, Hemp, and More by Shannon Okey

Ravelry is probably one of the best resources a knitter can have. It’s basically an online knitting/crocheting/spinning/weaving (it’s free to join) community and is a great place to get information, talk to other knitters, find patterns and yarn. There are groups that are dedicated to knitting green and finding ways to recycle, upcycle, repurpose, thrift and mend.

AP: For someone interested in knitting this season, what project would you recommend they start with?

FG: First, I would recommend that they join Ravelry if they aren’t already a member.  Then it depends on their skill level. For a beginner, I would recommend hat or cowl projects (these are smaller projects that won’t take as long to finish, plus it’s getting chilly and these will keep you and your loved ones warm). For an intermediate knitter, I would say mittens and socks. For the more skilled knitter, I would say go for a cute cabled sweater or swing coat. Bulky knits are very fashionable this year (which is great since projects made with bulky yarn tend to get finished quicker).

Still ‘yarning’ for more? We’ve found Felicia is a wealth of information and she’d love to hear from you. Email fmgurley@gmail.com and/or visit Nordic Mart in San Luis Obispo.

Images via Felicia Gurley and Flickr user pspress.