Welcome to Sheepless Knitter, a website dedicated to the abundant goodness of knitting (creativity, productivity, skill sharing, fulfilment, relaxation, therapy, connectedness .. need I say more?)   And Sheepless Knitter also wants to raise awareness ...

So...

If you think that wool is a harmless product because it is taken without killing sheep, please think again.

If you think that sheep are a natural part of the upland landscape of Britain, please think again.

If you think sheep farming is environment friendly, please think again.

If you think there's nothing like wool, YOU ARE RIGHT! 

But there are lots of alternatives which you can use if you wish, so that you and others will hardly be able to tell the difference in your knitting.

More than once I have read the claim “British yarn producers adhere to strict animal welfare and environmental standards” - and part of the purpose of Sheepless is to unravel that myth. I'm not telling knitters not to use wool - that's up to you - but it's better to be realistic about it.

I want to show that even without the 'comfort' of wool and all its rich associations in our cultural history, we can keep our love of colour, texture, homely inspiration and warmth, and all the other things we like about knitting!

Sheepless will be of special interest to vegetarians, vegans, people concerned about the environment and animal welfare, and to those with a wool allergy. My knowledge is mainly of British wool and sheep farming, but many themes are universal. In fact the worst aspects of sheep farming are very likely to be intensified in overseas farms which operate on a mega industrial scale, and which  have different animal transport and slaughter rules. For instance, this is how shearing is done in Australia:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/11/sheep-cruelty-video-sparks-rspca-investigation

Please see the About page to find out more about me and this website.