PGHW member Gigi Matthews’ is known for her sustainable fiber resources. PGHW and Gigi Matthew’s have resourced local sustainable choices for our fiber arts projects:

Sustainable Yarn Resources (mostly local)

Wild Hand in Mt. Airy, organic offerings

Weaverhouse in the Bok Building in South Philly also has a wide selection of natural and sustainable yarns.

NJ Fibershed has a listing of yarn produced at local farms in NJ

Chesapeake Fibershed follows the Chesapeake Watershed, encompassing the greater Washington D.C. – Baltimore metropolitan areas and extends through portions of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Silk City Yarns in Carlstadt, NJ has an EcoCotton that can be found by clicking this sentence.

Though not traditionally local, Echoview Fibermill in Weaverville, NC focuses on sustainable fiber.

Tin Can Knits has a beautiful tutorial on how to recycle yarn from a sweater.

Jane Stafford carries Venne yarn made from recycled jeans.

7 Best Hemp Yarn Suppliers in the US (one is Weaverhouse in Philadelphia!)

Lunatic Fringe Yarns now carries a European sourced Hemp yarn.

Support your local farmer

FAIR WEATHER FIBER SHOP 5821 Telegraph Road, Elkton, MD 21921

We have been raising Gotland sheep since 2015. We have over 60 fleeces including raw as well as processed. Our own sheep’s yarn as well as throws all made from 100% Gotland in all shades of gray.
Please contact Nancy Bentley at 302-530-7028 or email
fairweatherfarmfairhill@gmail.com to make an appointment to shop.

Greenbank Mill & Phillips Farm (www.greenbankmill.com) – merino and Leicester Longwool wool and yarn

Painted Sky Alpaca Farm (https://www.paintedskyalpacafarm.com), Earleville, MD – alpaca fiber and yarn; small fiber mill

NJ Breeders of Gotland Sheep https://www.smiling-dog-farm.com/

NJ Breeders of Coopworth Sheep https://www.winterspastfarm.com/

Where to find rare sheep breeds for their fiber https://www.livestockconservancy.org/

Fibershed is a non-profit organization that develops equity-focused regional and land regenerating natural fiber and dye systems.
https://fibershed.org/

Natural Dyeing Resources

Exploring regional mushroom and lichen dye palettes https://www.mycopigments.com/

Natural Dye and Supplies https://maiwa.com/

Here is a list of resources Gigi has given in many of her national talks. This is from a list originally posted on the MAFA (Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association) site.

The Big Picture – How the Fiber industry is contributing to Global Climate warming

https://www.unep.org/
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

Traditional sustainability

https://handwovenmagazine.com/sakiori-rag-weaving/
https://weavearealpeace.org/

New fibers and processes

https://www.cooperhewitt.org/
https://oakandlaureldrygoods.com/
https://www.algaeing.com/
https://www.ananas-anam.com/
https://www.viennatextilelab.at
https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen

Other recommended resources

https://craftsmanship.net/issue/fall-2021/

Sustainability Resources