How to Knit Peace with Yarn from Peace Fleece
Peace Fleece, once a mission to bring together the US and USSR, now knits for peace by weaving the US and Navajo nations through beautiful yarn
Over the past ten years or so, I’ve put a lot more thought about the people behind the products I buy and use. The people who work in the fields and the factories. The people who work in warehouses and the studios. All the people who come together to make products that I love.
I hate the thought that anyone could be exploited so that I can purchase products cheaply. As much as I can, I try to stay away from anything I know is created largely due to people who are desperately underpaid or even enslaved. (It’s a big reason why I haven’t eaten seafood in years.)
So I’ve become enamored of companies and products that try to turn this tide. Yes, there are company-runners with consciences! Many really do want to make the world a better place and give people a chance to create wonderful lives for themselves.
On a non-knitting level, I’ve become particularly fond of four tremendous companies/nonprofit organizations: Bombas, Preemptive Love, The Worthy Co., and Thistle Farms.
And on a knitting level, many of you are well aware of how much I love Darn Good Yarn (and specifically the Darn Good Yarn of the Month Club). I’ve also written about Fairmount Fibers, which hosts Manos Cooperatives.
Today I’d like to reintroduce you to Peace Fleece. Knitting for Charity first featured this company back in 2007. So much has changed in the Peace Fleece story since then, however, that I thought it would be worthwhile to offer a new introduction.
Knitting for Peace: the History of Peace Fleece
The original 2007 Knitting for Charity post linked above will tell you a lot about this company. But in a nutshell, Peace Fleece began when a sheep farmer named Peter Hagerty traveled to what was then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. (As you may know, our modern-day Russia provided the bulk of that country.)
Mr. Hagerty traveled to USSR with a dream of finding another sheep farmer who was willing to let him buy wool to take back to the United States. His mission was as lofty as you can imagine: to begin tentative steps toward peace with this country through trade. (At that time, the USSR and the US were extremely hostile toward one another. Those two countries — if not much of the world — lived in fear that one country or the other would start a nuclear war.)
On the very day that Mr. Hagerty set foot in Moscow for the first time, he met, as he put it, “the only person in the entire country who could sell me Russian wool.” After a brief but intense conversation, the two made a deal. A thriving wool business partnership was born.
That was only the first of a series of partnerships between the Hagertys and other nations. You can learn about some of the other countries and farmers Peace Fleece has worked with in their “Our Story” page.
Peace Fleece’s New Mission, Continuing to Knit for Peace
Today Peace Fleece has expanded from its original mission of peace with Russia. Now they work to support “pastoral communities that have been historically in conflict with the US.” (Quote from their home page)
Currently they work with the Navajo nation to offer fair prices for their wool. Navajo farmers raise Rambouillet sheep, the largest of the fine wool sheep. Peace Fleece blends this wool with their own domestic wool and mohair to produce a soft yet sturdy yarn. For a lovely read about their Navajo wool buy, you can visit the Peace Fleece Ravelry thread here.
You can now find Peace Fleece yarns in 29 states around the United States, as well as in Australia, Canada, and United Kingdom. To see if a yarn shop near you sells Peace Fleece, you can check out their list of stockists.
And if there’s no yarn shop near you that sells Peace Fleece? Great news: you can now purchase online directly from the Peace Fleece website! You can order worsted or DK weights. I find the prices to be extremely reasonable, considering the yardage and the quality of yarn. Plus, the colors are beautiful!
They also sell beautiful balls of fleece batting for spinning! You can purchase these in 8-oz or 1-oz balls.
And if you like straight needles that can double as works of art, do take a look at their exquisite knitting needles selection. Check out their pattern collections, too; these were written specifically for use with Peace Fleece yarns.
Isn’t the whole idea of pursuing peace on earth through blends of yarn just beautiful? Why not check out Peace Fleece and consider picking up some yarn to help bring the world together!