Could NOT be cuter, eh?
I totally want it, but $30 seems a bit steep. But that’s only because it’s priced fairly, and not made by slave labor out of cheap materials. And that’s God’s own truth, kids.
What would our wardrobes look like if we purchased only ethically produced items? Pretty sparse, I’m betting. So I try to counter my sins of complicity with buying directly from artisans when possible. Hence my fondness for SERRV International, Marketplace Handwork of India, and Etsy. What are your favorites?
Etsy is dangerous. I could spend way too much time and money there!
Love,love, love Esty. But I’m a crafter and it’s just so exciting that there’s a place where small crafters like me can sell their products without having to wait for craft show season and give up every weekend- not that I sell there myself, but I like knowing I could!
I agree with paying a fair price. I am making it a point to purchase my stoles from SERRV, Lutheran World Relief. I figure if I have to buy an expensive peice of cloth that is more or less a single-purpose-item, then I would rather support artisians when doing so.
Mango Moon for yarn (recycled sari silk), baskets, little notions, and bags. You can knit your own very cool hippie-kadippy scarf from the silk on big needles, but be aware silk handles with more difficulty than wool. To make recycled sari silk “behave” on the needles and get a functional little bag out of it, knit it together with a strand of fingering or sport weight wool.
Agreed on the pricing issues. For the flower, I think part of the $30 is for the artistic accomplishment and combining of materials. I mostly knit for myself or close family members and friends. Priced out at my hourly rate for my day job (in information technology) no one could afford anything I make. I A nice skein of wool sock yarn (for one pair of crew sock length socks) is about $20. (I confess to being a fiber snob who doesn’t like the feeling of running acrylic plastic through her fingers or wearing it on her feet.) So, that’s before the labor even goes in. The point of making one’s own socks is for the custom fit and the style or color.
An alternative, for those who can make it work, is buying things second-hand. I know this is harder for non-average-sized persons. (I happen to be very average-sized, but am married to a person who is 6’6″ who can’t find ANYTHING in a thrift store.) However, there are truly wonderful things to be found, for very reasonable prices. And since I absolutely can’t afford to buy all ethically made stuff first-hand, I figure it is better to buy re-used stuff second-hand than unethically made stuff first-hand.