FAQ

Q: Are all the items sold on ecobutterfly Vegan?

A: About 99% of all the products sold on ecobutterfly.com are indeed Vegan. The only exceptions are some of the veggie dyed chunky hand spun cotton yarn. Most of the colors come from a plant source except the colors in the red family (They will be noted when listed). The red hue comes from an insect called Cochineal. Even though it is not a natural vegan dye source the insects are not killed or boiled like silk worms are for most conventional silk production. The sun dried insects are gathered from cacti after they have run through their life cycle naturally. If you are a very strict Vegan then this specific dye is probably not for you. Personally, I knit with it and I am considered a very strict vegetarian. I wanted to provide detailed information so that you could make your own informed decision. Just like some Vegans eat and use honey, there are always exceptions to the rules.

Q: Why don't you sell bamboo, corn or soy yarn?

A: When I did the research for the products on my website I decided that certifed organic cotton yarns were the purest eco~friendly choice. Since I wanted to be Vegan friendly, wool wasn't a choice and neither was most silk for the reason mentioned in the first question. I considered hemp and will probably carry it in the future since it is a very "Green" yarn. Even though corn, soy and bamboo are natural & plant based I found out that they must go through chemical processes to evolve into just simple yarn and then again to be conventionally dyed. I agree that it is a better product compared with man made fiber yarns and that is a step in the right direction, BUT it still isn't a very pure substitute. I wanted people to know that if they shop my website they are getting what is truly a natural wonder in the world of knitting and this awesome concept was enough for me to make a hard decision to stick with my very eco~friendly ideas about what ecobutterfly should be all about.