Where is your fiber shed?

Just to get the cerebral juices flowing - where do your clothes come from? If you make your own - where does the fiber come from? Do you even know? Those who are closer to the process are more aware, of course, and perhaps you have glanced at that tag sewn into your ready-made clothes out of curiosity or ethics about how far that material has travelled. Are there any fiber mills near you? Do you know how to spin? Do you know how fabric is made? Anyone here wear only leather clothing? While technically not a fiber, it had to have been sourced and tanned somewhere.

As you can tell from this - http://www.fibershed.com/ - someone has done some thinking about it.

Thanks for this forum, Burra

Most of my fiber comes from the second hand store called "my sisters wardrobe". Same goes for my kids (only it is customs and friends). I decided long ago that buying organic clothes were far too expensive if I wanted to be a SAHM, so second hand it is. Most of it is prob, not sustainably grown (kids gets loads of second hand organic clothes though - many of our friends buy the most gorgeous Danish designer clothes for their kids and most of it is organic cotton).

The wool I use for knitting g however is mostly organic or at least sourced from sustainable production, mostly in Europe. If I spend a year knitting a sweater for myself and expect to wear it for years - the extra €20-30 isn't a lot to pay extra.

And I don't spin - can hardly get all the things done that I'd like to knit or see, can't see myself get another hobby like that (gave away a lomo last year fortsat same reason).

Dawn -
I do believe the merino sheep breed was developed in Spain. No farms there? I hear you about spinning! I have not yet learned to spin myself, it's on my list. I love to knit and crochet. You are fortunate to have those friends. I believe second hand clothes are absolutely the way to go, especially with children who outgrow them before they wear out.

Yes merinos come from Spain originally - but it is hard to find a proper wool shop here! I know one has opened in Malaga, but prior to that it would only be in Madrid or Barcelona. The knitting shops here mainly sell acrylics or if they sell wool it is always super-wash.

Our neighbor have a few sheep - but I don't know what kind they are. And there are a few shepherds down in the village. I've seen one mill on the way from Malaga to Antequera - but we'd gotten lost so I don't know if I can find again

In Denmark I know two organic farmers who raise wool sheep (one merino the other has blue face leister as well as... Mohair goats).

I am dreaming of raising our own sheep some day (maybe soon). But no spinning I think - I'd rather learn to be really good at dying and felting.

I didn't mean to imply that merinos are a preferred breed. They are hybridized to produce a lot of high quality wool and thus need a lot of inputs. I am amazed that they aren't more easily found in Spain. Sign of the times? Dying is a sought after skill and felting can produce some wonderful items!

I am a weaver and know how to spin and grow and dye with natural dyes....I buy all of my clothes at thrift stores though. When I was weaving full time I used mostly recycled clothing for weft and organically grown hemp and cotton for warp....the hemp, of course. was not grown here and the organic cotton was sometimes grown in Arizona but the cotton mills eventually moved overseas...lots of miles even for organic clothing. My best choice, I believe is to buy used. I can't even make myself buy new clothing...I do draw the line at underwear, though and I think I will try to find at least American made.
Even buying used, I try to avoid synthetics. I did buy some new shoes this year...New Balance, I like them and I thought they were still made in the country...turns out there is some tricky wording to that and I think the bits and pieces are still sent out of the country to be put together into a shoe. It isn't so simple, is it?

Well I prefer merino over most other types of wool

I dont think the knitting trend has travlhed Andalucia yet. It is comming though - the new Tarm shop in Malaga is a definite sign, but otherwise it has been reserved to old ladies knitting baby outfits.