This post sums up many of the thoughts I’ve had about sourcing my yarn. Is local necessarily better? I still think it is, for the most part, but I can’t ignore the environmental savings that may come with increased efficiency.
Fiber artists and crafters vary greatly on the topic of LYS (local yarn store) vs. IYS (internet yarn store). This is a rather tangled subject and gets more so when one factors in carbon footprints. Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of greenhouse gases, such as like carbon dioxide (CO2), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. For instance, riding a bike to the store has a lower carbon footprint than driving there in your car. (Pic source: CAMEL Climate Change Education)
How can we compare LYS or ILY shopping?
LYS sales are affected (some would say adversely) by both the availability of online purchasing AND the growth of box craft retailers such as (in the U.S.) Michael’s and Jo-Ann. Big box retailers are often accused with putting independent businesses out of business. Yet we should recognize that fiber arts and…
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All She Wants To Do Is Knit 
I enjoyed that piece and commented on the original article. Thanks for reblogging it!
Great article Caity!
I’m going to have to go over there and read that…I always struggle with buying local or on the internet. Local hurts my pockets more, though I like supporting the LYS here. It’s the only devoted one we have that I know of in DE and I’d hate for it to ever close up. But, ordering online tends to be easier on my pockets (and therefore my family’s budget overall). So funny that it helps the environment a smidge more too. It’s such a twisted system.