We have a lot of native wool, and it can make good socks although most of it isn't as predictable in thickness as a bigger, more commercial brand. But almost all of it is too itchy to wear against the skin, unfortunately, except the untreated raw stuff that's still full of lanolin. We have less of that just now.
But of course most of the things we buy and wear are composed of parts that have already been needlessly shipped around the world in ways that are out of our control (at least without spending way more money on them). Even many of the native Finnish brands that are still around here now have materials and products imported. And the reverse isn't always an improvement: we have a big problem in Finland with domestically-grown produce done in greenhouses year-round which actually has a greater carbon footprint than the imported alternatives in winter thanks to the energy consumption the small growers used to produce it: we're no Norway so clean energy isn't cheaply and readily available even though it's not impossible, and these suppliers typically aren't scaled big enough to afford being actually green. (They often cost more too, but they still sell very well. The demand for domestic-labeled goods is very high here.) And aside from Finland's domestic supply there is plenty of wool produced in Europe, but we still have boutique LYSs stocking Brooklyn Tweed and US small-batch hand-dyers whose base yarns are spun in Italy🙄.
It is, yes, extremely frustrating.
But there's some pretty good yarns made in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark available, and the big Spanish brand Katia, as well as a pretty good variety of English-made-and-spun varieties such as Blue-Faced Leicester to check out.
no subject
But of course most of the things we buy and wear are composed of parts that have already been needlessly shipped around the world in ways that are out of our control (at least without spending way more money on them). Even many of the native Finnish brands that are still around here now have materials and products imported. And the reverse isn't always an improvement: we have a big problem in Finland with domestically-grown produce done in greenhouses year-round which actually has a greater carbon footprint than the imported alternatives in winter thanks to the energy consumption the small growers used to produce it: we're no Norway so clean energy isn't cheaply and readily available even though it's not impossible, and these suppliers typically aren't scaled big enough to afford being actually green. (They often cost more too, but they still sell very well. The demand for domestic-labeled goods is very high here.) And aside from Finland's domestic supply there is plenty of wool produced in Europe, but we still have boutique LYSs stocking Brooklyn Tweed and US small-batch hand-dyers whose base yarns are spun in Italy🙄.
It is, yes, extremely frustrating.
But there's some pretty good yarns made in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark available, and the big Spanish brand Katia, as well as a pretty good variety of English-made-and-spun varieties such as Blue-Faced Leicester to check out.