After being very naughty and posting the Bad Santa gift list, I thought I would offer this as an antidote:
1. For the green knitter: Organic yarn, of course. From Tierra Wools, organic, naturally dyed Rambouillet; O-Wool from Vermont Organic Fiber Co.; Vermont Organic or Maine Organic from Green Mountain Spinnery; Organic Cotton from Blue Sky Alpacas or Ekoknit; Organic Alpaca from Kusikuy; Susan Todd’s fabulous (did I say fabulous), fabulous recycled sweater bags; Hope Spinnery’s “wind-spun” yarn; recycled sari yarns from the Wool Peddler; sustainably harvested Surina wood crochet hooks finished without nasty chemicals.
2. For the socially conscious knitter: Anything from Lantern Moon—Nake-id Knits is mad for the Destiny Circular Needles; and a skein or two of Magic Ball by Be Sweet Yarns, which supports women’s empowerment groups in South Africa; how about a gift certificate for Frog Tree Yarns, the alpaca is produced by a nonprofit coop in Bolivia? And you can't go wrong with Peace Fleece--the 2007 Russian Orphan Calendar helps support Russian children in need.
3. For the indie knitter: Anything from Etsy. See Lime and Violet’s comprehensive list.
4. For the vegan knitter: Banana silk yarn! Bulky Bamboo Feather from Southwest Trading Company or a gorgeous pattern for hemp yarn from Lana. Nake-id Knits likes the cool hemp ponchette.
5. For the charity-minded knitter—A donation to Heifer International in his or her name. Do it through Wendy, she’s amassing quite the total!
Plus a hearty thank you for all of you who contribute to charity knitting project such as Dulaan, Afghans for Afghans and Knitting for Orphans. You guys rock the world!