The Practice of Fair Trade Knitting

Consumers who care about the world put thoughtful concern into every purchase they make. Whether it is a good that can be recycled, or made from something that will not harm the environment or even the manner in which an item is made, all will be taken into consideration by the enlightened consumer.

Clothing and other items which are mass produced are sometimes manufactured by methods which are considered shamefully abusive to the workers who are employed to produce them. In recent years, fair trade cooperatives have been formed in some parts of the world that suffer from poverty and hunger, in order to provide a fair living wage to women who are skilled in knitting. These women, who are normally isolated from the world, have no other way to earn a living, due to no child care being available. They are employed to hand knit items that are sold all over the world, to consumers who will purchase them not only for their superior quality and beauty, but also because they know they are supporting the very good cause of helping to eradicate world hunger.

A surprisingly long list of items can be hand knitted. Clothing, of course, for just about everything that can be worn on the human body can be knitted by hand, including tops, pants, sweaters, gloves, socks, hats and coats. There are also many children's toys that can be knitted, for example; hand puppets. Handmade Christmas stockings are another popular hand knitted item sold during the holiday season. Household items such as pot holders, table linens and bedding items can also be knitted by hand. Sweaters for dogs and cats are also very popular knitted items.

Designers and manufacturers in all parts of the world will submit their design ideas and sketches to the fair trade cooperative, who will in turn hand knit a sample item, which is then presented to the manufacturer or designer who will inspect it and decide if it is ready to be marketed.

These items end up being sold everywhere in the world. Department stores, boutiques and specialty shops, and online stores advertise the items as being made from a Fair trade cooperative, to attract the buyer who is interested in purchasing fair trade items.