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Mounds of yarn cover the tables at the wool festival. Nearby, vendors display their wares, showing off unique creations while discussing the quality of their art. One vendor boasts her yarn is "certified organic" and the question soon develops, what makes a yarn organic? One would think that something so natural, so simple as organic would be...simple. But, it isn't. From beginning to end, a lot of planning and preparation goes into insuring a yarn is, and remains, organic.

Isn't all wool yarn organic? According to the guidelines set by the Organic Trade Association most of all naturally based yarns may never qualify as organic. While organic yarns are made of naturally based materials such as wool, cotton, silk, hemp, soybeans and corn, to be considered organic, a lot of thought needs to go into such things as: land management, growing, harvesting, production, spinning, dying and packaging.

The guidelines for organic certification, dating back to 1990, according to the Organic Trade Association's website, www.ota.com, are strict and specific. Not only do farmers and growers need to be concerned with managing their own land, they need to be concerned with how their neighbor is managing his or her land. No herbicides or pesticides of any kind, may be used, or come in contact, with land used for growing plants or raising animals used in organic production. Something so simple as rainwater run-off from an adjoining property or honeybees pollinating nearby apple trees is subject to consideration when looking to certify materials as organic. While growing plants or animals used in yarn production, farmers are not allowed to use parasiticides, (chemicals to kill parasites), antibiotics, vaccinations, non-organic feeds, synthetic hormones (used to promote growth), or pesticides on or near the animals, people or land. Such products may leave lasting residues on or in the material(s) used for yarn and, worst-case scenario, may present a danger to any human that is exposed to these products. Genetic engineering, cloning and irradiation will also disqualify yarn from organic certification.

The oil used in machines that come in contact with the naturally based material(s) is subject to concern. All oil, cleaning agents and /or water used in or on equipment, such as shears, spinning wheels, looms, or combs must be made of a natural organic compound, or may not in any way shape or form come in contact with the yarn based material. The dyes used to color yarn must be metallic-free, made of natural products and leave little or no impact on the environment, including the amount of run-off a dye may experience at the end of the process.

To qualify as "100 % USDA Organic" the yarn must be made with 100% organic materials. To carry the "USDA Organic" seal, the yarn is required to contain at least 95% organic material and, lastly, a yarn made with 70% organic material need only list the organic material within, and what's more, the use of any label is voluntary.

Learn more about this author, Theresa Cobb.
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