In my search to find a pair of shoes that was neither petroleum based nor made from animal products I decided to try to make a pair:

The slippers are crocheted with twine and yarn from the resource exchange. I’m sure they will be the first of many. We’ve got so many materials at the shop that could be used to make some reclaimed footwear that it will be be hard to stop myself from making a little series. What’s nice about making moccasins, slippers, or shoes is that it takes very little material. It’s a good way to make use of all the fabric scraps, or leather scraps that we have throughout the store. In the case of these slippers, I didn’t have enough yarn to make a sweater but had more than enough for some shoes.  While the slippers may not replace dress shoes, they do accomplish my goal of being vegan and free of petroleum derivatives. Unfortunately too often shoes are made with plastic faux leather that contains BPA, an accumulative toxin that is hugely environmentally harmful. It’s nice to know that once I’ve walked off the soles of these shoes, I can through them in the compost heap.