Environmental Knitting Dilemma

So, I am trying to completely veganise my life.  My diet is almost completely vegan, but I love to knit.  And the most obvious medium is wool.  Which comes from a sheep.  Which is an animal.  And a whole heap of vegans would have to exercise a whole heap of restraint to refrain from skinning me alive.

 I always prefer to use natural yarns (cotton, linen, bamboo, and, yes, wool) over synthetics.  Synthetics are not natural, require a lot of resources for processing, and create pollution.  And while I am happy to use the plant originated yarns on the whole, none are as warm as wool.  And synthetics are bad for the environment.  And besides if sheep aren't shorn their fleece keeps growing and growing...and eventually they can't move, they become fly blown, harbour other pest or bacterial infestations.  Yes they are  bred specifically for excess fleece, and mass farming is not unlike any other farming. but I have been sourcing yarns from local growers and spinners that are hopefully not endorsing cruel practices, and also supporting local economy. 

But there is still the dilemma of sheep being specifically bred for their fleece.  They are not in their natural habitat, and we really have no proof that they are happy bouncy little bundles of fluff munching flower tops and snoozing in the sun.  While the smaller growers do probably provide better conditions, shearers generally don't have a whole lot of compassion for the sheep - not when they are paid by weight rather than by the hour, and well when a bunch of men get together with tools, with their only goal being to have sheared the most sheep and then get tanked at the end of the night...I don't think the sheep are very happy...
And the same goes for goats.  A whole heap of kids are killed just because they don't meet the standards.  Angora rabbits are strapped inhumanely whilst being shorn and are often badly injured.  Other animals used for fur are captured in the wild and killed, just for their fur.


So I guess I will start looking at other alternatives...for the animals sake