Hello,
I wanted to share my handbag that I crocheted out of recycled telephone wire. It was quite a challenge to prepare as each pair of similarly colored wires were in a plastic sleeve and twisted around each other.
The finished result was very worth it. The perfect fused glass bead is the finishing touch as a button to close the bag.
Enjoy,
Travis Gale Lewis
Two more views.....
I recycle fitted sheets that don't fit or have holes in the corners into knitted bath mats. They are super absorbent, feel great under foot, and wash well. I get a lot of pleasure out of ripping sheets into strips (I hate fitted sheets!)
This is beautiful! Do you have a pattern? What size needles did you use? I LOVE the cables in this, which add so much to the design. How wide do you tear your strips? My husband loves mats out of old sheets.
Hi, I am Tripti from India.
In India women generally wear sari - which is a 5-6 m long cloth which is draped all around in a particular way (often very sexily !) Though I also wear western clothes, my mom insists on wearing saris only. I have taken some of her old saris, cut them into strips of about an inch and used them as yarn to crochet/knit rugs and doormats. The result has been beautiful. These saris are from chiffon and other relatively fine and thin material. Though I have found that cotton ones also were great !
Unfortunately, I have moved too much recently to lay my hand on the sample or the photo. Maybe I will just make another one ! Till then, kudos to this reuse idea....
Tripti Dayal
ChrisA@12:I recycle fitted sheets
I love it. I have a toy-poodle who loves to go do peepee on the bathroom mat. I am not buying anymore. I am making her her own. lol
SewRome
WOW I have tons of silky and fabric scarves that I wore when I was thru chemo treatment. I live in Florida USA, too hot to wear wigs. I didnt know what to do with them until now. I cannot wait to get my book. Thanks to all for great Ideas.
NinaPC@2:what is frogging?
Hi Nina,
"Frogging" means to rip it. When you say "rip it, rip it" it sounds like a frog.
To all those green challenge people, one great thing to do with those old stretched out-of-shape sweaters (especially the sleeves) is to make a small dog or cat sweater. You have to be careful about the steeking for the little legs--just stitch some reinforcing stitches (I use a sewing machine) around the holes and then crochet the little legs on to it. For the body of the old sweater, it makes a great bath mat or a bed for one of those little pets!
I know that some of the crafters around here have crocheted the plastic grocery bags into rugs or matting for under their sleeping bags when camping.
Have an old pair of rubber boots? Plant a flower in them and put them out on your deck.
Many of the wool sweaters can be felted and made into winter insoles for boots.
If you live in a cold winter climate, you can stitch blankets from those sweaters and put them in your car for those long trips to anywhere. Keeps your legs warm.
Green is great, Zoe
How did you cut the strips into even widths? Did you mark the 'fabric' or use a template bar on your scissors? I've been wanting to do this but the cutting seemed tricky....
I liked all the re-purposing everyone is doing. Very creative, indeed. However, if you just have to buy yarn, some brands are starting to offer yarns made from recycled fibers. I'm a frugalista, so I often shop at craft stores rather than pricier yarn stores. Michael's offers a very nice acrylic worsted weight yarn, their private label "Loops and Threads" brand. The yarn is called "Impeccable." It is made from mixed sources -- well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fibers. It is a step in the right direction!
Happy knitting!
You can't just leave it like that!!! How do you do this? Do you use the pop tabs like you would beads? Please post directions or an explanation.
i found some knitting yarn made from recycled plastic bottles and it is unbelievably soft so i made a baby blanket and hat and socks from it. go to walmart its amazingly cheap and it comes in a few colors. knitt on and have fun.
This is wonderful. So clever and useful. Good job.
Bianca Procopio
I have a bunch of old sheets that I want to make the mitered square rug with. I plan to rip them to make the "yarn". I would like to dye them because they aren't the colors I want. They are not all-cotton. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of dye to use that won't be toxic? I think it would be easiest to dye them before making the yarn and knitting. Thanks for any tips you can give.
Hello fellow knitters and crocheters,
I have a bad habit of accidentally shrinking/felting my wool sweaters, so what I do is unravel them and use the yarn for other sweaters or for stuffed animals. A fun way to make old yarn look new again is to dye it (I use Kool-Aid for the bright, inexpensive colors), knit it up, and then throw it into the dryer to felt.
Here's an example of some of the animals I make from such yarn:
This little guy was made from old white-ish wool. I knitted and stuffed him first, and then I literally cooked him in a pot of warm water with Kool-Aid and tea to give him that foxy color. It was fun, almost childish to stir a fox in a pot over the stove.
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