Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Knitting Green

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about ways that knitters incorporate the idea of recycling into their projects. I've found that knitters tend to be environmentally minded, so there are some pretty creative ideas floating around out there. Here are just a few green ideas:

~Support companies that use recycled silk, wool and other fibers in their yarn.

~Visit your favorite thrift store and pick up a few sweaters in colors or fibers you like. Then, unravel the sweaters and use the yarn for another project.

~Take a weekend to whip up a few dish cloths. Reusable clothes cut down on paper waste...plus I've found that hot pink or lemmony yellow makes cleaning more fun!

~Cut fabric scraps into strips and use for a project.

~Here is a super cute pattern using recycled flip flops:
http://mrsl.forumsplace.com:80/urljump.php?url=http://floofle.blogspot.com/2007/04/yay-recycling.html

~Cut grocery bags into strips and knit a reusable tote: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_3059465,00.html

~An empty plastic ice cream tub with a small hole in the lid is a great way to keep yarn balls from rolling around while you're working.

Unfortunately, I can't take any credit for these ideas. Please feel free post any other green tips ya'll know about. Together, we'll save the world one stitch at a time!!

2 comments:

Jane said...

Great tips, Cheryl and I love the shoes!

Karen said...

Old t-shirts can be cut into one-inch strips and knit or crocheted into rugs and bath mats. Much nicer than using them to wash the car, I think!