I present my first recycled soda pop tab bracelet. I crocheted these two bracelets using some lightweight yarn that I received in a swap. The yarn was a bit thin so I doubled it up to crochet these bracelets.
Here is the link for the original soda tab crochet pattern that my bracelets were based upon. My friend Kristy created a video which was really helpful for me to understand how to assemble the bracelet using the recycled soda pop tabs. You can view Kristy’s video tutorial below.
I used 12 tabs on one bracelet and 13 on the next one to make it a bit larger. I also added a leaf to the one stitch on the top bracelet. The original pattern calls for 12-14 tabs. Just check the fit of your bracelet as outlined in the video for the correct number needed for your project. […]
Recycling egg cartons into fire starters is easy and a very frugal way to start your fire. Whether you are starting a fire in a wood stove or campfire, fire starters are always a handy thing to have on hand. I love making my own fire starters from recycled materials I have on hand.
I use old egg cartons for my base and then add bits of burnable materials such wood shaving from a chain saw, pencil sharpener, or a miter saw. I put some wood shavings in the bottom of the egg carton holes and then added bits of cut up cardboard and scraps of cut up yarn. The added scraps of materials make your fire starters easier to light and help the burning process to produce a great fire starter.
Next I melted leftover wax from an old candle in the glass container it came in. I placed the glass jar in some water in a sauce pan. Over gentle heat, warm the wax until it melts. I added more bits of old wax to the jar as needed to cover the materials in my egg cartons. I used an old spoon to dribble the wax over each fire starter in the egg carton.
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I added some lint from my dryer in one egg carton set as shown above. Dryer lint burns well and is a wonderful material to use for making fire starters.
I dribbled more wax over my fire starters and here is the final results. Now just separate the individual filled egg holders from each other which results in 12 very wonderful fire starters.
Closeup of the finished fire starters made from recycled materials.[…]
A few weeks ago I shared my crocheted oven mitt project that I made from a recycled cotton bed sheet. At that time I hadn’t been able to line the oven mitt but I just got the lining done and wanted to present the photo tutorial.
Here is my finished product with the lining sewn inside the t-yarn oven mitt. This lining project would work for any crocheted or knitted oven mitt.
The first step in this lining project is to lay out and cut your lining fabric and heat protection material. I used some scrap fabric that I had on hand along with a piece of Insul-Bright insulation material. Insul-Bright is an inexpensive material that provides heat protection and is designed for use in oven mitt and potholder projects. You just need enough fabric to cut out two oven mitt shapes and one shape from the insulation material. You need to cut out two thumbs from the printed lining fabric and the insulation material.
Next step is to[…]
This tutorial shows how you can recycle plastic newspaper bags into plastic bag yarn or plarn. Converting these narrow plastic bag sleeves into yarn is very similar to cutting retail bags to make plastic bag yarn. I have create a picture tutorial outlining the steps below. This method can be used for any narrow plastic bags like newspaper sleeves, English muffin bags, packing pillows and any other skinny plastic bags. The result is short plastic loops that can be joined into one long continuous strip for crocheting, knitting, or weaving.
First step is to take the newspaper bag which measures 7-1/2″ wide x 21″ long and flatten it out.
Click on any photo to supersize
Step 2 is to fold it in half lengthwise.
Step 3 is to fold it once more lengthwise. Now you are ready for the cutting stage.
Step 4 you cut strips 1 inch wide across the short length of the bag. This creates 1 inch wide loops of plastic.
Step 5 is closeup of the 1 inch wide plarn loops. Because the end is sealed off, cut a very thin strip at the end of bag to open up the last loop.
Step 6 shows how you interconnect the loops and then pull the knot tight.
If you cut the strips about 1 inch wide, it will result in about 19 loops per newspaper bag. Once joined together, this nets about 3-3/4 yards of plastic bag yarn per newspaper bag. Continue to add loops to your chain of plarn rings to make your recycled plastic bag yarn for whatever crafting project you may have in mind.[…]
As you may know, many of my crochet patterns are worked in the round and without joining. This has become a very popular and handy way to make crocheted bags and rugs so you do not need to count rows or use stitch markers. I have had several people contact me asking for clarification on how to work in the round. So I taken a few pictures and created this picture tutorial which hopefully new crocheters and other crafters who are not familiar with this process can benefit from my tutorial.
I have chosen one of my favorite patterns and will illustrate how to work plastic bag yarn or plarn in the round. Here is my signature recycled bag purse pattern which is crocheted in the round.
The first step is to chain 26 for this particular pattern.
Hdc in 2nd chain from hook and in each stitch down to the end.[…]
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