Knitting and Artichokes

Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. I did last weekend at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival. My gut told me not to buy yarn. There were a few reasons for this:

1. My yarn basket overflowith. Happy 2. Computer time has cut into knitting time. Sad 3. Wool-related items were in hot demand, so I purchased: sheepskin slippers, alpaca socks, wool-batted pillows, and a scarf from Peru. Oh, and...artichokes. Yes, you read that right (more below). Satisfied

A funny thing happened on the way to the Sheep and Wool Festival...

I got sidetracked at my local yarn shop - Fabulous Yarns. You may recall, I posted a rare, free pattern of a reverse cabled scarf. Apparently, not only was the scarf scrumptious and warm, it was a hit in the knitting world. That cabled scarf was picked up all over the web: Ravelry, Pinterest, One Pretty Thing, Vogue Knitting, and a few other sites. I purchase the baby alpaca yarn for that scarf at Fabulous Yarns, and when I stopped in before the Festival, the owner asked if she could create a kit using my pattern. I'm thrilled, and will announce when the kit will be available. In the meantime, you can get the pattern here and purchase the yarn online at Fabulous Yarns.

Sustainable Sheep Stuff...

Last year, I wrote about how overwhelming this event was in its pagentry of everything yarn-related. This year, I focused on the many small, less commerical merchants selling their warm, wooly wares. For instance, my friend, Lynn Mordas owns and operates, Dashing Star Farm, a working farm in Millerton, NY. She is a one-woman sheep farmer. Lynn operates her farm in a humane, sustainable manner. Her livestock are free-ranged on rotated pastures, and fed locally grown forages and whole grains. Her gorgeous yarns, wool and sheepskins are naturally processed. I am pleased to say, the wool pillow I purchased from Lynn at the Festival is one of the most comfortable pillows I've ever slept on. Here is a wonderful story about Lynn's farm.

Artichokes...

I believe many people come from far and wide to the Sheep and Wool Festival just for the French Artichokes. They are amazing...festival-food at its finest. Check out the artichokes here at Knitter's Review. It's well worth spending a chunk of your precious time waiting on line and talking to knitters in the know.

Photo Credits: Main image: Colours, Johan Ku via Items by Design Bird, Goat, Juliet R. Harrison Photography, Pillows: Berkshire Food Journal

Please Don't Pollute Our Nests

I love nests. The original logo for Econesting was a nest. My daughter (a graphic designer) and I went back and forth between a nest or a tree logo. At the time, my life was in flux. I had just left my teaching job, and as my youngest left for college, my nest was empty. The nest seemed so fragile and exposed. My daughter guided me towards the strong, solid tree. We both loved the movement of the tree. But, nests and birds fascinate me. I've written widely about the ones that visit my home, and the birdhouses my community created for a fundraiser.

Canary In A Coal Mine

First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coal mine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line Canary in a coal mine ~ Sting

Did you know the refrain from that Police song is the literal interpretation of the expression, “canary in the coal mine" – an old practice used by coal miners? Canaries were sent into coal mines as a warning signal for toxic gases, fumes and other air pollutants. Early mines did not feature ventilation systems, so miners would bring a caged canary into the mine because tiny canaries are especially sensitive to air pollution. If the teeny bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A silent canary signaled immediate evacuation.

Birds are such vulnerable, tiny creatures, so it's no surprise they are highly susceptible to pollutants. Like Thoreau said, "The bluebird carries the sky on his back.”

I recently wrote a Moms Clean Air Force post called, DON’T POLLUTE MY NEST. The piece delves into the fragility of birds in our changing environment.

I can't help but reiterate my strong feelings that if we continue to delay, dismantle, decimate and ditch the Clean Air Act, it's our littlest creatures who will be the next "canaries in a coal mine." Let's not leave our children carrying the weight of the sky on their backs...and in their nests.

Please join me and thousands of parents who are fighting to clean up the air for all the earth’s creatures. Thanks!

Photo: Garden Design

Upcycled Tires: Hot or Not?

I’ve been noticing a recycled tire trend. Combining creativity with eco-friendly intentions to make usable goods, bike tire tires and tubes are being upcycled and popping up in unusual places. Not surprising, since according to Recycle To Cycle:

“In the last five years an estimated 18 million bicycles per year were sold in the United States and as we all know each bike comes with two tires and two inner tubes meaning over 36 million tires and inner tubes per year are being shipped into the United States.”

Tire Tread Sneakers

Do you know about Simple shoes? The company thrives to be 100% sustainable. Their products are created from eco-friendly materials -- recycled paper, hemp, organic cotton, recycled rubber bike inner tubes, rubber tire tread, wool…they even use coconut shells for buttons. From the Simple website:

“HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them. That means finding more sustainable ways of doing business so we can make a gazillion more. Which pretty much is where we are today...at the crossroads of here and now, aware of our responsibility to the planet while trying to pay the bills. The nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.”

simple-sneakers

I’ve been smitten with these Simple sneakers - the ones made from hemp with tire tread soles. I must confess, I quietly admired them on my daughter first. So I copied her. While I am certainly inspired by my daughter’s funky sense of style, I rarely out and out copy her. For instance, she wears the best jeans. But the zippers on her jeans are maybe two inches long. I need about three times that length.

I now have three pairs of these Simple sneakers. First, I purchased a gray pair (I wear them with off-white laces). They are my favorite. These almost perfect sneakers go with everything but white pants, so I needed a white pair. Love the white ones. And now that it’s cooler out, I decided I must have a pair in black leather. When I wear them, my son tells me they look like hipster shoes. But I’ve decided they are the perfect dress sneaker. Plus, they channel my inner hippie. Hot or not?

Bike Inner Tube Jewelry

necklace

Last week, I visited Bananas Gallery, a boutique on Martha’s Vineyard, and noticed necklaces made from recycled bicycle inner tubes similar to the necklace in this photo.

That same son, who now thinks his mother is a hipster, is also a biking enthusiast. He’s replacing inner tubes right and left...so the necklace piqued my interest. I did not purchase this necklace, but it does intrigue me. Hot or not?

Bike Inner Tube Crochet Rug

What? You can crochet bike tubes? Well, I guess so – Michaela from We Upcycle shares how:

“I crocheted this door mat out of old, broken bicycle tubes. After several attempts I found out that it’s the easiest way to use a tent peg. I cut out the valves and then slit the tubes lengthwise. Washing the tubes has to be done thoroughly because the valves are covered in a thick layer of powdered talc from the inside. Then you have to cut the tubes in stripes and either tack (like I did it) or sew them together. The result is a long “thread” which you just crochet and then you’re done.

Does this upcycled trend celebrate eco-design goodness? Hot or not?

Read more about reusing tire tubes here, and check out these DIY Rug ideas.

Rug: We Upcycle

Library Filled With Creative Reuse, Charm and Children

library-before

The Old Market Library in Thailand was built by TYIN a non-profit organization that does humanitarian work through architecture. TYIN is run by five architect students from Norway. This project was financed by more than 60 Norwegian companies, as well as private contributions.

The library, built in a 100 year-old building was once an abandoned and dilapidated space. The roof and walls were in poor condition. Redesigned to encourage community interaction, TYIN used local and reclaimed materials.

Old Market Library By TYIN Tegnestue, Min Buri, Bangkok, Thailan

"For TYIN it is not only the building of a library that is important, but also that the efforts made will affect the bigger scale. Through the use of local, inexpensive materials we have tried to show that this is something the inhabitants of the community can do by their own initiative, using their own resources. The aim of the library project is to strengthen the passion in the neighborhood that eventually can contribute to a positive development in the area."

With many libraries slated to close in the US, maybe we can think outside the box and create similar community libraries. The Old Market Library is now a functional space filled with charm, creative reuse of materials, and children. LOVE...IT!

Photos: TYIN tegnestue via ArchDaily

A Bicycle Built For School

For the first time in 23 years, I have no child attending school. My sadness about this caught me off guard. Believe me, I do not miss those monthly tuition payments, but I do miss how the back-to-school time marks the end of summer and sweet new beginnings. It's the rhythm of parental life.

Melancholy melted away when I saw this school bus over at Inhabitat:

“Attending school everyday has never more eco-friendly and fun! Dutch company De Café Racer developed a pedal-powered school bus that turns going to school into a happy, healthy and cooperative experience. This friendly and bright vehicle can accommodate up to ten kids and an adult driver, and even features a music player to blast all those sweet school bus tunes. The bus also comes equipped with an auxiliary electric motor just in case kids get tired. And if it starts raining, a sailcloth roof can easily be mounted to ensure the kids arrive at school nice and dry.”

Can I just say, I LOVE THIS!

I first uploaded the post onto Econesting’s Facebook page (you all “Like” Econesting’s FB page, right?) and received a comment from FB “Friend” Katja:

“Actually here in the Netherlands there are loads of those things - mostly for adults, there are groupbikes equipped with a bar and fridge, biketrains that you can use in offroad routes trough the woods and more. After all, the distances here are a good deal less then in the USA.”

Hey, do you think we could do this here in the States? I’m game. How cool would it be to grab a few friends and head off-road with that bar and fridge! OK, we could leave the bar and fridge out for the school kids and add helmets. But really, what a fun and ecological idea for areas where climates could accommodate an open-air school bus. Plus, it might wake up a few high schoolers when they hit the pedals at 6 AM.

Credit: Inhabitat via De Cafe Racer