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

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

DIY: Mason Jar Wall Planter

I love the cool, crisp mornings we've just begun to experience here in the Northeast. Fall is in the air and that puts me in the nesting mood to create craft projects to warm up my home. This in-between season leaves me savoring the last greens of summer before the oranges and browns take over the foliage. I love this Mason Jar Wall Planter that CRAFT posted from Not Just a Housewife. It creates a wall of bursting green plants. It’s simple, sturdy and great for hanging vine plants and bringing in a few herbs and spices from the kitchen garden before the first frost (gasp).

Do you know about CRAFT? Their goal is to unite, inspire, inform, and entertain a community of highly imaginative and resourceful people who undertake amazing crafting projects. I look forward to their updates in my inbox each morning. The quirkiness and the diverse array of projects from all over the web makes CRAFT a worthy daily read.

In the mood for more fall DIY? Check out these 3 Fabulous DIY Fall Projects For The Home and 5 Fall Plants To Plant and 5 (more) Fall Projects To Make.

3 DIY Eco-Friendly Hand Soaps

I could not let my recent rant about what kids are being asked to bring to school whiz by without offering up a few alternatives. Don't you just hate people who complain about the state of things without giving any suggestions? In my book, that just makes them part of the problem. For someone who cares about our environment like I do, if I didn't provide a suitable option to make things better - it's just…well, ranting.

So, I’m going after the biggest defender of evil on that back-to-school list which included: zip-lock bags, toilet paper, garbage bags, cotton balls, anti-bacterial soap, detergent, paper plates, paper towels and tissues.

ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAP tops the list for eco-unfriendliness.

Why? Because it is unhealthy.

Check out my recent post about how nasty the main ingredient in anti-bacterial soap is. Studies show triclosan alters hormone regulation in laboratory animals, and can cause antibiotic resistance, along with an increase of allergies. The F.D.A. says soap with triclosan is not any more effective than ordinary soap. So, why the hell are we asking kids to bring it to school???

Consider these 3 DIY Eco-Friendly Hand Soap alternatives:

1. Here’s a tutorial for ditching the Dial Complete (bad, bad soap with triclosan) and making your own eco-friendly Liquid Hand Soap.

2. Each year I buy handmade felted soaps at the Wool and Sheep Festival. They are a true luxury. Here are directions to make Felted Soap. I’m going to try!

3. What could be better than shea butter soap? Not much. Here’s the how to’s for making your own Shea Butter Soap.

I believe we can change our future, teach our children well, and protect our precious planet if we continue to think and act creatively…and collectively. Let’s not muck it up.

Credit: Craft

DIY Magazine Stool

Someone in my house hoards magazines. When she left for college a few years ago, I found magazines in every nook and cranny of her room. Oops, just outted her...Hope you are OK with that, Sweetie?

Since the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree in my nest, I will take total responsibility for the magazine-stockpiling gene. I’ll also foot the blame for being the enabler – I did not punish her when she stole my Vogues... Sorry hon!

Can you tell the parental guilt is just killing me?

Anyway, when I stumble across an ingeniously designed product that screams out DIY PROJECT, I just have to share. This is another one of those easy inspired ideas, like the felted sleeve cozy. This stool may even help you make less trips to the recycling center!

DIY Magazine Stool

You'll need two extra-large leather straps or belts. They should be adjustable to make it easy to sneak a few mags into your collection. Scrap wood for the base and a magazine-sized cushion. That's it.

Don’t want to make one? Then you can fork over the $185 here.

Credit: via SwissMiss