Put it to a Vote!

I make hats. I make lots of hats. Sometimes I get in hat-land and can't get out (which I have to say I don't always mind!). But I was having trouble thinking of hat to make with my Koi Pond yarn so I asked you. I got some FANTASTIC suggestions that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise! So now there're too many good ideas to choose from and I wanted to put it to a vote. Let you help me decide. I already know which one I like best, but I want to see what your favorite is! PLEASE vote & tell all your friends that they can tell a hooker what to do!

HAPPY HOOKING

Cast your vote by leaving a comment below! Thank you!!

Koi Pond

I had this colorway in my head for a while before I got the money to by some more yarn and try it out! I think it turned out PERFECTLY! I got my inspiration from Japanese-style paintings and dyed it with Kool-Aid just like the green yarn in my previous post. I'm still experimenting with color designs, but I have to get a few things done before I can really get started! What'd you think of my Koi Pond?

Inspiration Mondays: YARN DYEING!

The Monday after the 4th of July is a little sad for me this year because we had so much fun with friends and family that it's a little quiet around here. I'm trying to brighten my mood by thinking about the awesome project I worked on last week when I entered the world of yarn dyeing!

My last post was all about upcycling and in the process of researching for it, I discovered an AMAZING website (Leethal-picture to above is from her site) full of tutorials, including several on dyeing your own yarn. I decided to try my hand at it. Leethal's turuorials center mostly on hoew to dye with Kool-aid and since I'm not dye hard (haha, sorry, couldn't resist) just yet, I thought this would be a easy & inexpensive way to start.

In keeping with the upcycling theme of my project, I knew I couldn't buy the yarn first-hand so I set out to my local Salvation Army-type store called Caring & Sharing. I just found out they had a small selection of donated yarn so I decided to check it out. I had high hopes, but also wasn't expecting a miracle. After all, the yarn I needed had to be wool or another animal fiber and white so that it would take the dye. I dove into the bin (

not really, it was pretty icky) and lo & behold I found it! DK weight, white, wool yarn!! Since there are no price tags I didn't know what to expect when I headed to the checkout I was shocked again when I got the whole ball (I'm still not sure how many yards it is, but it's A LOT!) for FIFTY CENTS!!

I took my yarn and headed to the grocery store to buy my Kool-Aid. I want to make something for my daughter with it, so I let her choose the color and she picked Lemon-Lime.

I couldn't wait. I took my yarn and Kool-Aid home and started right away. First step was to turn some of the yarn into a hank so that each strand of yarn gets dyed. Not having a niddy-noddy made this a little harder, but I put two chairs together and went to town.

I soaked it in hot water to wash it and prepare the yarn for the dye. Kinda looks like spaghetti!

ADD THE DYE & let it soak!

I hung it outside to dry. There are white flecks where the hank was tied. It's my first attempt, what're you going do?

Last thing to do is twist in into a hank and take a beauty shot. I used a lot of yarn so the hank was cumbersome and looks a little 'fat'.

I haven't worked it up into anything yet, but I hope to soon and of course, I'll share my pictures!

So, what'd you think? Looks like fun, huh? I've got to try multiple colors next time!

HAPPY HOOKING!

Inspiration Mondays: REDUCE, REUSE, UPCYCLE!

Happy Monday!! To brighten up the fact that today's the day most of us go back to work I'm giving you another glimpse into what inspires me. Today, it's upcycling! Don't you mean REcycling. Nope, I mean UPcycling. For those of you who know what it means, congratulations on being so hip. But for everyone else, here's a quick look at the newest way to make your life a little more green.

Upcycling, according to Wikipedia, is "the process of converting useless products into new material or products of better quality". So basically, taking things that someone got rid of and making something useful and pretty!

Crafty people of every variety have been using their creative skill to reuse old materials for about a decade, but it just came into the limelight in the last few years. At least, that's when I figure out what everyone was talking about "upcycled this... upcycled that..." Some of the things people upcycle include license plates, vinyl records, typewriter letters, hardback book covers, picture frames, colored glass bottles, crayons, denim, and of course YARN.

Since I'm a hooker (crocheter for you non-yarnies) this upcycle blog is dedicated to people who make pretty yarn from old sweaters, and new clothes from old yarn! ENJOY!

Top of the page: Upcycled Twirly Scrappy Skirt by SnugglePants

HAPPY HOOKING!!

The symbol for upcycling

Autumn Fire - upcycled sweater yarn by BKYarn

Make your own upcycled coffee can cubbies - Leethal

Berries & Cream - upcycled yarn by TwiceShearedSheep

Tutorial on how to make Upcycled Sweater Boots - Instructables

Upcycled T-Shirt Yarn by KinichiGreen

GREAT tutorial on recycling yarn from a sweater - CraftStylish