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

Inspiration Mondays: LOL

Another Monday and time for more of what inspires me. I've been moving and starting a new job which means I missed the last 2 Mondays. *Sad face* I missed you and I'm so glad the dust is starting to settle and I can start writing more! With moving an entire household comes multiple phone calls to utility companies (stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this..). I spent this morning on the phone with 6 different people from the same utility company trying to transfer, verify, bill, and remove fees. Needless to say, it hasn't been fun. So I decided to dedicate this Inspiration Monday post to the funny and weird things that people do with yarn. I'm a nerd at heart and live for the chance to laugh at myself (and other people, of course!) so I scoured the net finding yarny things for a much needed Monday LAUGH! Please to enjoy! :)

"A Horrific Yarn" by Bent Objects

HAHAHA, we knitters & crocheters are a dangerous lot!

Nathan Vincent - LionBrand Yarn Artist

Funny, but impressive!!

Too Legit to Knit - CafePress.com

HELL YEAH!

Knit Sushi by Needle Noodle

I like it, despite the fact that it's knit, not crochet ;)

Hooker Leggings - What Not to Crochet

heeheehee, hooker (double meaning alert)

"Boyfriend Pants" - The Boyfriend Confessions

Yowzah! I can hear the cat-calls now!

(The sheep keychain at the top of the page is from Zazzle)

Inspiration Mondays: HOOKS

It's Monday again (no way to avoid it) and time for another sneak peek into what inspires a hooker (me!). I had to follow last week's yarn porn with the thing that none of us could call ourselves hookers without: the hook of course. When I started crocheting I bought the standard, cheap aluminum hook set that is sold at every Walmart and Hobby Lobby. I thought they worked just fine and never imagined spending more on those fancy hooks. Until I used one. My sister-in-law taught me how to crochet and one day when everyone was together, I needed to borrow a hook, so she let me use herClover bamboo. OMG, how could I have EVER go back to cold, aluminum hooks. If you've never tried anything but your rainbow colored aluminum friends, I HIGHLY suggest it. Recently I lost my I bamboo hook, the one I use for almost EVERYTHING, and I was not a happy camper. I suspect my kids were playing with it and hid it under the bed or in the toy box, or any number of other random places. Anyway, back to the point, I ran out to get a new one IMMEDIATELY so I wouldn't have to use my aluminum stand-by!

I can't help myself around a good hook, so here are my favs (plus one hook holder by MadBird)

Inspiration Mondays: YARN PORN

You know what Mondays are - the day most people have to return to the rat race - so I decided to brighten up the drudge with a new blog series on what inspires me. Every Monday I'll let you into my funny little world and show you why I am a hooker. ;)

I wanted to kick things off with what started it all. But the question is, the yarn or the hook? I say the yarn. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I get all tingly when I walk into a good yarn store and see the rows of color. The brighter, the better as far as I'm concerned. When I look at a skein I try to picture what I could turn it in to and I usually get some of my better ideas and designs when I start with the yarn. In fact, I love yarn so much that I dream of starting my own yarn store where I can sell all the wool, acrylic, silk, and alpaca that inspires me.

So here it is, for your viewing pleasure - some of my favorite yarn porn.