The last edition of scarf week!

Here's a few scarfs found at Etsy shop, Fisheye. They are all so cool & so different from each other, that I couldn't pick just one!



As scarf week comes to an end do not be sad, for next week is animal week, and there's always sweater Sunday!

Recycled wool scarf week, scarf 4

This scarf is out of Emerald Forest's Etsy shop. I love how the uneven ends look! Simply a cool scarf!

Recycled wool scarf week, scarf 3

This next scarf is a children's scarf that I absolutely adore by Etsy shop, Heartfeltbaby! Did you see the little pom poms at the ends? Cute! If you think that's great, you've seen nothing yet! Go check out her children's sweaters all made with recycled wool... they are fantastic!

Recycled scarf week scarf 2

Our second scarf for recycled wool scarf week is made by etsy shop Recycled Wool Designs. I love this funky scarf! I like how the colors are so different, but all go so well together. Don't forget to check out Recycled Wool Design's shop for more fabulous recycled wool items, like wreaths.

Recycled wool scarf week!

Since there are so many recycled wool projects that are the same item (hats, mittens, purses), but done so very differently, I have decided to show a different item each week. This week is scarf week! I'll kick it off by showing my gorgeous recycle cashmere scarf that was made by Tallulah's Satchels.
You can find her beautiful scarves, purses, & pillows on Artfire and Etsy.

Sweater Sunday!

Some have their football on Sundays, but I have my sweaters! Since I found out that my favorite thrift store has a sale every Sunday, it has become my a-sweaterin' day :) Today was a good one. I spent my usual 4 hours there.... yes, 4 hours. It takes me that long to go through all the aisles. I love it, and today I got some great sweaters. Heck, I get great sweaters every time I go! Here's the haul. It doesn't look like much, but there's at least 50 sweaters in that pile.





A trip is not complete without scoring some cashmere! I got 5 today. The striped one is the first cashmere i've ever seen with stripes, or multiple colors of any kind, so that was a great find. The red one is very thick for a cashmere & has textured squares on it. The other 3 are just great colors, so my cashmere finds were fabulous today :)



I got some fun patterns & stripes too. These 2 were among my favorites.


And now my favorite find.... Drum roll please... a beautiful 100% baby alpaca argyle! It is so soft, so unique (i've never seen a 100% baby alpaca sweater before), and I always love a good argyle, especially in earthy colors like this.

Bloogs blowing by!

"Think of black water. Think up a white sky. Think up a boat. Think of Bloogs blowing by."

My son, 3 years old, loves Dr. Seuss books, and his favorite character of all of them are the bloogs from the book "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think". On any given day you can find him running through a room saying "Bloog, bloog, bloog, bloog, bloog! I'm a bloog blowing by!". He has been sick this past week, so I wanted to make him something special. Last night I made him a Bloog :) The entire bloog is made of cashmere, except the pink hair on top that is lambswool. I even stuffed it with tiny scraps of cashmere that I had left over from prior projects. My son son was thrilled! Guess what book he wanted read to him before his nap? ;)

Ice scraper covers & more!

When I saw this ice scraper cover in HeartOfWool's Etsy shop, I thought "I need one of those!". I think we could all use one of those after the winter we've been having! She also sells a line of cute animals that I want to squeeze called Heartables, and many other cool recycled wool items.

If you are looking for hand dyed yarn or roving, check out her other Etsy shop , Artfire shop, and on her own website, that all go by the name Inspiration Fibers.

Sweaters into... sweaters!

I've seen some discussion lately about the term "upcycled". Some say it's just a new term for recycled, but I like to believe that it means that it went up a notch in it's new life. Under my definition, these sweaters are definitely upcycled! These sweaters started out as plain wool or cashmere turtlenecks and pullovers, but I think they are much happier in their 2nd lives as gorgeous & unique cardigans. As if the cardigan's weren't enough, you can also find recycled wool hats, pins, and hair clips in HereYouGoDesigns's Etsy shop!

Felted sweater purses & more! The Sassy Crafter

I love The Sassy Crafter's stuff! You can find her shop on Etsy here, and her cool blog here. I love that she does not just recycle & reuse sweaters, but just about everything! I am posting a picture of the awesome purse she's got on her shop to be true to my wool blog, but I can't help post her Java (not lava) lamp that she already sold. I am an avid fan of reusing & repurposing, so this lamp appeals to me on SO many levels. Please say you'll make more of them, Sassy!

I need felters feedback, please!

For as many sweaters as I have sold, I am still a novice when it comes to felting. I have made a few things for my family & friends, but have a lot to learn. I know that if I want a tight consistent felt that I can count on Merino, but if I want a nice thick, soft diaper cover that lambswool is great. I also love a good blend with angora because it is soft. I used many blends in my quilts.

Does anyone know if silk is ok in a wool blend? If something were 70% wool & 30% silk would it felt ok? Would it still be able to be lanolized & used as a diaper cover with silk in it?

I want to hear from you now. Tell me your thoughts on wool! Give us your advice! Ask your questions too, and hopefully a felting pro will take us under her (or his!) wing :)

Pincushions or art?

I love these critters from Etsy shop Lucyslockets. Her animals are made from recycled sweaters (some of them from my shop!), and other upcycled materials, and are just so cute that I can't stop browsing her shop. Her animals are so realistic that I half expect them to start running around at any moment! Not only are they cute, but functional. You will always know where your pins are with one of her critters... unless they are off looking for nuts, or nibbling on some grass. I am in awe of her talent, and shocked at her low prices! Each one of these original, hand stitched, eco friendly, adorable, and useful critters is under $20. I'll be ordering one myself!

Cardigan pillows!

ETA: Some have said they cannot see the pictures, and I myself have not seen them on occasion. Try clicking on the square where the picture should be. That seems to work for me when I can't see them :)

Tallulah's Satchels has done it again! I am always amazed at her creativity and talent. These gorgeous pillows are made from upcycled wool cardigan sweaters (all from my shop!). Aren't they beautiful? You can find them in her Etsy shop, but she has an Artfire shop as well.

Easy diaper covers

I decided to try my hand at making some soakers for my son, and I was very pleased at the outcome. Let me start by saying I am not good at sewing things, unless they are square & flat, and I have a hard time using patterns. This was so easy! I used Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker Pattern (newer pattern), and some lambswool sweater scraps I had from another project. My son has sensitive skin, so I made my seams on the outside. I think they look kinda cute that way too :) I added a wool scrap in the "wet zone" for added protection too. I think i'll try a pair of longies next. I imagine I could just add sleeves for the legs instead of the little cuffs.

Moe Bears!

ETA: I made an error... I said mohair, when it was in fact an alpaca sweater. I got the 2 mixed up for a moment. As a side note, the alpaca sweater that made the bear is in my avatar!


There are more bears in ShopMoeMoe's shop , but these aren't just any bears... they are made from Resweater sweaters! I just love seeing the finished products. I was so curious as to what the mohair one would become, and now I know!

Bears, bears, everywheres!

Lol, when I go to ShopMoeMoe's Shop I keep hearing lines from one of my son's books (a vintage 1940's children's book, Bears)... " Bears, bears, bears, bears, bears. On the Stairs. Under chairs. Washing hairs. Giving Stares"... you get the picture ;) I love these cute little guys! From classic teddy to funky little scrappy bears, they are all adorable!

More homemade Christmas goodies!

Ok, ok, this has nothing to do with recycled wool, but it's homemade, and i'm proud of it, so in my blog it goes! For Christmas I gave my friends & family cleaning supplies that I made. I ordered pretty colored glass bottles back in October, printed the labels on my computer, and made little recipe books to go with each kit, so the recipients can make their own refills! They are natural, good for the environment, good for children, and cheaper than commercial products. I have been making, and using, my own cleaning products & love it.
My computer needs to be fixed right now, so I can't access any of my documents at the moment, but found where I posted them on Artfire (good thing I shared!):
"These recipes were all found online, in different forums. Most of the ingredients are natural, better for you, and better for the environment, while being much cheaper than commercial products. Where do you find these wacky ingredients??? The are the places I have found them [these are places local to me & may vary in your area]:
Borax: Ace Hardware, Meijer
Baking Soda: everywhere!
Washing Soda: Meijer (in the laundry detergent aisle)
Glycerin: Meijer, but from my understanding it's in most drug stores
Tea tree oil/ essental oils: health food stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods
Rubbing Alcahol: everywhere!
vinegar: everywhere!
liquid castile soap: health food stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods
castile bar soap: Meijer, health food stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods
Aloe Vera Gel: health food stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, drug stores


~ Homemade Hand Sanitizer ~
Ingredients:
1 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol
2 teaspoons glycerin
6-8 drops eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil
Blend well and store in a clean jar or bottle. Use as you would any store-bought sanitizer.


~ All Purpose Cleaner ~
4 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp Borax
up to 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
3-4 cups hot water
mix vinegar & Borax. Add water. Shake to dissolve Borax. Add the liquid castile soap.



~ Homemade Natural Laundry Detergent, Dry ~
3 cups Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
2 cups Washing Soda
2 cups castile Bar soap, grated (I personally use, & like, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile)
* Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub. *
Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.


~ Homemade Dishwasher Soap ~
One part Washing Soda, one part Borax
*Pour distilled white vinegar into the dispenser for rinse agent.


~ Homemade Foamy Soap Refill ~
one part liquid castile soap, ten parts water
*add desired essential oils for scented (I use 5-10 drops of lavender/tea tree in mine)"

I should add a link for the laundry soap. The recipe I posted is the one I use, but there were 10 recipes for different ones, as well as questions & answers about them:

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

This is a favorite site of mine, because I love to clean with vinegar:
http://www.vinegartips.com/

Another recycled wool quilt

I made my mom a recycled wool quilt, as I mentioned in an earlier post, but I didn't want to post a pic until after she received it. She likes earth tones, so that is what I used. I was happy how it turned out. I made one bad visible mistake, but since my mom likes hearts it was a quick fix with an applique ;) I wanted to get a good picture of it hanging on the line, but I never got a chance, so here it is.