Make It Mondays! Scrappy Scarf Tutorial

From this......

...to this........

in a few simple hours!

Use your small (even teensy) recycled lambswool, angora, alpaca, mohair and cashmere soft scraps to make this yummi-liscious infinity scarf. Great for yourself or for a beautiful Valentine's Day gift. Outta the landfill and into someone's heart. :)

Materials Needed:

Recycled natural fiber scraps
Yarn
Large eyed needle

Steps:

1. Thread your large eye needle with a complimentary colored thin yarn (or embroidery floss.)

2. Overlap your scraps and start sewing them together with a running stitch on your threaded yarn. I also call this the "inchworm" stitch...just up and down.

3. As you sew, pull your yarn a bit tight so that the fiber scraps scrunch up. This will add a lot of texture to your scarf.

4. I encourage you to leave the pointy edges off to the side of the scarf as you sew. In other words, don't make a perfect line. This is also a way to use odd shaped scraps...scraps aren't too narrow to use unless you can't stitch through it!

5. Don't be afraid to use all different colors. One of the neat things about recycled wool/other natural fibers is that all colors seem to go together well! When you wear this scarf with different outfits, it will highlight the different colors in your scarf!

6. Continue sewing until your length is long enough to loop around your neck three to four times.

When you're happy with the length, stitch the beginning to the end, making an "infinity loop."

7. Out of a larger scrap or two, freehand cut a flower, sew a button through the middle of the flower, and secure it to one part of your scarf. This step is optional but adds a lot of pizzazz to your scarf. :)

Like this tutorial? Then please "like" our Facebook page Everything But The Oink and subscribe to this blog. Bloggers like to feel the love! ;)

EnJOY!

p.s. Thanks to Reyna for taking our class yesterday and agreeing to model her completed creation!

Make It Mondays! Tutorial: Five Minute Project--Wrist Warmers

We had snow this weekend. Lots of snow. Here at the beach, we had four inches and "in town" they had six inches. We're expecting up to ten additional inches early this week. For those of you in the Midwest and East Coast, that's not much. But for us wimpy Pacific Northwest islanders, it's a major event. :)

Our housing isn't built for severe winter weather either. So, I've been chilly in my rustic beach cabin and made these 5 minute project cashmere (okay, I'm spoiled) wrist warmers to help keep me warm. What I like about them is that when I HAVE to take a craft creation break and wash dishes, I can easily push them up my sleeves.

Because these are made with recycled fibers (wool, cashmere, angora.....), the ends will not unravel, so they are not sewn. However, they can be blanket stitched, embroidered, or further embellished at a later date.

SUPPLIES:
The upper sleeve pieces of any recycled/felted sweater
scissors
(Yep, that's it!)

Sleeves are one of my treasured parts of any recycled sweater. The lower sleeve section (with the cuff) works for fingerless gloves, coffee cup sleeves and many more projects. However, when I use this lower sleeve section, I always have the section from half way between the wrist up to the elbow. This piece works PERFECTLY for this project. It's already in a tube, so no sewing is required. It's loose enough to fit on your lower arm over any long sleeve clothing you are wearing, yet snug enough to keep your wrists warm.

Simply cut two arm "tube sections" 5" to 6" long (based on your preferences) straight across, and voila! You are now the proud owner of a pair of comfy wrist warmers. (They would also work as ankle warmers too. :)

EnJOY!

Make It Mondays! Tutorial: How to Felt Natural Fiber Sweaters..aka Washing Machine Felting 411

You've come across awesome felted wool sweater projects on the Internet, but aren't quite sure how to felt the sweaters? No more fears...this Make It Mondays tutorial will have you working with your very own felted "material" in just a few hours. :)

Items Needed:
A sweater of at least 60 to 65% natural fibers (wool, lambswool, angora, cashmere, alpaca)
An old pillowcase
A large rubberband
Liquid laundry soap

1. I like to felt several sweaters at once to save water, energy, and time. It works best if you load the washing machine with sweaters of similar fiber content. For example, today I am felting all cashmere/cashmere blend sweaters.

2. Place each sweater in it's own pillowcase. If you ever find the zippered ones, those are awesome. Otherwise, after placing each sweater in it's own pillowcase, fasten the pillowcase securely (two or three wraps) with a large rubber band. Your washing machine, your family members and everyone else except the washing machine repair person will thank you for using the pillowcase tip. Otherwise you may plug up your machine with fiber lint and lint from different sweaters will stick to other sweaters! This is a special concern with those lovely, but fuzzy angora/angora blend sweaters.

3. Pour your normal amount of liquid laundry detergent into the bottom of the washing machine and then load your pillowcases of sweaters. Set your machine on max water level and on HOT, HOT (or hot, and then the warmest rinse setting you have available.) LEAVE THE LID OF THE WASHING MACHINE OPEN.

4.Start your machine for the longest agitation cycle available. The reason you have left the lid open is that so your machine will stop after the agitation cycle. It is human nature to get busy "doing something else" and forget to reset the agitation.

5. After your machine stops, check how well your sweaters are felting. My general rule of thumb, from years of experience, is as follows: Coarse/rough wools will only require one agitation cycle while finer/more delicate fibers and blends will take two to three total agitation cycles. If your sweaters are felted nicely, then close the lid and let your washing machine finish it's entire cycle. If they are NOT felted yet, simply restart the beginning of the agitation cycle again, leaving the lid open until you're sure everything is felted nicely.
(Don't fret over this too much when you are just beginning to learn how to machine wet felt. If it is under felted, you can repeat the entire process.)

6. After the machine cycle is totally completed (spin and all), remove your sweaters from their pillowcases and determine if they need further felting. If they're felted well, then hang over your shower rod to dry. If you hold it up to a light and can still see lots of light through the knit, then consider placing the sweaters back into their pillowcases and into the dryer, checking frequently so that you don't over felt. (If you do over felt, these pieces will work well for rugs, oven mitts, etc.)

If you choose not to use the pillowcases in the dryer (for example, if you are just drying one sweater by itself), then be sure and empty the lint filter frequently. You don't want a lint fire! Don't throw away the lint....this is all from the sweater fibers and makes the best stuffing for stuffed animals, pin cushions, and other such projects.

Many people believe/state that you can ONLY felt 100% wool sweaters. Simply. Not. True. While it may take longer to felt blends of >60%, they usually felt up very nicely. :)

Now, the fun begins. After your sweaters are dry, you can begin to deconstruct the sweaters. Don't laugh, but I usually don't plan a project for a particular sweater until this point...the sweater will usually "talk to me" and a project idea will form. You can cut up the sweaters as if they are fabric, because they are! No unraveling, just delicious, recycled natural fiber fabrics.

EnJOY and have fun!

p.s. Please consider supporting my fiber art public art project at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/526090211/everything-but-the-oink-ecofriendly-public-art-pro

**Sweaters may be substituted with other natural fiber garments. When using woven suit blazers, skirts, and other such items, I find it is best to cut out the lining first and then wash/felt the article of clothing. Sometimes I will even deconstruct these items, cut the woven wool into pieces and THEN wash/felt them. I have found that these woven clothing pieces felt much tighter/smaller, but they work well for stuffed animals, pillows and other pieced projects.

Feel free to repost this tutorial as long as you give credit back to Everything But The Oink with a link to this blog.

Make It Mondays! Cashmere HandWarmer Tutorial

Everything But The Oink means we use everything.....I mean everything of our recycled sweaters and other natural fiber items. It's eco friendly, frugal, responsible and fun to find ways to use every last piece. We even cut up the teensy scraps and use them to "stuff" our Mini Mice, Alien and Monster Buddies and our Bird Ornaments.

When we have a precious cashmere sweater find, we don't want to waste any teensy weensy piece of this luxurious upcycled fabric. So, we created Cashmere HandWarmers, filled with organic lavender and (uncooked) rice for a special treat to keep your hands warm during these cold winter months.

Here's all you need for this simple, easy-peasy project:
A small rectangle of cashmere felted "fabric"
Coordinating length of natural fiber yarn, threaded onto a large eye needle (chenille works well)
uncooked rice and organic lavender buds (optional)

STEPS:
1. Fold your rectangle of cashmere in half so that is square shaped.
2. Sew up all but one side of the square with a whip stitch.
3. Fill the cashmere "pocket" with uncooked rice and lavender buds.
4. Finish sewing up the last side of the square.
5. Heat in microwave for 30 to 60 seconds and then put it in your glove, your coat or pant pocket to keep your fingers warm and your body relaxed from the yummy lavender. :)

This can be reheated and re-used, over and over, and over again...for many years. These would make wonderful Valentine's Day gifts and your children can even sew these up for their teachers and favorite aunts.

Of course, you can make these out of other natural fiber scraps, but the cashmere handwarmer is...well.....just extra special.

EnJOY!

Make It Mondays! Coupon Wallet Tutorial

I made this as a custom order for someone whom loves tea and likes to carry teabags with her in her purse.

As I made it, I thought this would also make the perfect gift for those involved in couponing.

The four "pockets" inside are perfect to organize coupons.


MATERIALS LIST:
Recycled wool felt piece (8.5 inches x 7.5 inches)
Craft felt or thin recycled wool piece (8.5 x 7.5 inches)

TWO recycled wool felt pieces (8.5 inches x 3.5 inches)

Natural fiber yarns, vintage buttons
Large eyed needle (yarn darner, tapestry or chenille needle)

STEPS:
1. Cut out your wool/felt pieces. You want your large inside piece to be thin so that the wallet can fold and so it will be easier to sew all the layers together.

2. Embroider/embellish the large wool piece. Use a large button and attach it in the center. You will use this later for your wallet closure.

3. Now, take your craft felt or thinner wool piece and pin the smaller wool pieces to each end. Blanket stitch these smaller wool pieces to the craft felt AND stitch a "divider" down the center of each pocket.

4. Pin the completed "inside" to the embellished "outside" wool piece. Now, blanket stitch the project together. You're almost done!

5. Take some of your yarn and cut three pieces long enough to go around the body of the folded wallet with a bit extra yarn. Tie these three lengths of yarn around the large, centered button. Now, braid these three lengths of yarn together. Knot at the end. This is now your wallet closure. Wrap it around the wallet and then around the button. Easy access and looks cute too! EnJOY!

Projects Galore!

Yes, recycling and then upcycling wool/natural fiber treasures takes time.....okay, lots of time. Yet, it warms my heart to be saving a sweater or other clothing item from the landfill and then turning it into a treasure for someone else to enJOY.

This group of projects is from three months of work, each and every day. That's three months AFTER all of the sweaters, etc. were located and feltedx3 in the washing machine. Yes, lots of time, but also lots of LOVE in each and every stitch. :)

Please "Like"/"Join" our Facebook Page!

We have a Facebook page: Everything but the Oink.

This is in the spirit of using every bit of a recycled sweater or other fiber art items!
In other words, no animals were harmed. :)


Please also check out our Etsy shop (www.etsy.com) under "Spinayarn."

Each and every purchase from our Etsy shop helps us to make and deliver more handmade recycled woolen mittens to the homeless in the Pacific Northwest AND to help us teach fiber arts to area youth for free. We NEVER charge a single penny to teach youth fiber arts and we provide all of the supplies.

EnJOY!

From Farm to Yarn-Youth Fiber Arts Class

We are volunteer teaching a fiber arts class each week to youth at a local school. The students have learned about the various fiber animals, learned to identify their fibers by touch, have learned to "leg spin" and are now using KoolAid to dye fiber for them to drop spindle next week.

Who is the ceramic alpaca supervising the completed project? That's Phidippides (named after one of Adrianna's alpacas), whom Adrianna made in pottery class as a bobblehead. He's our new blog mascot.

Why the gloves and masks? Even KoolAid has non-natural particles in it and we want to protect these young people's lungs! :)

EnJOY!

The Flu has Arrived, So no Tutorial, but Rug Progress

Well, influenza has struck, so sorry, but no tutorial today. We'll be back with a new tutorial next Monday. Before the flu hit, we started on our first wool rug. So exciting! Here is a pic of the close up. While we did some top stitching on the sewing machine for embellishment and reinforcement of the seams, everything is also hand stitched with wool yarn. This rug will last a lifetime.

We are already planning our next rug. Pacific Northwest weather allows for wool area rugs all year long. :)

Hope all of you are staying warm and healthy!

SYWM!!! (Save Your Washing Machine) Felting Tip

I love to felt. Needle felting, wet felting and washing machine felting. However, felting sweaters in your washing machine MAY lead to expensive repair bills as those little pieces of wool fluff may clog up the plumbing. Solution? Place your sweaters in old pillowcases before felting. I went to my local thrift store and found a couple of huge (king sized) zippered pillowcases for $1 each...a great investment. Standard pillowcases were 50 cents. For the standard pillow cases, I put a sweater in (just one per pillowcase) and then cut down from the pillowcase opening to make "tie straps." I then tied these in a knot, and voila...a secure felting bag.

Your family will love you (no more lint/fluff on their favorite clothes or on their towels) and the only one who won't like this is the appliance repair person....because you won't be calling him/her anymore. :)

EnJOY!

Make It Mondays! I HEART You Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!

Valentine's Day is only two weeks away....so, why not honor those you care for with a special recycled wool heart pin? (These are also AWEsome for every day of the year gifts, to embellish cards, scrapbook pages, and more.)

Also, think outside of the red/pink box. I have LOTS of felted wool scraps which are not in traditional Valentine's Day colors. Lots of browns, navy, blacks.... Yet, with a creative use of threads/yarns, you can transform that little, dark scrap into a cheery heart.

1.Cut your hearts out of leftover felted pieces. Gather your threads/yarns and experiment with different combinations. Don't forget crochet threads and any variegated thread/yarn is wonderful. Get out your buttons and find the perfect match too.

2. If you need a review of stitches, review blanket stitch and others on the Net, or better yet, look for a classic needlework/stitch book at your local thrift store. I just found five books (on 1/2 price book day) for under $2 each, kept two and gave the other three as gifts.

3. Time to CREATE! Use a blanket stitch around the heart, remembering to give each stitch a "tug" so that they are snug. This provides a neat finish. Embellish the center with stitches, if desired, and add a favorite button...or not. It's difficult to see in the pic, but the heart without a button is a subtle argyle and I didn't want to cover up the pattern. I used a handspun, handdyed alpaca yarn for that one...and it just didn't need anything else. :)

4. Block your completed heart by steaming it with your iron for the final finishing touch. Add a pin back if desired. These make great gifts for teachers (with a coffee or office supplies gift card attached!), your postal carrier,etc. Want a great family project? Spend an evening or afternoon crafting these beauties and then take them to your local nursing home! You'll all be rewarded with lots of "I HEART You" smiles from the elderly residents. EnJOY!

Now for the giveaway! Do the following: "Like" our FB page at "Everything but the Oink" and become a follower of this blog and you'll be entered into the drawing for your choice of one of the tutorial hearts. Drawing will be next Monday.

From last week's giveaway (our first), we only had two entrants, so they EACH get skeins of the tutorial hand dyed threads/yarn. Kendall Sirak and Ann Murphy are the lucky winners!

Please post pics of YOUR completed hearts on our Facebook page!

Wool Rosettes Class a Success...and SeaGlass Handspun

A busy, fun weekend! We had our inaugural Everything but the Oink class...how to make wool rosettes. These are great for hair ties, headbands, brooches, gift wrapping embellishment and more. Everyone in the class went home with three completed projects and supplies to make more at home. Some vintage button shopping took place too. :)

Adrianna left for Bozeman today on a recruiting visit for college. So, I spent the day on the spinning wheel, creating SeaGlass handspun from alpaca roving Adrianna and I had dyed a while back. Often we have a "dye day" and then the completed roving waits for inspiration...or an inspired buyer. :) Please message us if you'd like to purchase roving or handspun yarn. Tomorrow will be a tutorial on dying your own commercial yarns (or better yet, recycled wool embroidery or tapestry threads) for use with your recycled wool projects. These hand dyed yarns/threads add a truly organic feel to your project, making it extra special!

Several have asked if our yarns are for sale. We have an Etsy shop (spinayarn or royalalpacas) with proceeds funding our Merry Mittens Project and fiber arts education for youth. We never charge for classes for youth in fiber arts, just for adults. :)

A Link to an AWEsome website!

Resweater is a great blog and one which I read faithfully. She now has 500 friends on her FB page, so she is doing a sweater giveaway. Not only does she post AWEsome tutorials and other tips for using recycled wool, she also sells sweaters to felt!Check out her blog (and sign up for her giveaway!) at http://resweater.blogspot.com/2011/01/resweater-giveaway-i-have-500-likers-on.html

Tomorrow morning I'm teaching my first adult class: Wool Rosettes using recycled fibers and hand dyed yarns...and of course...vintage buttons! I'll post pics after the class. Today, in between class preparation tasks, I spent some time on the spinning wheel, and working with the dye pot. I haven't spun in quite some time (due to my autoimmune arthritis) but it went well today! I usually prefer to spin very fine yarns, but people are always asking for bulky, novelty yarns, so that's what I created today. Whatcha think? The fiber I dyed/spun is a lovely-licious combination of Ramboullet, angora and silk. Super soft!

Make It Mondays! Mug Mat/Hot Pad Tutorial

I LOVE blog tutorials! They not only teach me; they inspire me. So....I'm starting "Make It Mondays" with a tutorial (as often as possible) on Mondays.

Today's tutorial is for a simple mug mat or hot pad project. It is a stormy, high tide surge day here at the beach cabin, so ocean-y colors came to mind...and a cut of hot chocolate. (At the end of the tutorial, look for my "Heavenly Hot Chocolate" recipe...a 4H group favorite!

Okay, on to the tutorial....
Supplies needed: Recycled felted wool scrap, thinner craft felt scrap (or can use a thinner wool scrap piece), leftover yarn, large eyed needle, straight pin.

Steps:
1. Cut out your wool and felt pieces. I wanted a larger hot pad for this project, so I used a cereal bowl for my circle template.

2. If you want to embellish/embroider your wool felt, do it now. (I just did a simple ocean wave embellishment.)

3. Using a straight pin, pin your two pieces together.

4. Blanket stitch the pieces together with leftover yarn. TIP: If you use a bulky yarn and/or a thick scrap, use a sail, leather or upholstery needle. It will make your job much easier. Use caution with children using these "mega" needles however. I do not recommend using thread or superfine yarn. You will lose your embellishment in the thick felted wool.

5. Do not knot your yarn at the end. Simply weave your yarn end back and forth in your stitches and cut close.

6. For a more polished finished project, use an iron and steam your mug mat/hot pad flat.

Voila! These are a great family project and you can get an early start on Valentine's Day presents!

The final photo is of some of the yarns I dyed yesterday on our 4H dye day. These will be used for future button bag and other recycled wool projects.

Now to the promised Heavenly Hot Chocolate recipe! Disclaimer: Not healthy or low fat, but a delicious special treat!
In a mug, empty one packet of powdered hot chocolate mix.
Add a splash of milk or 1/2 and 1/2 and a spoonful of Nutella.
Fill with hot water and stir well.
Top with a heaping spoonful of marshmallow creme and microwave for 30 seconds (to melt the marshmallow creme.)
EnJOY!

A Glimpse at Projects in Progress....and Completed!

I truly feel like a little bit of me is knit or stitched into each project. Adrianna and I spend a minimum of 15 hours on EACH item, and most items have 20 to 30 hours of handwork. Since these hours are invested over multiple days, it's almost like having a baby born each time a project is completed. (LOL...without the pain of childbirth, but the pride and love of a new creation.) Fellow fiber arts enthusiasts will know what I'm trying to say. :)

Sometimes we transition from one project to another, then back again. I treasure the time spent with Adrianna, choosing the "just right" yarn and buttons, and our chats as we stitch by the fire in the evenings.

We made our first fingerless gloves this past week and have just listed them on our Etsy shop. We also finished up two cashmere scarves. Oh...My...Goodness! The incredible softness and luxury of these scarves. Adrianna said she would just "pet" it all day.

Now on to leg warmers. I'm starting this afternoon on a yummy blue lambswool pair. I believe I'll start with some handstitching embellishment with handspun, hand dyed yarn....