Recycled Yarn Scarves

I was at Kohl's with a friend a few weeks ago and saw a display of knitted scarves made of all kinds of crazy colors and fibers. I wanted them all! Then I looked at the price: $24, on sale. I decided to make one instead. I posted an ad on CraigsList seeking free or cheap yarn of all colors and fibers so I could make some multi-colored scarves. I just wanted to make one for myself, and the rest I planned to donate to women's or homeless shelters in the Bay Area in anticipation of the cold weather.

A wonderful lady met up with me and happily donated 3 HUGE garbage bags of yarn and unfinished projects. She was so happy to get them out of her garage, and I was happy to have more than enough yarn for my holiday crafting. We both benefitted. When I got home to look at the yarn, I realized that many of the skeins were vintage. Cool!

I originally wanted to make a scarf with alternating sections of color, but decided that for the sake instant gratification I would find something less time-consuming. I want to make a lot of scarves to donate, and we had our first rain of the Fall yesterday. I did a Google search for "easy crochet scarf" and after a few clicks I stumbled upon a blog called Laughing Purple Goldfish. One of the entries was a pattern (click here to see it) for exactly what I had in mind: a chunky, crocheted scarf that takes less than an hour to make. Here's how I made mine:

I used a size Q (really, really big) crochet hook my mom had. I chose 3 skeins of yarn in complementary colors and wound them into balls. I gathered all 3 strands of yarn and tied a loop at the end, then I single crocheted 80 stitches to create the length of the scarf. (You could do more or less depending on your style preference.) Then, I double crocheted 4 more rows, working into the single chains. When the scarf reached my desired width, i tied it off and added some tassles to the ends. I'd say it took me about an hour and a half; I'm still a little slow at crocheting.

Tah dahhh! Check out the photo above to see what it looks like. I'm really pleased with how fast and easy it was to make, and I think it looks pretty awesome too. I can't wait to try out some more color combinations!

Nothing New for A Year

I think it was in Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma that I first heard about a person who chose to not buy anything new for a year. She didn't buy anything from a department store, nothing from WalMart, McDonald's, or Home Depot. Everything the person bought was either used or previously owned (clothes, dishes, DVDs), handmade (arts and crafts, produce, gifts), or she made herself. At the time, I thought this was a commendable idea—but I stared wild-eyed at the page, because I realized that the depth of my consumerism was more extensive than I had imagined. I couldn't envision myself not buying anything new for a whole month, let alone a year.

That was over a year ago. In the year that has gone by, I have grown tremendously and learned tons about environmentalism, consumerism, and the need to reduce my "footprint." So, it was on a recent trip to my local Salvation Army that I thought back to this woman from Pollan's book who didn't buy anything new for a year. I was impressed by the variety of items I found at Goodwill: table and chair sets, armoires, sofas, tons of clothes, dishes, home accessories, kids' toys, books. A lot of the stuff was in good condition, or just need a washing or to be re-upholstered or refinished. How I found myself at Goodwill in the first place was because my mom needed my help to haul our stuff there after our garage sale last weekend. I thought back to the garage sale, and realized that yard sales are another way to buy not-new items. There are tons of other places too:

1) CraigsList (most helpful if you're in the Bay Area)
2) eBay (who doesn't know that one?)
3) Kijiji (souped-up CraigsList)
4) And even Amazon has tons of used stuff too, especially books

Of course, I was quizzical when it came to items like feminine products, food, beauty products, and gifts for others. If I were to embark on such an ambitious endeavor, what would I do about those items? I haven't fully figured it out. For the food, I would most likely buy my produce at farmer's markets to support local agriculture. There are some really big ones around here, where you can get bread, eggs, honey, and free-range beef too. Beauty products... Make my own lipbalm? I might have to buy the mineral makeup as a compromise—yeah, I'd have to buy it new, but maybe I could buy it from the Avon Lady, and put money in her pocket rather than WalMart's. I'm very creative and artsy fartsy, so I could probably come up with some thoughtful, clever gifts for birthdays and the holidays by using items I might find at Goodwill or garage sales. Of course, if you aren't too crafty, there's always Etsy, one of my favorite websites EVER (artists and crafters from all over selling handmade stuff).

Besides reducing one's consumption and using less resources (saving trees by buying used books, for example), buying items used rather than new would save a ton of money. As a working college student living on my own, this feature is especially attractive.

My goal: Try my best not to buy anything new for a whole year. In all honesty, I know it will be an incredible challenge. But at the same time, I am incredibly excited about it! I'll try to keep you updated on my progress, and I hope you'll be inspired by my actions and possibly do the same!

Photo courtesy of Plato's Closet, a used, name-brand clothing store for teens and young adults in Kansas City.