I have been a member of Team Upcyclers on Etsy for a few months. This is an amazing community of talented artisans and upcycling geniuses! Cat and Bee put out the call for help a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't resist taking my involvement with this team to the next level.
You will be seeing me a lot on the discussion boards, but you already did before so that isn't really anything new. I will be helping out with the Facebook page and I will be contributing to their team blog Love2Upcycle. Hence the title of this post. :) You can view the blog and the article talking about the new staff (let's not forget about Stephanie and Marcy!!) here.
Keep an eye on this team and if you have an Etsy account show your support for the Earth and for upcycling/recycling/repurposing by joining up! All you need is a love of upcycling to join and everyone will be happy to see you. We just love new members! You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for all of the latest news! And be sure to check out the newspaper (yep, the newspaper! Impressed? I was!!) here. Whew! As you can see, Team Upcyclers on Etsy is growing by leaps and bounds and I am just thrilled to be a part of it. Upcyclers unite!
Love and Peace,
Luci
Idle Hands Yarn and Supply
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Why Spend the Money for Hand Made? I Have an Answer for That.
Ever look at a high quality handmade item and suffer some sticker shock? You maybe begin wonder why it has to cost more. And then you wonder why you should spend the extra money for handmade when you can go to a box store and get something similar for half the price, right? I have faced these questions several times and they have been on my mind a lot lately. Not that I need to ponder the reasoning behind buying (eco-friendly) handmade items, but that so many people do not realize the many benefits of these purchases and that is what I would like to talk about today: why it is worth paying more and supporting these talented artisans whose work will not be appearing on any shelf at a box store ever.
Let's begin with why it costs more. Box stores and several ecommerce businesses buy items that are manufactured in places like China, Taiwan, India, and Bangladesh just to name a few. I spent a little over a year as an accountant for an ecommerce company with literally thousands of vendors and almost all of our vendors received their merchandise from these places. During the holiday season, we would order containers ourselves. I constantly heard stories of containers being held up from overseas for various reasons. So then why do the corporations buy items manufactured overseas and go through the headache of shipping it here? Because the labor is cheap. And by cheap I mean slave labor wages in deplorable working conditions. That is how they are able to sell these goods so cheap. Because the wages and working conditions are so low the manufacturers overseas are able to sell their products for pennies on the dollar. Even with factoring in the large shipping costs of moving that merchandise across an ocean, which is a substantial portion of the cost, they still pay very little and are still able to sell them to consumers for very little while still maintaining a sustainable profit margin. In the process, exploiting a desperate workforce so we can buy cheap plastic crap for just a few bucks.
It truly worries me that we care more about that new trendy electronic device than we do about another person's suffering being caused by us making that purchase. It only occurs to us in passive ways. When we see something in the news and we shake our heads and comment on how horrible it is and then we take another sip of our latte and move on with our day. We are all guilty of it. We all own a product that was produced in this way. It is practically impossible to live in the United States right now and not own something that was produced in this way. I suffer bouts of severe guilt when I consider the conditions my phone and laptop were made under and I am convinced that there is a better way to conduct business. One that does not involve nets lining the factories to prevent suicides, like the photo below. The handmade industry does not operate in this way. It is made up of hard-working people that put in long hours to produce quality goods with their own two hands. It doesn't resemble the disgusting practice of a few people making a lot of money on the backs of their overworked and underpaid workers, like you find in most of the corporate sphere. The handmade industry has the best ethics around and feels a deep responsibility to producing products that are made without profiting on human suffering. This is why I am so deeply committed to this industry and consider it a privilege to be a part of it.
I don't have enough room to talk about every country that mass produces items with slave labor because sadly, there are just too many of them, but I would like to talk about China for a moment. I found a fantastic article written by a man who spends a substantial amount of time in China and has done a wonderful job of breaking down the wages using his intimate knowledge gained during time spent talking to the actual workers. His knowledge comes straight from the horse's mouths, so to speak. Although he talked to several different workers in many different fields, the most heartbreaking story to me was of the factory workers. They usually work about 60 hours a week and make the equivalent of about $1.00 per hour, but the factory coerces them to live in dorms and eat at cafeterias and deducts the cost of their food and lodging. After "settling their tabs," they end up with the equivalent about $0.47 per hour. It reminds me of the way the coal companies used to operate: by paying the miners with currency manufactured by the coal companies called scrip. It could only be used to pay the coal company for their housing and to purchase goods from the company store. Always leaving coal workers "owing their soul to the company store." The companies not only profit off their cheap labor, but directly profit from the employees basic need for food and shelter, much like China does today. This revolting practice was finally eliminated in the U.S. in the 1950s, but that hasn't stopped many corporations from continuing it. They have just modernized their methods to keep their hands clean. I guess all it takes is a little distance, like an ocean, to keep their conscience clear.
As bad as that sounds, Bangladesh is even worse. The average salary of a garment worker there is the equivalent of $43 a month. This article by the BBC details the challenges those garment workers face and the deal struck with UNICEF in 1995 to end child labor. Yep, kids in Bangladesh were manufacturing the clothes you find in your local mall until then. The article by BBC News details they stores they supply. I promise you will know all of the companies and have probably at some point owned a garment sold by at least one of them. I try to picture my son having to work in a factory like that, but I just can't do it. He was allowed to play with his friends and go to school/swimming lessons/ little league and fry his brain on video games. He couldn't even imagine needing to punch a time clock in his childhood. Sadly, I know that a child in Bangladesh cannot imagine that life. I say that having gone to middle school with a girl from Bangladesh so I feel I have an intimate knowledge of what life was like there for a young girl in the late eighties/early nineties at least. Our lives seemed like a carnival compared to her childhood.
So that brings me to the question of the hour. Would you work for $43 a month? Granted, we should be factoring in the difference in the costs of living, but then we should also look at the standard of living if you want to do that. Even in a place like Bangladesh, $43 a month really doesn't cut it, and it certainly doesn't afford them anything that we would consider a tolerable standard of living. Especially when you consider that the garment industry in Bangladesh is a 18 BILLION dollar a year industry! That much money made and all the labor workers receive is a measly $43 dollars a month. The inequity this is creating is obvious, even to the most casual observer.
Artisans spend many hours on fine details, putting a little piece of themselves into each one of their creations. The detail and craftsmanship are superior to anything you will find in any mass produced product. Not to mention that many of these items are one of a kind. Artisans love to take custom orders. They love the idea of making something unique that mirrors your personality. They take great pride in their product because it is a very direct reflection on them. The price you see is the cost of those several hours spent making an item without the assistance of heavy machinery that uses a lot of energy to run. The carbon footprint on a hand made item is almost non existent compared to the energy used to mass produce products. And if there is a flaw or defect in the item you can go directly to the source to have it fixed. No customer service centers that will make you traverse a difficult maze of computer menus before you finally reach an underpaid and under appreciated human: who is limited in what they can do to resolve your concerns. Or even worse if you use email to contact them and they respond with a form email that has absolutely nothing to do with the original question. When buying handmade or from a small business, you can go directly to the owner or the person that made the item. The person who truly cares about your satisfaction. I know of nothing more soul crushing to an artisan than for them to know one of their customers was not happy with their purchase. Your dissatisfaction is felt immediately and the artisan will do everything within reason (and often even outside of reason) to make you feel satisfied with the transaction. I feel more secure buying a handmade item than anything else because of this intimate connection to the artisan.
I know this because I have spent many years involved in the handmade industry. I started at the age of 14 working for artisans at arts festivals and such. I have never been treated better by an employer. My welfare was one of their top priorities. I never paid for a meal or snack. If I was exhausted and needed an extra break they would insist that I take it. Taking walks and leaving my work station to visit the other booths was encouraged. I was completely taken care of. Not that I didn't work hard. I worked my little butt off, but I always felt valued and that my well being was important. There is a very strong community among artisans that is unmatched in how caring and supportive they are, even with their competition. I am now 35 and have been producing items of my own for the last few years. It is hard work and involves long hours, but doing what you love in this diverse industry makes it all worth it.
That is why you pay more than you would at a box store. You pay to support a community of artisans that will happily, even gleefully, take you in and support you as well. The money you spend goes directly into the pocket of the person who supplied the manual labor to produce that product. These purchases don't make a rich person richer like a box store purchase does. Supporting artisans also supports small business. Artisans tend to buy from local businesses, thrift stores, and other artisans (who are small businesses of their own). Buying hand made is a guaranteed way of keeping your hard earned money out of corporate bank accounts. They get enough of your tax dollars already in bailouts and tax breaks. Don't give them any more of your paycheck.
Become a small business shareholder and support your local artisans and small businesses. I know that it can cost a little more, but the benefits it reaps makes it worth the few extra dollars.
Love and Peace
Luci
Let's begin with why it costs more. Box stores and several ecommerce businesses buy items that are manufactured in places like China, Taiwan, India, and Bangladesh just to name a few. I spent a little over a year as an accountant for an ecommerce company with literally thousands of vendors and almost all of our vendors received their merchandise from these places. During the holiday season, we would order containers ourselves. I constantly heard stories of containers being held up from overseas for various reasons. So then why do the corporations buy items manufactured overseas and go through the headache of shipping it here? Because the labor is cheap. And by cheap I mean slave labor wages in deplorable working conditions. That is how they are able to sell these goods so cheap. Because the wages and working conditions are so low the manufacturers overseas are able to sell their products for pennies on the dollar. Even with factoring in the large shipping costs of moving that merchandise across an ocean, which is a substantial portion of the cost, they still pay very little and are still able to sell them to consumers for very little while still maintaining a sustainable profit margin. In the process, exploiting a desperate workforce so we can buy cheap plastic crap for just a few bucks.
It truly worries me that we care more about that new trendy electronic device than we do about another person's suffering being caused by us making that purchase. It only occurs to us in passive ways. When we see something in the news and we shake our heads and comment on how horrible it is and then we take another sip of our latte and move on with our day. We are all guilty of it. We all own a product that was produced in this way. It is practically impossible to live in the United States right now and not own something that was produced in this way. I suffer bouts of severe guilt when I consider the conditions my phone and laptop were made under and I am convinced that there is a better way to conduct business. One that does not involve nets lining the factories to prevent suicides, like the photo below. The handmade industry does not operate in this way. It is made up of hard-working people that put in long hours to produce quality goods with their own two hands. It doesn't resemble the disgusting practice of a few people making a lot of money on the backs of their overworked and underpaid workers, like you find in most of the corporate sphere. The handmade industry has the best ethics around and feels a deep responsibility to producing products that are made without profiting on human suffering. This is why I am so deeply committed to this industry and consider it a privilege to be a part of it.
Photo from a fantastic post about Foxconn on Gizmodo that can be found here.
I don't have enough room to talk about every country that mass produces items with slave labor because sadly, there are just too many of them, but I would like to talk about China for a moment. I found a fantastic article written by a man who spends a substantial amount of time in China and has done a wonderful job of breaking down the wages using his intimate knowledge gained during time spent talking to the actual workers. His knowledge comes straight from the horse's mouths, so to speak. Although he talked to several different workers in many different fields, the most heartbreaking story to me was of the factory workers. They usually work about 60 hours a week and make the equivalent of about $1.00 per hour, but the factory coerces them to live in dorms and eat at cafeterias and deducts the cost of their food and lodging. After "settling their tabs," they end up with the equivalent about $0.47 per hour. It reminds me of the way the coal companies used to operate: by paying the miners with currency manufactured by the coal companies called scrip. It could only be used to pay the coal company for their housing and to purchase goods from the company store. Always leaving coal workers "owing their soul to the company store." The companies not only profit off their cheap labor, but directly profit from the employees basic need for food and shelter, much like China does today. This revolting practice was finally eliminated in the U.S. in the 1950s, but that hasn't stopped many corporations from continuing it. They have just modernized their methods to keep their hands clean. I guess all it takes is a little distance, like an ocean, to keep their conscience clear.
As bad as that sounds, Bangladesh is even worse. The average salary of a garment worker there is the equivalent of $43 a month. This article by the BBC details the challenges those garment workers face and the deal struck with UNICEF in 1995 to end child labor. Yep, kids in Bangladesh were manufacturing the clothes you find in your local mall until then. The article by BBC News details they stores they supply. I promise you will know all of the companies and have probably at some point owned a garment sold by at least one of them. I try to picture my son having to work in a factory like that, but I just can't do it. He was allowed to play with his friends and go to school/swimming lessons/ little league and fry his brain on video games. He couldn't even imagine needing to punch a time clock in his childhood. Sadly, I know that a child in Bangladesh cannot imagine that life. I say that having gone to middle school with a girl from Bangladesh so I feel I have an intimate knowledge of what life was like there for a young girl in the late eighties/early nineties at least. Our lives seemed like a carnival compared to her childhood.
So that brings me to the question of the hour. Would you work for $43 a month? Granted, we should be factoring in the difference in the costs of living, but then we should also look at the standard of living if you want to do that. Even in a place like Bangladesh, $43 a month really doesn't cut it, and it certainly doesn't afford them anything that we would consider a tolerable standard of living. Especially when you consider that the garment industry in Bangladesh is a 18 BILLION dollar a year industry! That much money made and all the labor workers receive is a measly $43 dollars a month. The inequity this is creating is obvious, even to the most casual observer.
Artisans spend many hours on fine details, putting a little piece of themselves into each one of their creations. The detail and craftsmanship are superior to anything you will find in any mass produced product. Not to mention that many of these items are one of a kind. Artisans love to take custom orders. They love the idea of making something unique that mirrors your personality. They take great pride in their product because it is a very direct reflection on them. The price you see is the cost of those several hours spent making an item without the assistance of heavy machinery that uses a lot of energy to run. The carbon footprint on a hand made item is almost non existent compared to the energy used to mass produce products. And if there is a flaw or defect in the item you can go directly to the source to have it fixed. No customer service centers that will make you traverse a difficult maze of computer menus before you finally reach an underpaid and under appreciated human: who is limited in what they can do to resolve your concerns. Or even worse if you use email to contact them and they respond with a form email that has absolutely nothing to do with the original question. When buying handmade or from a small business, you can go directly to the owner or the person that made the item. The person who truly cares about your satisfaction. I know of nothing more soul crushing to an artisan than for them to know one of their customers was not happy with their purchase. Your dissatisfaction is felt immediately and the artisan will do everything within reason (and often even outside of reason) to make you feel satisfied with the transaction. I feel more secure buying a handmade item than anything else because of this intimate connection to the artisan.
I know this because I have spent many years involved in the handmade industry. I started at the age of 14 working for artisans at arts festivals and such. I have never been treated better by an employer. My welfare was one of their top priorities. I never paid for a meal or snack. If I was exhausted and needed an extra break they would insist that I take it. Taking walks and leaving my work station to visit the other booths was encouraged. I was completely taken care of. Not that I didn't work hard. I worked my little butt off, but I always felt valued and that my well being was important. There is a very strong community among artisans that is unmatched in how caring and supportive they are, even with their competition. I am now 35 and have been producing items of my own for the last few years. It is hard work and involves long hours, but doing what you love in this diverse industry makes it all worth it.
That is why you pay more than you would at a box store. You pay to support a community of artisans that will happily, even gleefully, take you in and support you as well. The money you spend goes directly into the pocket of the person who supplied the manual labor to produce that product. These purchases don't make a rich person richer like a box store purchase does. Supporting artisans also supports small business. Artisans tend to buy from local businesses, thrift stores, and other artisans (who are small businesses of their own). Buying hand made is a guaranteed way of keeping your hard earned money out of corporate bank accounts. They get enough of your tax dollars already in bailouts and tax breaks. Don't give them any more of your paycheck.
Become a small business shareholder and support your local artisans and small businesses. I know that it can cost a little more, but the benefits it reaps makes it worth the few extra dollars.
Love and Peace
Luci
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sales and Giveaways to know about!
There is a HUGE Earth Day sale that Team Upcyclers put together! There are several shops involved. I am giving 20% off everything in my yarn store. Use coupon code UpcycleEarthDay. All shops are using the same coupon code, but not all shops are giving the same discounts. So look through the list on Team Upcyclers blog and check out all of the great deals and get shopping!
The other is a giveaway being done by the lovely girls at Lloyarye. They are both turning 25 and for their birthdays they are doing a giveaway of 25 items! It's one of the most ambitious giveaways I have come across and they have gotten some fabulous loot. Please visit their blog and enter now.
In honor of it being Earth Day, I thought I would end this with a couple eco tips:
1.) Go paperless! Get your bills and bank statements sent digitally to your email. Pay bills electronically with your bank account or credit/debit card.
2.) Grow your own garden. You can grow your own organic fruit and veggies without paying extra at the grocery store.
3.) Borrowing from Jimmy Carter here a minute, but turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees and put on a sweater. I am always freezing and used to be the worst offender at turning up the heat, but I have learned my lesson. If I can change that habit anyone can. :)
4.) My newest obsession is upcycled clothes. Why manufacture more clothing in deplorable working conditions with heavy machinery that dumps pollutants into the air we breathe? There are so many fabulous unknown eco designers on Etsy that are making stylish clothes out of the most remarkable things. Undies out of t shirts. Bags out of discarded bomber jackets. Clothing made entirely from other discarded clothing. There is so much creativity involved. The clothes seem broke in already and instantly comfortable. This is all I am buying for clothes now.
Well that is all for today. It is a beautiful sunny Sunday in Seattle so it is time to get outside and enjoy this weather. I think today I will work on recycling some more yarn, cutting some new t shirt cords and putting the new smaller labels on my recycled yarn that is already up. And then photos. Oh boy, so much for relaxing in the sun. Well, Happy Earth Day everyone!
Love and Peace,
Luci
Idle Hands Yarn and Supply
The other is a giveaway being done by the lovely girls at Lloyarye. They are both turning 25 and for their birthdays they are doing a giveaway of 25 items! It's one of the most ambitious giveaways I have come across and they have gotten some fabulous loot. Please visit their blog and enter now.
In honor of it being Earth Day, I thought I would end this with a couple eco tips:
1.) Go paperless! Get your bills and bank statements sent digitally to your email. Pay bills electronically with your bank account or credit/debit card.
2.) Grow your own garden. You can grow your own organic fruit and veggies without paying extra at the grocery store.
3.) Borrowing from Jimmy Carter here a minute, but turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees and put on a sweater. I am always freezing and used to be the worst offender at turning up the heat, but I have learned my lesson. If I can change that habit anyone can. :)
4.) My newest obsession is upcycled clothes. Why manufacture more clothing in deplorable working conditions with heavy machinery that dumps pollutants into the air we breathe? There are so many fabulous unknown eco designers on Etsy that are making stylish clothes out of the most remarkable things. Undies out of t shirts. Bags out of discarded bomber jackets. Clothing made entirely from other discarded clothing. There is so much creativity involved. The clothes seem broke in already and instantly comfortable. This is all I am buying for clothes now.
Well that is all for today. It is a beautiful sunny Sunday in Seattle so it is time to get outside and enjoy this weather. I think today I will work on recycling some more yarn, cutting some new t shirt cords and putting the new smaller labels on my recycled yarn that is already up. And then photos. Oh boy, so much for relaxing in the sun. Well, Happy Earth Day everyone!
Love and Peace,
Luci
Idle Hands Yarn and Supply
Thursday, April 19, 2012
It All Begins With The Perfect Yarn
Today I would like to talk about the variety of yarn available and its many uses. So just how do you chose the perfect yarn? Go shopping. That's how I do it. Some people start with the pattern, but I start with the yarn. For me, it all begins with that perfect yarn. I just love yarn shopping. I can spend hours perusing the different colors and textures available. I find it so inspiring to imagine everything I can make from the yarn. A nice heavy cotton yarn might inspire a fabulous rug or a lovely bamboo yarn might make me start thinking about summer shawls. It is all part of the creative process and it is different for all of us, but the one thing that doesn't change is that for your project to turn out exactly the way you want the perfect yarn is required.
So how do you chose the perfect yarn? Well it depends on the project and what function the project will serve. While summer shawls are wonderfully done in light weight cotton and bamboo textiles, items like bags and potholders you will want a stronger and stiffer yarn used to prevent sagging and gaps. I like cotton for the potholders and t shirt yarn for bags and rugs. T shirt yarn takes the traffic better than anything else and it solves the problem of the sagging that occurs in crocheted and knitted bags. And I always have several balls of cotton yarn around because it is a nice soft and durable yarn that can be used in almost any project. I always replace a pattern calling for acrylic yarn with cotton. Sometimes you need something soft and plush for a baby blanket. I used a polyester yarn by Bernat called Pipsqueks. It is so plush that I imagine laying on these baby blankets are like laying on a cloud.
This pattern will be available in my yarn supply store soon ( www.etsy.com/idlehandsyarnsupply). (shameless plug, I know...) The moment I touched this yarn in the store I knew it would make the perfect baby blanket. I didn't even intend to be making any baby blankets, but the yarn inspired me to create. And that is how my process works. I see some yarn and see the potential and it builds from there. I strongly encourage looking at recycled yarn from sweaters. You can find a fabulous variety of yarn in many different shades and blends that you can't find in the craft store. You never know when you will be struck by a brilliant idea just by browsing through yarn.
I had the same inspiration when I came across a huge skein of cotton yarn. I picked it up and looked it over and immediately thought bathroom or kitchen rug and into my cart it went. The result? Take a look for yourself...
This pattern will also soon be available in my yarn store. There are
also some beautiful cottons available and many more in the process that
will be ready soon (okay, last shameless act I promise!).
It was meant to be a kitchen rug for my brother, but he has found a new use for it. He keeps it in his car to protect his car seat from the coffee he is perpetually spilling in his car. The cotton is so absorbent that it makes the perfect seat protector. So now I am working on a pattern for seat protectors made with cotton yarn. I have made the change to recycled yarn from sweaters so I won't be using the same yarn as I did with this, but this was done with one large skein of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton.
I obviously cannot talk about all of the yarns out there. That would be a series all its own, but I do want to mention novelty yarns like Fun Fur made by Lion Brand Yarns. This yarn is not for the beginner as it can be difficult to keep your stitch count because you can't clearly see your stitches. This isn't something that I often work with, but it looks like this:
This is what you call an eyelash yarn because the yarn is a very thin strand with "eyelashes" coming off of it that give it that fuzzy appearance. The items made from this are very soft and fuzzy and light. Definitely a cozy finish to any project. It is a fun yarn and has many potential uses from it being the primary medium used or it can be used to finish a project for a little added flair. There are many kinds of novelty yarns that are worth a look. I use the Lion Brand Boa for making feathery light summer shawls. There are many varieties with many different textures that are worth looking at.
When shopping for yarn, know what kind of yarns work best for the project you are doing. The Internet is a wonderful resource for this. I found a site that is wonderful for helping with substitutions. It has many different options and I have heard it is helpful for many people. http://www.yarndex.com/ has about every option you can think of. It should be a fabulous resource should you need it.
Now, go find some yarn that makes you go "Aha!" and make something beautiful! Happy shopping!!!
Love and Peace,
Luci
So how do you chose the perfect yarn? Well it depends on the project and what function the project will serve. While summer shawls are wonderfully done in light weight cotton and bamboo textiles, items like bags and potholders you will want a stronger and stiffer yarn used to prevent sagging and gaps. I like cotton for the potholders and t shirt yarn for bags and rugs. T shirt yarn takes the traffic better than anything else and it solves the problem of the sagging that occurs in crocheted and knitted bags. And I always have several balls of cotton yarn around because it is a nice soft and durable yarn that can be used in almost any project. I always replace a pattern calling for acrylic yarn with cotton. Sometimes you need something soft and plush for a baby blanket. I used a polyester yarn by Bernat called Pipsqueks. It is so plush that I imagine laying on these baby blankets are like laying on a cloud.
I had the same inspiration when I came across a huge skein of cotton yarn. I picked it up and looked it over and immediately thought bathroom or kitchen rug and into my cart it went. The result? Take a look for yourself...
It was meant to be a kitchen rug for my brother, but he has found a new use for it. He keeps it in his car to protect his car seat from the coffee he is perpetually spilling in his car. The cotton is so absorbent that it makes the perfect seat protector. So now I am working on a pattern for seat protectors made with cotton yarn. I have made the change to recycled yarn from sweaters so I won't be using the same yarn as I did with this, but this was done with one large skein of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton.
I obviously cannot talk about all of the yarns out there. That would be a series all its own, but I do want to mention novelty yarns like Fun Fur made by Lion Brand Yarns. This yarn is not for the beginner as it can be difficult to keep your stitch count because you can't clearly see your stitches. This isn't something that I often work with, but it looks like this:
This is what you call an eyelash yarn because the yarn is a very thin strand with "eyelashes" coming off of it that give it that fuzzy appearance. The items made from this are very soft and fuzzy and light. Definitely a cozy finish to any project. It is a fun yarn and has many potential uses from it being the primary medium used or it can be used to finish a project for a little added flair. There are many kinds of novelty yarns that are worth a look. I use the Lion Brand Boa for making feathery light summer shawls. There are many varieties with many different textures that are worth looking at.
When shopping for yarn, know what kind of yarns work best for the project you are doing. The Internet is a wonderful resource for this. I found a site that is wonderful for helping with substitutions. It has many different options and I have heard it is helpful for many people. http://www.yarndex.com/ has about every option you can think of. It should be a fabulous resource should you need it.
Now, go find some yarn that makes you go "Aha!" and make something beautiful! Happy shopping!!!
Love and Peace,
Luci
Thursday, April 12, 2012
This wonderful thing called tarn
Tarn, or t shirt yarn, has been one of my favorite things for decades now. My mom had t-shirt yarn rugs when we were kids. As a teenager, I decided I wanted to make one because I loved them, but hated the colors of hers. They were sooooo 70s, in the very worst way! I made it 20 years ago and my mother still has it in her house. What is this magic thing called tarn that will make a rug that lasts that long? Well, it is yarn that is made from t shirts that is strong and durable and often good for the planet (yay!). If it is done in an eco friendly way, the t-shirt used is a gently loved thrift store find. It is wonderful for making rugs that can stand up to heavy traffic, pot holders that are thick and heavy that seriously protect your hands, and for bags (solves the sagging problem you often encounter in many types of yarn). Let me show you a close up of what I am talking about:
In this post, I am going to offer advice for using t shirt yarn and answer some common questions. Let's start with a synopsis of how it is made. Once a suitable t shirt is found, the top of the t shirt and the hem are cut off and set aside. The tops and hems have separate uses. The tops of the shirts are often used to create crafting cords. These are cut into long strips, usually around 20" or so and corded in the same way as tarn. The hems are often used for weaving rugs. I will talk more about these cords and rugs in another article. After taking of the top and the hems, the t -shirt is cut into a long continuous loop and then a cord is created. This is the finished product.
Some people will dye the tarn and can create some very stunning color combinations. I do not dye mine, as to not introduce chemicals, but to each their own. I have seen some beautiful tarn that has been dyed. As long as they are not using new t shirts, and if that doesn't bother you, I can still consider it somewhat eco friendly and wouldn't discourage you to look into it. If they are using the dye on new t-shirts it is not eco friendly at all. I'm shaky on the eco friendly aspect of using dye already. But cutting new t shirts, in any way, is just not eco friendly.
The weight of tarn is also measured differently. While conventional yarn uses weights like bulky, medium, baby weight and things like that, tarn is measured in WPIs. What are WPIs you ask? Well, WPI stands for Wrap Per Inch, meaning the number of times you will need to wrap it around a pencil or a ruler to reach 1". A tarn that is 4WPI means that you will need to make 4 wraps to get to one inch or that the tarn is 1/4" wide. Most of the tarn you will find will be somewhere between 4 and 8 WPI. 4WPI being a bulkier weight than 8WPI.
You will also need a larger guage crochet hook or knitting needle to work with tarn. I love projects that use a larger guage, as they tend to be faster projects. Speaking in terms of crochet hooks, for a 4 or 5 WPI, I would recommend a guage of L (8mm) as the smallest I would use. For 6 to 8 WPI, I would recommend a guage of J (6mm) as the smallest I would use. This is not written in stone and is open to an artists inspiration to try something new. So try other guages and see what kind of texture you can create. Always be adventurous in your art and never be afraid to try something different.
Also understand that tarn will have little pieces of t shirt dust that will occur with working with it. These are easily disposed of by washing your finished product. It is not an indication of the quality of tarn, as all tarn is susceptible to this fraying of the edges as it is being broke in. The wash will take care of the fray and you won't need to worry about more returning afterward. As far as quality, look for a good cording in the yarn. By cording I mean that the outside edges roll in to create a clean look. Like this:
You can see in this picture how the two ends curl in and leave a very clean looking cord behind. This is what quality tarn will look like.
Care of tarn is super easy. It is just like washing your t shirts! I recommend washing in warm water with like colors on the regular cycle and tumble drying on medium. Depending on the finished product, you may need or want to adjust it to cold water or a delicate cycle. You could tumble dry on a low setting, but it will take a long time and a lot of energy. If you are out to conserve energy, I would recommend drying in the sunshine. It will be stiffer if you do it that way, so depending on the project you may want to use a dryer. Anyway you do it, t-shirt yarn is very durable and easy to care for. I love things that are easy. Life is already complicated enough, right?
Hopefully this will be a good starting point for anyone wanting to use tarn for the first time. You can find several free patterns online and even some tutorials on how to make it yourself, if you would like to give that a go. Mostly, I hope that this will inspire anyone who is afraid of working with a new medium to grab a ball and try it. Believe me, once you make a rug out of this, you will never go back to rug yarn again. This is just as durable and much nicer on your bare feet! If anyone has any questions please feel free to comment below or contact me directly via email.
Coming up in May I will be featuring artists who use tarn in their creations. I cannot wait to show you all of the things these talented artists make from this medium!
Love and Peace,
Luci
In this post, I am going to offer advice for using t shirt yarn and answer some common questions. Let's start with a synopsis of how it is made. Once a suitable t shirt is found, the top of the t shirt and the hem are cut off and set aside. The tops and hems have separate uses. The tops of the shirts are often used to create crafting cords. These are cut into long strips, usually around 20" or so and corded in the same way as tarn. The hems are often used for weaving rugs. I will talk more about these cords and rugs in another article. After taking of the top and the hems, the t -shirt is cut into a long continuous loop and then a cord is created. This is the finished product.
Some people will dye the tarn and can create some very stunning color combinations. I do not dye mine, as to not introduce chemicals, but to each their own. I have seen some beautiful tarn that has been dyed. As long as they are not using new t shirts, and if that doesn't bother you, I can still consider it somewhat eco friendly and wouldn't discourage you to look into it. If they are using the dye on new t-shirts it is not eco friendly at all. I'm shaky on the eco friendly aspect of using dye already. But cutting new t shirts, in any way, is just not eco friendly.
The weight of tarn is also measured differently. While conventional yarn uses weights like bulky, medium, baby weight and things like that, tarn is measured in WPIs. What are WPIs you ask? Well, WPI stands for Wrap Per Inch, meaning the number of times you will need to wrap it around a pencil or a ruler to reach 1". A tarn that is 4WPI means that you will need to make 4 wraps to get to one inch or that the tarn is 1/4" wide. Most of the tarn you will find will be somewhere between 4 and 8 WPI. 4WPI being a bulkier weight than 8WPI.
You will also need a larger guage crochet hook or knitting needle to work with tarn. I love projects that use a larger guage, as they tend to be faster projects. Speaking in terms of crochet hooks, for a 4 or 5 WPI, I would recommend a guage of L (8mm) as the smallest I would use. For 6 to 8 WPI, I would recommend a guage of J (6mm) as the smallest I would use. This is not written in stone and is open to an artists inspiration to try something new. So try other guages and see what kind of texture you can create. Always be adventurous in your art and never be afraid to try something different.
Also understand that tarn will have little pieces of t shirt dust that will occur with working with it. These are easily disposed of by washing your finished product. It is not an indication of the quality of tarn, as all tarn is susceptible to this fraying of the edges as it is being broke in. The wash will take care of the fray and you won't need to worry about more returning afterward. As far as quality, look for a good cording in the yarn. By cording I mean that the outside edges roll in to create a clean look. Like this:
You can see in this picture how the two ends curl in and leave a very clean looking cord behind. This is what quality tarn will look like.
Care of tarn is super easy. It is just like washing your t shirts! I recommend washing in warm water with like colors on the regular cycle and tumble drying on medium. Depending on the finished product, you may need or want to adjust it to cold water or a delicate cycle. You could tumble dry on a low setting, but it will take a long time and a lot of energy. If you are out to conserve energy, I would recommend drying in the sunshine. It will be stiffer if you do it that way, so depending on the project you may want to use a dryer. Anyway you do it, t-shirt yarn is very durable and easy to care for. I love things that are easy. Life is already complicated enough, right?
Hopefully this will be a good starting point for anyone wanting to use tarn for the first time. You can find several free patterns online and even some tutorials on how to make it yourself, if you would like to give that a go. Mostly, I hope that this will inspire anyone who is afraid of working with a new medium to grab a ball and try it. Believe me, once you make a rug out of this, you will never go back to rug yarn again. This is just as durable and much nicer on your bare feet! If anyone has any questions please feel free to comment below or contact me directly via email.
Coming up in May I will be featuring artists who use tarn in their creations. I cannot wait to show you all of the things these talented artists make from this medium!
Love and Peace,
Luci
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