Eco DIY: Crochet Scarf with Banana Silk Yarn

Ten days and counting till the Craft Fair my mom got me a table at!!! And so I am busting my imagination for a variety of eco friendly & useful diddies. Since the new natural fiber yarns I got are sooooooooo amazing to touch and to look at I hardly need to get crazy with it... i decided some simple crochet scarves that would show off the beauty of the yarn fiber would be fun to make!
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Making a long scarf can take quite a few hours for me, but long skinny scarves are still in style (it looks way cute plus you get extra warmth wrapping it around your neck bunches of times)...
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Here is the scarf pattern I made up, in case ya'll would like to make one too :::::
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1. (ch) chain stitch --- Make a chain the length you want the scarf, mine is approx. 7 feet long
2. (d) double crochet --- turn the work and do a double crochet stitch into the chain, for the entire length
3. REPEAT the double crochet in step #2 four times, till you reach your desired width
4. THE TRIM --- I took thinner soy yarn and (d) double crocheted across the edge, and then made a lace effect by .... (ch) chain stitch 6, then single crochet, then repeat across till the end of the width. Do this on both sides.

XOxoxox

Natural Fiber & Organic Yarns

I was so sad the other week when I found out my favorite online yarn store Knit For Brains had closed down, but I scored big when I wrote the owner and asked if there was left over inventory I could still buy!! I got everything at wholesale and under prices - wooo hooo! My fellow crochet and knitters will know this is like the kid in a candy store, all those colors, all the soft silky feel, all the cool ass projects I can make now.
And everything is 100% natural fiber, there are no fugly and creepy feeling acrylic yarns in this box, no chemical fibers. Some of these yarns are made from things that people would never expect, so I thought I would share a lil' bit about why buying these eco yarns is better and show ya how beautiful they look too...

1. Banana Silk Yarn (also known as banana fiber yarn) ::::

This eco savvy yarn is in a category all it's own. It is rarely heard of, rarely seen at yarn stores and has a look & feel that is utterly unique to the fiber. And I LOVE IT! It really does have that natural sheen to it.

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"Banana Silk fiber yarn is made from the fiber of the banana tree. Only the decaying outer layers of the trees (aged bark) are harvested and soaked under water to quicken the natural process. When all of the chlorophyll structures are dissolved, the cellulose fibers remain. They are extruded into pulp and to make it suitable for spinning into yarn." -shangri la crafts

2. Soy Yarn (also known as Soy Silk Yarn) :::

I love soy yarn. It's so awesome one time my cat ate some of it like she was Lady and the Tramp slurping up pasta at a romantic dinner. It has a super silky, slippery feel and works great for delicate, luxurious projects. I like to make necklaces with this yarn, and one time I even made a pair of panties... it is the perfect feel to make lingerie.

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"Soy is the ultimate sustainable fiber -- it's made from discarded tofu! Leftovers from tofu manufacturing are gathered up, liquefied, and extruded through spinnerets to create filaments which are then spun into fine yarns. The process is very similar to how bamboo fibers are spun. Henry Ford first investigated the use of soy in textiles for his automobiles in the 1940's, but the arrival of synthetics on the scene caused this effort to fade away." - fiber organics

3. Bamboo Yarn ::::

The above bamboo yarn color is awesome... it's called GIRLIEFLAGE! A girl camo yarn that comes out in a cute camo-ish pattern. I have never gotten to use the bamboo yarn yet but it seems similar to the soy yarn and it is certainly soft to touch with a sheen to it. I don't have to use it to know I already love it and plan to make alot of necklaces with this yarn!

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"In order to make bamboo into yarn, the stalks are liquefied and then extruded by machine through spinnerets into threads, which are then spun into yarn. The process is similar to how rayon is made, so sometimes bamboo textiles are referred to as "bamboo rayon" or "bamboo viscose". Other cellulosics (fibers derived from cellulose) such as lyocell (made from wood pulp) and modal (made from beechwood) are processed this way also.
Some people are concerned about the production of bamboo textiles because the process uses caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), which is dangerous in large quantities. Some suppliers work closely with manufacturers to ensure that the fabrics are made with minimal environmental impact. They use advanced wastewater treatment systems and have strict controls on exhaust emissions."
- Fiber Organics

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4. Organic Cotton Yarn ::::

I didn't buy any this go around... but I know it's good stuff! here is what it takes to make the fiber....

"◦uses untreated seeds (no insecticides or fungicides)
◦never uses genetically modified seeds
◦builds strong soil through crop rotation, rather than relying on synthetic fertilizer
◦physically removes weeds rather than relying on herbicides
◦uses beneficial insects and lure crops to manage pests
◦relies on seasonal freezes to remove foliage from cotton, rather than chemicals
◦must be processed separately from conventional cotton, including separating the fiber from the seed, spinning, knitting and sewing
◦if bleached, hydrogen peroxide is used rather than chlorine
◦dyes used are the least harmful possible (to people and planet), and may include low-impact, fiber-reactive, and natural dyes " -Fiber Organics

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5. Wool Yarn ::::

Wool can mean alot of things, there is sheep wool, alpaca wool, llama wool... but being a wool fiber does not mean it was processed in an environmentally sensitive way. Here is what is takes to do it right...

"◦the sheep are not genetically modified or given synthetic hormones or vaccinations;
◦from the last third of a lamb’s gestation period, all feed grain and grazing pasture must be organically grown
◦pastures may not be treated with pesticides
◦sheep may not be dipped in pesticides to treat parasites like ticks and lice (the dipping chemicals can harm sheep farmers, and contaminate nearby ground water)
◦sheep must be maintained in good health
◦mulesing (gruesome removal of the skin, to treat blowflies) is obviously not permitted
◦the number of sheep per acre of land is limited to the land’s natural capacity to support grazing livestock; producers cannot overgraze the land
◦during the cleaning, carding and spinning processes, organic fibers are kept separate from non-organic fibers
◦any dyes used are low-impact and metal-free" -Fiber Organics
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6. Nettle Yarn ::::

Link to see it HERE.

" the fiber from the stinging nettle plant used to be a common alternative to cotton. Until 1900 or so, it was widely used instead of cotton, due to a cotton shortage. Nettle fabrics were used in military clothing during the second World War. However, as synthetic materials became more popular, nettle fabric lost its market share, and eventually the technology for producing fiber from the plant was forgotten. The German firm Stoffkontor Kranz AG, founded in 1991 by Heinrich Kranz, has invested significant efforts to develop new methods for producing nettle fabrics. Another industrial-scale developer of nettle textiles is Camira, creator of Sting Plus fabric. Nettle grows “like a weed”, requiring no pesticides and very little fertilizer. The plants come back every year, and only need to be replaced every 10-15 years. " -Fiber Organics

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For more natural fiber yarns, and blends go HERE. Viva La Crochet!!!!

xoxoxoxo

Eco DIY: Crochet Necklace

My eco crafting frenzy continues on (the craft fair my mom entered me in is December 11th!)
I liked this crochet necklace idea so much I wanted to share it with ya'll! There are alot of people out there who love jewelry but have allergies to either metal, chemicals in leather cords, or toxic fabric cords... I am one of those people and so I am always trying to come up with cute shit to wear that is eco, chem free, and safe. For this crochet jewelry project I used soy yarn! (Soy and Bamboo yarns are very silky and have a natural sheen.)

I would really like to elaborate on this crochet necklace idea, but for now here is the simple pattern I made up last night ::::

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1. (ch) chain stitch --- make a crochet chain the length you would like your necklace to hang. I don't get anal about the math.

2. (s) single crochet stitch --- at the end of your chain, turn your work and do a single crochet stitch in the first hole.

3. (ch) 4 --- make 4 chain stitches off the single crochet.

4. SKIP 2 --- skip two holes AFTER you've made the 4 chains.

5. (s) single crochet --- make a single crochet stitch in the next hole AFTER the two you skipped.

6. REPEAT step #3-#5 --- this repeat makes the lace effect, repeat it till you get to the end of your original chain.

7. THE BALL/clasp --- when I got to the end of the lace, I did 6-8 DOUBLE crochet stitches all going into the same hole at the very end of the necklace. This make a fan or shell shape - which I then folded over once and used a SLIP STITCH to hold in place, the folded over again and did another SLIP STITCH to hold in place, creating a ball shape. The ball can then be poked through the lace holes to hold the necklace on!!! Way cool. :)))

8. Pendant --- I would rather do all crochet and make it really fancy, but for now a nice glass or ceramic pendant is fun! I tied it on with some hemp twine that was the same color as the soy yarn I used to crochet with.

Xoxxoxx

DIY: Crochet Bazooka Boots Part 1

Yay! I got some sheep's wool yarn for X-mas (Thanks Gretta & Kathy!), bought locally in downtown Asheville at the Earth Guild. I decided since it is freeeeezing cold out, the wool would be great for a pair of warm Bazooka Boots. You might be wondering what the hec a 'bazooka boot' is... all I can say it is a name born of the imagination of 1990's teenagers in New Orleans to describe yarn knitted boots from a store in the French Quarter called Kruz. I owned and loved a pair of bazooka boots for many years, even once they sagged and became known as "quitters" after running through an airport to catch a plane. Long gone now, I decided it is time I make my own, DIY style. :)
Step one: I started with a crochet chain (ch) - you can make it whatever length you need to get around your size calf/leg. Bazooka Boots generally run a little large, they are big and not tight fitting.

Step two: I looped my chain (ch) stitch together to make a full circle. This is where you should make a "slip stitch" to continue on. I don't know exactly what I did (a possible slip stitch hybrid?) but i looped it together and kept going upward in a spiral pattern after.
Step three: Once I got the slip stitch to hold the circle together I did one full circle of single crochet stitch (s) and then continued up the spiral with a double crochet stitch (d).
I used the double crochet stitch (d) all the way to the top till I got to the end of the yarn ball and did one last row of single crochet (s).
Step four: Once I tied off the end, I folded down the top and ran a red ribbon in and out the stitches.
Half DONE! What I need to do next is make the footie bottom part for both of the bazooka boots, then attach either a strip of leather or some type of thin shoe sole. That will be in PART 2!!! For now we (me and Lily) needed a break... it was making us cross eyed and wonky... ;)
To BE COnTinUed.....

XoXo