New Project: Great Spring Idea for Scrap Yarn

Photo from Susan at Juniper Moon Farm at
http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/03/the-first-day-of-spring

If you read this blog, you know I'm a HUGE fan of projects that use scrap yarn.  We knitters all have a tone of it, and are always looking for ways to use it.  Well, Susan at Juniper Moon Farm has a great Spring idea for scrap yarn.

She filled a suet feeder with her scraps and put it out for birds to use for building their nests!  I really love this idea!  Get all the info on her site here.  

I'm definitely going to do this.  We might be a little late, because I've seen some birds busy in our trees building their nests.  But I'm going to put out a collection of scraps and see what happens.  I'm going to be semi-scientific about this and document the process to see whether I find any scraps of yarn incorporated in nests nearby.  Stay tuned :)

Free Knitting Pattern/Tutorial: Field of Flowers Recycled Tote

This project has long been on my list of things to do.  I'm so glad I finally tackled it, and I am THRILLED with the results!

I'm sure we all have those random, maybe beat up,

tote bags that are great for carrying things, but often feature logos or slogans that aren't necessarily what we want to be seen carrying around.

Using my Flirty Flower Pin as a starting step, I knitted up a full bouquet of varying size flowers from scrap yarn, added some button centers, and used them to cover over the graphic on my old tote to create a whole new bag!  Ta-da!  Love it!

I'm calling this my Field of Flowers Recycled Tote Bag.  You can get the instructions for different sized flowers and a tutorial for putting the bag together on my Hubpages!

Update on "Knit the Bridge"

These are the types of stories that make me proud to be a knitter :)

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that creative and cat-loving knitter Marty Ressler has taken some of the leftover knitted panels from the Knit the Bridge project and crafted them into pet beds for cats at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.

from http://www.post-gazette.com

What a great idea!  I love projects that reuse and recycle materials and this is one of the best ideas I've heard.  As amazing and breathtaking as the Knit the Bridge was, this reuse of the yarn and panels is a beautiful end to an inspiring story! 

In this season of giving, hopefully this story will inspire all of us to think creatively and find ways to help out in our communities!