[This article originally appeared in Everyday Artist Studio]
2009 will be a challenging Christmas season for so many Americans...so many have lost jobs or have lost money in the stock market. Many of us have been challenged to become increasingly resourceful with the money and things we have rather than rushing out to purchase more things we don't really need. Rather than catching the national blues, I have decided to use the belt-tightening climate as inspiration to align myself with the green movement this Christmas...the human imperative to save our planet. Rather than "skimping," I am REDUCING. Rather than being a "Scrooge," I REUSE. Rather than being "cheap," I RECYCLE, REPURPOSE, and REGIFT.
In this new spirit, I have crafted a Recycled Christmas Stocking for the Everyday Artist Studio reader. I chose the ubiquitous Target Bag as my primary source for "yarn" because of its lovely red and white design. If you don't have a Target nearby, pick whatever bags you have in a
seasonal color/s. Utilizing plastic bags as yarn is the ultimate in REPURPOSING...breathing new life into something previously considered trash. The body of the stocking is knit with a super bulky yarn so as to ensure a quick knit. This stocking can be completed in the course of about 2 days with relative ease.
I chose to use a super bulky yarn that I happened to have in my stash already (REDUCE), though if you have a color yarn you particularly like in a lighter weight, you can always double or even triple the yarn for similar effect. Another good idea is to recover yarn from children's outgrown sweaters or adult sweaters that have fallen out of favor or are otherwise discarded (RECYCLE). Some yarn companies are buying into the green idea and producing yarn made from recycled products...my personal favorite being Red Heart Eco-Ways in Worsted weight, owing to its very modern palette of color choices. And finally, it goes without saying that if you are going to buy new, buy locally produced environmentally produced agricultural yarn.
2009 will be a challenging Christmas season for so many Americans...so many have lost jobs or have lost money in the stock market. Many of us have been challenged to become increasingly resourceful with the money and things we have rather than rushing out to purchase more things we don't really need. Rather than catching the national blues, I have decided to use the belt-tightening climate as inspiration to align myself with the green movement this Christmas...the human imperative to save our planet. Rather than "skimping," I am REDUCING. Rather than being a "Scrooge," I REUSE. Rather than being "cheap," I RECYCLE, REPURPOSE, and REGIFT.
In this new spirit, I have crafted a Recycled Christmas Stocking for the Everyday Artist Studio reader. I chose the ubiquitous Target Bag as my primary source for "yarn" because of its lovely red and white design. If you don't have a Target nearby, pick whatever bags you have in a
seasonal color/s. Utilizing plastic bags as yarn is the ultimate in REPURPOSING...breathing new life into something previously considered trash. The body of the stocking is knit with a super bulky yarn so as to ensure a quick knit. This stocking can be completed in the course of about 2 days with relative ease.I chose to use a super bulky yarn that I happened to have in my stash already (REDUCE), though if you have a color yarn you particularly like in a lighter weight, you can always double or even triple the yarn for similar effect. Another good idea is to recover yarn from children's outgrown sweaters or adult sweaters that have fallen out of favor or are otherwise discarded (RECYCLE). Some yarn companies are buying into the green idea and producing yarn made from recycled products...my personal favorite being Red Heart Eco-Ways in Worsted weight, owing to its very modern palette of color choices. And finally, it goes without saying that if you are going to buy new, buy locally produced environmentally produced agricultural yarn.
To get started making your own Recycled Christmas Stocking, print out my pattern HERE.
With a little creativity, even the most meager of holidays can be beautiful...and perhaps even MORE in the tradition of the first Christmas...after all, wasn't the manger REPURPOSED as a crib?!?
Happy RECYCLED Holidays!
