New Threads!

I am so excited about the sweaters I bought last week!!  Nope, I'm not going to wear them - I'm going to destroy them!  I just couldn't wait to get them all disassembled before I started working on the first project, so after unraveling the sleeves and cowl neck of the deep plum 55% silk sweater, I started on this long, soft, ruffly scarf.  Oh, my goodness!  I believe I've fallen in love!  I plan to use silk much more in future yarn projects. 

I also picked up a sweater made of red and orange 40% silk yarn and one of navy blue and bright white 100% cotton.  I'm thinking of making a cap and scarf out of the red and orange, but haven't decided yet what to do with the cotton yarn.

I don't have a pic of it yet, but today I also picked up a very soft, snuggly sweater in a vintage-looking pale pink color that is just begging to be made into a pretty little ruffled cowl like this one.

Check out this site for instructions on unraveling a sweater.

Junk Mail Origami

Happy Hump Day, everybody!  Keep on going, you'll make it to Friday!

Do you ever wonder what to do with all of the brochures and things that you get in the mail?  I know that I could stop signing up for things, but then I wouldn't get as many cool coupons.  Therefore, I end up with piles of paper that I use for covering the table during Baby Bear's craft projects, as packing materials, to write shopping lists on, etc.  Some of the wasted paper, especially as we get closer to the big holiday season, is really pretty.

I just can't stand to waste such attractive paper, and I absolutely adore origami as decor or for gift giving, so I turn those cute holiday brochures into paper cranes, flowers, and butterflies.  Below are some links to origami tutorials, pics of others' junk mail origami (I LOVE the elephant!), and some pics of my very own junk mail origami creations.



http://www.origami-instructions.com/
http://www.origami-resource-center.com/free-origami-instructions.html
http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-instructions.html

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

This beautifully illustrated children's book by Simms Taback tells the story of a master recycler. I am constantly looking for ways to teach my daughter the value of reusing things. She loves to read stories together, so Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, a Caldecott Medal book, was a brilliant addition to her bookshelf.

In the book, a hole appears in Joseph's overcoat, so he makes a jacket out of it. The overcoat gets smaller and smaller as the story goes on, but Joseph makes good use of every last little scrap of it. In a culture that equates "new" with "good," I like that Joseph Had a Little Overcoat promotes a more frugal and simpler lifestyle.