It's that time of year again - that time of year when I get emails from shoppers who are looking to buy a ready to use mug cozy. I don't sell finished cozies; if I did, the retail price would be at least $50, and I don't think that's reasonable to ask. There are, however, other people who sell cozies, and I've been adding links to a Pinterest board: Mug Jackets and Cup Cozies.
Knitters Without Borders: Smocked Mug Jacket (revised)
I started a Mug Jacket sample in Peace Fleece and got annoyed with myself. If you check the Ravelry projects for this pattern, you'll find a lot of very smart revisions to modify the pattern for different purposes (like travel mug sleeves) or just to make it easier to knit. Sometimes I think my desire to get something knit-to-fit or easily resized overrides my desire to make something easier to actually physically knit, which is how I wound up wrestling with the smocking stitch for a couple of repeats before deciding to just rewrite the pattern already. And so there is now a revised version available for sale - knit from the top of the sides, down to the base. The hand-drawn graph paper chart for the smocking stitch has been replaced with a chart done in Knit Visualizer. Additional photos have been added - each section has a small photo of the section being worked (the base, for example, includes a photo of the finished base).
The previous version is still available for free as a PDF download. The fundraiser version price has been raised to $5.50, with $4.50 going to Medecins sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders. MSF/DWB is always in need of funds; sadly there is no shortage of people world-wide in need of medical care. If you are reading this, there is a very, very good chance that, compared to most of the world's population, you are wealthy. If you are planning to knit a warm jacket for a mug or French press coffeemaker, chances are you can spare a few dollars to help others in need.
For those who purchased the earlier version of the pattern, as a thank-you I sent a new download link for a free download of the revised pattern. If you did not get an email from me with the download link, please let me know so I can send you the link.
Knitters Without Borders: $126
March 25, 2008 - December 10, 2008: $126.00 raised through sales of the Mug & French Press Jacket pattern! I sent the donation off to Doctors Without Borders today. If you aren't familiar with Stephanie Pearl McPhee's fundraising arm for DWB - Knitters Without Borders - please check out the info page over on the Yarn Harlot blog. The pattern is still available for free (please look in the left sidebar for the appropriate link); if you choose to buy the pattern (which is more detailed and gives instructions for working it from the sides down instead of from the bottom up), $4.50 of the pattern price will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, and the remaining $1.00 will be used to cover PayPal fees and hosting costs.
Etsy: Recycling and Upcycling Yarn With Nikki Ross
| Etsy Buy Handmade my7kids |
left to right: Rainbow Trout and Twilight
Nikki Ross (my7kids on Etsy) hand-dyes yarns she recycles from sweaters when she isn't riding a motorcycle, roller-skating, or homeschooling her kids (she has 7 children and 2 grandchildren!) in the beautiful Smoky Mountain foothills. This 46-year old college graduate also bakes gourmet desserts, quilts, sews, reads, gardens, and knits. Nikki graciously took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about her Etsy shop and the yarns she recycles.
Nikki, when did you get started on Etsy?
I registered as a buyer in Feb. 2008 and started selling in May 2008.
What got you started on upcycling/recycling yarn and/or yarn materials?
I dabble in all kinds of crafts... I bake gourmet-style desserts, quilt, sew, read, garden, knit... I LOVE to knit. I started exploring different fibers and was APPALLED at a couple things. The first one was, the price of high-end fiber yarns! With 6 kids still at home to feed and on 1 income, no WAY could I afford to indulge in mohair, cashmere, merino. The second thing was, I came across a site on the internet, explaining how to re-use a sweater. Like, Aunt Gladys gave you a darling knitted deer jumper... hmmm... what can you do with all that yarn? I started noticing all the wonderful fibers hanging around the Goodwill and yard sales, disguised as sweaters.
Who/what inspires your work?
My husband of over 25 years, Richard, is always an inspiration and encouragement. He lets me bounce ideas off him, inquires about what I am doing, how my sales are, whether my prices are competitive. Also my kids are a terrific inspiration... because they haven't yet learned to fear judgment and failure, they come up with the BEST ideas.
How do you choose the themes for your yarns?
My oldest daughter (now married and a mom herself) is SO into literature... I guess she got that honestly... she suggests a literary work that we both love, with interesting characters and then there we are, on the phone talking about how this personality should be this color... The next thing you know my stove is covered with dye pots, the air in my house is full of floating wool fibers from my swift spinning around and around with the latest sweater casualty, and my hands are multicolored and blistered from squeezing dye out of yarn... LoL
left to right: "The Gruffalo" and "Early Dark"
What are your favorite parts of recycling/upcycling?
Hard to say if my favorite part is "the Hunt" for suitable victims, or the actual unraveling, which is kind of soothing; or the coming up with ideas, or the dyeing, or seeing the end result, or being able to offer these wonderful, soft, luscious yarns at SO much less than they cost at the LYS.
But I kind of think it might be the coming up with ideas. Because once I have an idea, the fiber takes on that character for me, and it is almost an obsession to get it into its yarn form and see it "come to life," dyed into beautiful new colors.
What are the most challenging things about recycling/upcycling?
The first most challenging thing is balancing what I want to do with yarn and on Etsy, with my time with the kids, their school, and order in our home. It would be easy for me to just create, and neglect other things. But I can't because the 2nd most challenging thing for me is space. There are 8 of us living in a 1450 sq. ft. house and I have to make sure my creativity doesn't overtake us. LoL!!
Oh and the 3rd challenge is, finding sweaters that have been gently cared for. I recently took a trip and SO many of the sweaters I came across had been washed improperly, felted, etc. It is a shame that we are so consumer-driven that we can treat what we have shoddily and then just cast it off and go buy more!
Anything else you'd like to add?
I am incredibly so thrilled to have found a marketplace like Etsy. It is such a refreshing (and polite!) change from just anything else out there. For the remainder of 2008, all the profits from my Etsy listings (sales
less listing fees, CoMS, and mailing supplies) are going to the
building of a new Youth Center here in the Greater Knoxville area!
| Etsy Buy Handmade my7kids |
Etsy: Upcycling and Re-imagining yarn with M.K. Lawrie
Go into the average thrift store and what are you almost guaranteed to find? Lots and lots of t-shirts. What to do with all those t-shirts? In Chicago, 31-year old Mary K. Lawrie turns t-shirts into yarn, and has been selling on Etsy as mklawrie since January 2008. She cuts shirts with a single, continuous cut, with carefully handsewn joins, for a smooth, even yarn. Weights range from worsted to bulky to super bulky, with worsted weight being cut from the lighter, thinner t-shirts.
worsted weight t-shirt yarn
What got you started on upcycling/recycling yarn and/or yarn materials?
I started using recycled materials when I was in college in part because I was a poor art student, and recycled materials were free. However, the more I work with recycled materials the more aware I am about what else I can do to create more sustainable practices in my life and daily routines.
left to right: Super-Bulky Red, Super-Bulky Yellow-Orange, and Super-Bulky Black
What are your favorite parts of recycling/upcycling?
It's like a puzzle. I love the challenge of finding new ways to reuse things.
worsted weight t-shirt yarn
What are the most challenging things about recycling/upcycling?
Limitations. By that I mean both setting limits on how much stuff I can save to use later, and feeling limitations on what I can accomplish.
| Etsy Buy Handmade mklawrie |
Mary is planning to increase inventory and provide a wider selection in her Etsy shop (M.K. Lawrie), where you can also find cozy handknit hats and scarves.
All photos in this blog post are copyright Mary K. Lawrie and are used here with her permission.