Going Green, and meaning it!

In this time of conservation, recycling and environmental awareness, it is great to see that the words are being backed by actions! Too often, catch phrases and concepts come out of ulterior motives and the real effort is temporary or limited to a few hard-core advocates.

My school has been making the Green effort and we teach our children what is needed to save the earth. In each country that I visit, I take pictures of their recycle efforts to pass along and share the solidarity with those who share our planet.

This green thought process is a major part of my daily thinking, particularly when it comes to creative uses for things that might otherwise be tossed or wasted. Which brings me to my current and previous couple of projects.

The market bags are fun and fast and, happily, being used! My daughter was just over and saw the tan bag and oohed about how she could use that to shop and save the fee for bags at her local store. Yeah! A child of mine is actually WANTING something that I knit and for such a good reason. (Although, I have to say, this child has liked the fingerless mitts, scarves and various other "hip" knits that I have produced, but this is still good.) Needless to say, she is the proud owner of the bag that she even offered to buy from me!

Project #2: The vest that was in the paper a couple of weeks ago. I used the yarn that I swapped, saving money and the reusing someone else's stash in place of buying new. There were no measurements on the sizing in the pattern, and the directions were a bit off, but the vest worked out and is in need of buttons. The daughter previously mentioned is wanting this too. I am a soft touch.

Project #3: I certainly cannot leave for a trip without one last effort to knit something to take. It is usually at the last minute and a bit uncertain, but it always happens. This effort is the Salina Shawl. I was going to use the swap yarn to make it, but the texture was too competitive with the patterning. Ah ha! I had a linen sweater from Banana Republic that was knit with cream linen tape. I did not wear it much and it was too big and boxy to be current. But the ribbon was in great shape. A little unraveling produced all of the materials necessary to knit the shawl and away I went! Hopefully the weekend will find it finished with only the fringe to be done while I chat with the Black Sheep on Tuesday night. No need for new yarn on this one, recycling the ribbon worked out well!

Don't get me wrong, all of the recycling and reuse does not interfere with my shopping the LYS, but it enhances the stash, gives new life to old fiber and saves a little processing from the big companies.