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Tag: recycling

Recycling Old Cell Phones

Cindy5 Comments

What do you do with your old cell phones? Do you recycle them? Each year nearly two hundred fifty million phones cell phones are discarded and many get thrown away and end up in our trash and landfills. Cell phones contain toxic chemicals and hazardous materials such as copper, lead, arsenic and zinc products just to name a few of the concerning materials.

And we all know what happens to stuff in landfills — It ends up leeching into our Earth, contaminating our water aquifers, poisoning our animals and thus harming all of us.

Recycle Mobile Phones in the UK is a company that is promoting the safe recycling of cell phones. The company provides useful information on suppliers who are paying cash for old cell phones. Through the process of phone recycling you can get your old cell phones disposed of correctly, into responsible hands. These companies know exactly what to do with the old models and how to recycle them efficiently and responsibly. Consequently, fix the phones (if need be) and put them to good and practical use again, as the phones were initially intended. For example, there are mobile phone recycling companies who repair old broken cell phones or use the parts to repair other recycled phones.

Additionally some recycled cell phones are made available to under-developed countries, the military, and nations suffering from natural disasters, such as the recent major earthquake in Haiti, in which thousands of cell phones were sent to that impoverished nation.

It is so easy to simply compare the best price you can get for your handsets that are just lying around and send it to a phone recycling company. Some mobile phone recycling programs will even prepay your delivery cost to help you out. So please check out Mobile Phone Recycling sites like recyclemobilephones.co.uk, to recycle your old phone and as they say in their slogan Get the most for your old mobile and do your bit for the planet!

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T-Yarn Baby Bib

Cindy10 Comments


Here is my latest t-yarn or tarn project that is created from recycled tee-shirts. I cut an old white tee-shirt up into a very narrow strip about 1/4 inch wide. The shirt I used had no side seams so I just cut around and around the body of the shirt to create one long strip. I then gently pulled on the strip to curl the t-yarn into a nice thin strand which I used to crochet this baby bib. Here is a tutorial on how I cut and curl the t-shirts into curled t-yarn or tarn.

So if you haven’t already tried crafting with recycled t-shirts, check out the process and give it a go. It’s a great way to repurpose those old t-shirts into cool new items.


Free Pattern for Crocheted T-Yarn Baby Bib

Materials needed:

One white T-Shirt cut into 1/4 inch wide strip and stretched to curl into T-yarn (about 1/2 of shirt used)
1/2 oz of cotton yarn (Pink used)
One hook and eye closure

Hook:
H (5 mm) USA size crochet hook

Description: Baby Bib measures 7-1/2″wide at middle and 11″ long

Directions:
Ch 18

Crocheted Kitchen Ensemble Set

Cindy3 Comments

I have been busy crocheting a kitchen ensemble set for an upcoming house warming gift. I was lucky and scored a big bag of cotton yarn at a local thrift store for a wonderful price. I was able to use the cotton yarn to crochet all the kitchen items making this a very frugal gift. Here is my completed kitchen set which includes dishcloths, potholders, and a recycled plastic scrubbie.

Of course no kitchen set of mine could be complete without a touch of recycled materials so I included one of my kitchen scrubbies which are reinforced by adding recycled lettuce netting for extra scrubbing power. The free pattern link and tutorial on how to create the scrubbie is found here.

The granny motif dishcloth, star dishcloth and the potholder are my original patterns. Click on the green links above for the free patterns to those projects. I also have options on these two dishcloth patterns to add a plastic center so they can be used for extra scrubbing. The multi-colored nubby dishcloth pattern shown in the lower left hand corner is from Charlotte over at Crochetville and is available free here.

This has been a wrap up of my latest completed crochet projects. I continue to create new recycled craft ideas. As a sneak preview, I will share that I am finishing a striped purse crocheted in a shell stitch. Each row is a different color as I changed colors of the plastic bags I used every row. It is turning out very colorful and definitely has a unique look. I will be back soon to post that free recycled shell purse pattern. Until then, enjoy your summer!

Recycled Plarn Backpack Pattern

Cindy20 Comments

Presenting the long awaited and many times requested free plarn backpack pattern. This project is crocheted from recycled plastic bags along with a bit of scrap cotton yarn to create an unique backpack or knapsack. This has been a challenging project but I have kept the crochet stitches and instructions as simple as possible so even a beginner should be able to craft this cool recycled backpack.

Here is the how to make plarn tutorial link that shows detailed pictures on how I create plastic yarn from recycled plastic bags.

Click photos to supersize closeups

Enjoy the pattern and happy green crafting to all!

Free Plarn Backpack Crochet Pattern

Materials needed:
One very large ball of plastic bag yarn or Plarn – Approx. 60-70 plastic grocery bags
1 oz. of scrap cotton yarn
1 buckle hardware latch for front flap

Hooks:
N (9 mm) U.S. size metal hook for main body of backpack
J, H & G U.S. size crochet hooks for straps, trim, and drawstring

Description: Plastic Bag Plarn Backpack or Knapsack
Bag measures 13″ wide and 13″ long with 18-1/2″ back straps

Directions:
Ch 18

Plarn Cell Phone Holder

Cindy3 Comments

Crochet yourself this cute and handy little cell phone holder from recycled materials. This holder can hold any type of phone, from iPhones to any of the latest 4g phones in most shapes and sizes. This cell phone holder was made from recycled disposal plastic diaper bags cut and assembled into plarn (plastic bag yarn.) This is another readers creation from Diane who asked me to share the free pattern here.

Free Plarn Cell Phone Holder Pattern
J (6 mm) crochet hook
14 diaper disposal bags (when making Plarn, use 2 loops together)

Note: The disposal diaper bags are small and thin, but are cut the same way as regular plastic bags and 2 loops are used together for each “strand”, so it was doubled up.
2 snaps, or Velcro or buttons

Ch 8. Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each to end, 2 hdc in end ch, continue around other side to end. Do not join, but work in rounds. Hdc in each hdc for approximately 8 rounds, ending at side, sl st in next 3 sts. (strap that holds phone inside) Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. Continue working on 3 sc for 10 rows. FO and weave in ends.


Belt Loop Strap: Attach plarn with sl st to st next to middle on rnd 2 on back of holder (same side as other strap), ch 1, sc in same st and next 2 sts, ch 1 turn. Continue working on 3 sts for 5 rows. FO weave in ends.

Attach snaps or Velcro or buttons on end of strap and in coordinating spot on holder.

Diane used these small plastic diaper bags for her project so it took quite a few to complete the project. I believe if you use a retail plastic bag that you could crochet this project with around 7 bags. Thanks to Diane for sharing this recycled bag project with everyone![…]