Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn Recently a commenter asked what they could do with all the old newspapers they had piling up. With enough time, patience, and newspapers you can create newspaper yarn. From the design studios of Greetje van Tiem and her “Indruk” project she can purportedly spins 20yds of “yarn” from a sheet of old newspaper. Similar to our post on Plarn, newspaper yarn can be woven into varying degrees of complexity to construct anything from curtains, to rugs, netting throws, or even upholstery. This great craft can create usable additions around the home and is a upcycle for your Sunday Post. Of course the question is "how to spin newspaper yarn?" You will need: ScissorsNewspaperSpindle 1) Take a full sheet from your paper and fold in to about fourths. 2) Cut half inch strips along the width of this folded paper. 3) Create a “lead” with your first strip by twisting it up tightly with your fingers. 4) Wrap the lead around the base of your spindle to begin the process. More Recycled Craft Ideas
Out Of A Nutshell Out Of A Nutshell Coconut Shell - As A Craft Material Despite this initial setback, coconut shell does seem like it has potential as a crafting material - it's reasonably hard, seems more or less grainless and (judging by the piece I tested, below) it looks like it ought to polish up nicely once all the fuzz is sanded away. If you've got any ideas about things I could make from coconut shell, please feel free to drop me a line. I like coconut - I was opening one the other day and started wondering what I could make out of the tough, durable shells. i decided to try to make a French Knitting bobbin... So I started by draining the water from an unopened coconut, then cutting out a circular hole in one end, using a holesaw in my drill press. I cut a smaller hole in the opposite end Then I marked a line around the equator of the shell - by holding a pencil at the right level, then rotating the nut against it on a flat surface. What Went Wrong content nutshell
More Drink Can Tinwork - Hexagonal Snowflake Box Tinwork Embossed tinwork is sometimes used to decorate rustic style photo or mirror frames, or just to make decorative items such as Christmas tree decorations. The metal used is usually thicker (tinplate) and is normally worked with hammered tools - I wanted to try to get a similar effect, but with a bit less effort. Free Downloadable Template If you want to try this for yourself, I've created this PDF template with patterns for both base and lid. When printed on A4 paper, the designs should be the right size to work with metal cut from a 440ml can or larger. More Metalwork If this project interested you, you might also like Lost Wax Casting Safety This project makes use of very thin sheet metal that is likely to have sharp, jagged edges and is prone to springing back. Great care should be taken to avoid injury. This project probably isn't suitable for children - and certainly not without supervision. I cut open and flattened out an aluminium beer can and taped it down to a cork-backed mat.
More Drink Can Tinwork - Star-Shaped Box Free Downloadable Templates If you want to try this for yourself, I've created two PDF templates: this one has base and lid patterns to fit metal taken from a 330ml can - and this one is for use with a tall 440ml can. - they ideally need to be printed on A4 paper. See page 3 for more details on how to use these templates - because this one is a bit more complex, they're laid out in two colours - the red lines need embossing from the front face of the metal. More Metalwork If this project interested you, you might also like Lost Wax Casting Safety This project makes use of very thin sheet metal that is likely to have sharp, jagged edges and is prone to springing back. Great care should be taken to avoid injury. This project probably isn't suitable for children - and certainly not without supervision. More tinwork fun with drink cans. Up to now, I've been scrubbing off the paint from the metal before making the boxes, or at least constructing them so that it's hidden on the inside.
Orange Peel Box Where It All Started This idea developed from the observation that citrus fruits, such as the orange below, develop a hard, tough skin texture when it is allowed to dry out - in this case, because the outer waxy zest layer has been pared away. If You Like That, You Might Like This Drink Can Tinwork Soft drink cans are easily recyclable as scrap metal, but I fancied trying something a little more direct - a simplified form of tinwork Recycled Christmas Card Gift Boxes These little gift boxes are made from recycled Christmas cards - they're easy to make and can be filled with tasty treats or small gifts for the tree or as stocking fillers. I've noticed that citrus peel dries out to form quite a tough, leathery material. Making The Orange Peel Box I started with a bag of fresh navel oranges. The idea will be to stretch the empty skins over two differently-sized forms (in this case, two empty jam jars) - so as to form a base and a lid that fits over it. What Next
Travelling Spice Kit Tinned Roast Eel I bought my first tin of Chinese roast eel entirely on the basis that I liked the brightly-painted tin, half expecting to find the contents weird or inedible. As it turned out, they're really tasty - meaty, firm strips of eel in a spicy, salty sauce. If you like crispy aromatic duck, you might also like these. Tinned Product Manufacturers Take Note So take note, producers of tinned lacklustre packaging - brighten it up a bit and I might buy your product! When I go camping, or when I cook foraged food in the field, I've often wished for a little pinch of some kind of spice or condiment, only to have forgotten to bring it. So I set about making a compact, all-purpose spice kit, containing a basic, but dependable inventory of seasonings, that I can keep packed and ready to go. The Case The star of the show is this lovely little metal clamshell box I made out of a couple of brightly-decorated metal cans that originally contained Chinese roast eels (see side column).