Spinning Newspaper-yarn

In this Project I used a simple Spindle I made, but the spindle is not a necessarity if you have something else around which you can wrap the yarn.

For the Project you need:
A spindle or something else around which you can wrap the "yarn" (for example a stick, a pencil or a paintbrush)
scissors
Newspapers

The phases of my Project:
1) Cutting the newspaper into long strips. The width of the strips you can determine for yourself, but if  the strips are close to each other in the width, the newspaper yarn becomes smoother.
2) Tie the first strip to the spindle / a stick (loosely, so as not to tear the paper).
3) Start rotating the strip in one direction. (Always in the same direction)
(If you have a spindle the strips go through the hook.)
4) A bit before the next strip ends, fold the beginning of the next strip into the ending of the previous one and mush them together.
5) Continue rotating .

What can one do with newspaper yarn?
You can for example glue it simply into a basket or an underlay.

A quick and easy knitting project

As a quick and easy knitting project I made a small pouch.

I used large knitting needles, size 10 (millimeters), and I started knitting with 6 wool yarns.

For the colors I chose 1 turquoise (which was clearly thicker then the rest), 1 grey one, 2 white ones and 1 black one.

I knitted one wide piece, which I folded in the middle and sewed together. The yarn at the end I braided together into a small loop. The end of the loop I fastened of (unbraided) into the work.

Because I didn't have a needle with me (I did this in school) I sewed this pouch together by using a hairpin.

I didn't define a purpose for this pouch, I only put bags of candy into it and gave it to a friend.

It would have been easy to add a button or a zipper, but because I didn't have a needle I left them off, at least for now.

DIY: A Spindle for spinning Newspaper-yarn

When I was thinking about what I could make with newspapers, I stumbled upon the idea of newspaper-yarn. I didn't know yet what could be done with this yarn, but I still knew immediately, that that was something I wanted to do.

So I made a (very) crude spindle. I knew that I was going to use this spindle only to make newspaper-yarn, so I didn't have to think about the weight, balance or other such things of the spindle.

There are endless possibilities regarding the used materials and the end result when making a spindle and you can use creativity.

For the project you need:

- a hook 
         - the hook can be replaced with various small objects, which have a curved element
         - you could use for example:
                   - a bent nail
                   - stronger wire
         - I used the wire of a clothespin
- a longer stick (or something like it)
        - a stick
        - the handle of a paintbrush
        - a knitting needle
        - I used a part of a plastic coat hanger (I snapped it)
- glue
- a smallish round object
        - the lid of a jar (for example one made out of plastic so that it is easier to make a hole in it)
        - a CD
        - I used the lid of a candy jar

The phases of my project:

1) Gathering all the needed material for the project (the glue, the coat hanger, the clothesspin, the lid of the candy jar, (yarn, spray paint) & pliers, a knife and scissors)
2) Snapping the coat hanger so that I could have a "stick". I left the round part on the bottom intact (just because) and later I noticed that it was useful as a stopper for the newspaper-yarn.
3) Making a hole into the candy jar lid (with a knife and the scissors).
4) Putting the "stick" trough the lid and gluing then together so that part of the "stick" stays above the lid.
5) Forming the wire of the clothespin to a hook.
6) Attaching the hook to the "stick". For this I used glue and because the coat hanger I used was hollow, but the whole wire didn't fit into it, I also wrapped yarn around the bottom part of the wire, so that it would stay in place during the time the glue was drying and I left the yarn in place.
7) I spray painted the whole thing black.

See also my instructions about making newspaper-yarn.