Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Exactly what is a "Recycled Sock Potholder"?

These sturdy kitchen wonders are woven on a large 9" or vintage 7.5" loom.  The loops are cut from used socks or left-overs from sock production.  Our used socks are purchased by the pound from the Seattle Goodwill Outlet!  We go there periodically for several hours and "mine" the bins for socks.  Sometimes, we find some great stuff.....vintage sweaters, antiques, antique linens, vintage lace, yarn, clothes, knitting needles, books,  a spare pressure cooker top for my very expensive Swiss pressure cooker.  Being a "bottom feeder" at the Goodwill Outlet is big fun!  Not many people are looking for socks, so there is little competition.

Fiber composition is a big unknown!  I do not use socks that are obviously 100% nylon or acrylic.  I prefer to work with cotton and wool blends. 

Caring for your "Recycled Sock Potholder" is very easy.  Machine wash as needed with your regular laundry.  Wash vibrant reds alone, just in case of color bleed.  They usually was up very nicely.  After laundering 100's of them, I have only had a few strange things happen in the wash.  Hang to let dry and stretch it a bit to make sure it stays a nice square shape. 

To tell the truth, I hardly ever wash mine!  When they get really dirty, I make new ones!   My favorites are RED, WHITE, and BLACK to match my 1930's kitchen! 

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Potholder of the Week!

This pair of potholders was made with a pair of GROOVY tied dyed anklet socks and basic black socks.  They were really fun to make and made a great gift for my brother-in-law!  I would LOVE to find more tied dyed socks.  The black really makes the bright tie dye colors pop!