I’ve been making a lot of things using up bits and pieces from my scraps recently. This culminated in an idea for a pair of dungarees made entirely from scrap yarn. I never throw any of my scraps away, and had collected a draw crammed full of tiny pieces of yarn and thread.
I knotted anything bigger than 10cm together with simple over hand knots, into a textured ball. The balls look like colourful viruses when they’re being made!
I had no order, and just attached the next strand that came to hand until I had a large ball. I found the process quite enjoyable, coming across bits of old projects and looking at colours going together. I’m a colour junkie and found the process weirdly satisfying. I even had the craft club making scrap balls for me one Saturday afternoon.
After weaving a test piece of fabric I wove long strips on my Saori loom and sewed them together by hand. I love the texture all the random ties make in the fabric.
The dungarees are made using seven panels, two front, two back, two side, and the last panel for the inside leg and gusset. A small panel at the front worked well as a bib pocket. I neatened the hems by unraveling the weaving to the correct length and retying the warp threads along the bottom. I’d had several ideas for fastenings but realised I could slide in and out of the top with no problems.
They’re surprisingly comfortable, and I may even wear them in public, although not with my son around as he says I look like I lost a fight with a curtain 🤣.
Thank you to those people who donated scraps of yarn. I’ve got masses of scraps left so I’m going to weave and make other things. It’s amazing how much we throw away, and how far it’ll go when it’s all tied together. More on what I do with the bits that are too small to tie soon.