B.B. Bellezza Handcrafted Jewelry: Thursday Green Artist of the Week

The Roses Bloom Shop is very exciting to me because I love to knit. Actually, more than I love to knit, I love yarn. I am delighted about what Rose does!

Rose goes to thrift stores and purchases sweaters. Then she rips them out, washes the yarn and makes skeins for us to reuse! Brilliant!

From her Etsy Shop:

“Maybe you are wondering why I would go through all of the trouble to rip out, wash, skein, weigh, and measure thrift store sweater yarn. There are multiple reasons. First, I am reusing/recycling something that had no purpose other than to be a manufactured sweater that someone didn't want anymore. Thereby I am reducing my own carbon footprint by reusing already made yarns. Plus, since a thrift store sweater is quite cheap and produces a lot of yarn, I can offer you the yarn for a good deal. So, two reasons to buy reused yarn: 1 nice to the environment2 nice to your wallet”

This is pure cashmere yarn, worsted weight (!!!) and it’s only $25 for 262 yards. Is this a dream come true or what?

The Interview:

How and when did you get started making recycled yarn?

I started making recycled yarn not too long ago. Actually it was in the end of March. I was about to get laid off of my job, and I knew I would need something to keep me busy. Since finding a new job seemed like it was near impossible, I wanted to recycle yarn to distract myself and also bring in a little money.

Why did you start making recycled yarn, what was your inspiration?

The main reason I started making recycled yarn was because I thought it was a brilliant idea. Daily I feel guilt about what an impact my lifestyle has on the earth, so minimizing my impact and others' impacts through their yarn stash was a good place to start.

Do you have one tip for people to incorporate being green into their everyday life?

It's so much easier than it seems. There is a recycling bin in my apartment complex that is never ever filled because people don't have the motivation to separate their own recyclables. In addition to recycling, I would urge people to reuse their items as much as they can before recycling. I reuse my old oatmeal packaging to store grains I buy in bulk. If you don't have the time, patience, or resources to do your own thing, ETSY is a wonderful resource for reused, remade, recycled, and upcycled items.

Anything else you would like to add about your art/craft?

It's so fun! I love the entire process. I've always been somewhat of a thrift store fiend. Now I have the chance to buy all of the beautiful sweaters I find, take them apart, and get a new beautiful product. I am so fascinated by the process of any industrial product, so ripping out sweaters gives me a chance to analyze how the factories/workers put a piece together. Plus, something beautiful happens to the yarn in the process. It becomes brighter, softer, and has an unending amount of possibility.