Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Doug Gunzelmann in Concept+Design, DIY

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. Its strength may be slightly less that of yarn but when spun tightly and woven into something like a mat the newspaper yarn is a durable and functional structure.

This great craft can create useable additions around the home and is a upcycle for your Sunday Post.

Of course the question is “how to spin newspaper yarn?” Well the supplies are few, the skills basic, and the end possibilities immense.

You will need:

Scissors
Newspaper
Spindle

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.

5) Use the spindle to continue twisting the paper in the same direction you began. When you get within about 4 inches of the end leave it untwisted so that your can splice the next strip together.

6) The next strips twists together with the last via the “tail” of the prior strip.

7) Keep rockin and rollin like this until you get to a desired amount of yarn baby!

Tags:

handspun newspaper, yarn

88 Responses to “ Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn ”

Mike

17. Jun, 2008

How flammable is it once it’s spun like this?

Reply to this comment
- Gloria
  
  24. Mar, 2009
  
  It would be flammable, but remember natural fibers burn less readily than man-made ones. In a tightly twisted yarn it seems to me that it would be relatively hard to light. It will, however, burn more readily than cotton or linen.
  
  Reply to this comment
livepaths

18. Jun, 2008

Very interesting.

If the economics don’t work, recycling and sustainable efforts won’t either.
Check http://LivePaths.com a blog about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These include some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.

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Amy

18. Jun, 2008

Thanks for the tutorial! It was great to see pics of it being done! I had seen the results on the Internet but wondered if it had to be wet or was coated wtih a binder of any kind. So, thanks for the clear instructions!

Reply to this comment
nancy

19. Jun, 2008

Where did you get the spindles?

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Doug

19. Jun, 2008

Nancy,

You can buy them at quite a few sites online:

heres one.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2874&PRODID=prd47999&source=search

Reply to this comment
Woolly M.

23. Jun, 2008

Beautiful. I can’t wait to try this and make it for a friend who knits. Thanks for the lesson! Woolly M.

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Carmen

23. Jun, 2008

How neat!

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Pat

11. Jul, 2008

Very innovative!

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Kris

11. Jul, 2008

Intriguing, to say the least.
I weave, dye and paint, but don’t spin which means this will never happen in my world.
However, something to consider for those who do…………. I see a tremendous palette of possibilities. One could paint this surface in myriad ways, wild colors to soft & quiet, even photo transfers, which would probably strengthen it somewhat especially for foot traffic. I’ve done this to old, soiled sisal rugs and they are instantly transformed and changeable, as well. They’re also infinitely easier to clean forevermore.

So, with the paper wovens - bags, wall art, rugs……. possibilities abound!

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Christina

11. Jul, 2008

I wonder about the dye coming off on your hands and possibly on anything else it might come into contact with. I think it’s a really cool idea!

Christina

Reply to this comment
janet

11. Jul, 2008

I haven’t spun newspaper, but I have spun used wrapping paper. There is a Japanese tradition of weaving with spun paper. They use strong, long fibered papers for their spun and woven kimonos. I think that newsprint is weak, though the photos of woven items are impressive in this article.

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Laurie

14. Jul, 2008

Could you do this on a spinning wheel? I might try it.

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RecycleCindy

16. Jul, 2008

Absolutely the coolest idea I’ve seen lately. Creating paper yarn definitely will be on my to-do list. I love crafting with recycled materials. Thank you for sharing and providing a wonderful tutorial.

Reply to this comment
Nicole

07. Aug, 2008

I’m not much of a spinner, myself, but that’s really neat!
-Nicole

Reply to this comment
Tanner (is creative)

14. Aug, 2008

Now that’s cool! I feel like spinning some right now, even though I don’t have any real use for the yarn. Though the idea of having newspaper furniture/rugs/whatever seems pretty chic to me. I like it.

Makes me wonder what else you can do with newspaper that would be useful.

Reply to this comment
Bodil

19. Aug, 2008

Great idea!

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Tara

20. Aug, 2008

I tried this myself a few months ago (posted it here), but didn’t really have great luck. It kept breaking as I spun it and it just went SO slow. JesSprkle sells some newspaper yarn and she coats her fingers with wax before spinning, which makes a very even, easy to knit with yarn!

Reply to this comment
Turrean

20. Aug, 2008

This would make a cool looking rug for the porch, but what happens when it gets wet?

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curegirl0421

20. Aug, 2008

I’m thinking that spun wrapping paper (great idea) or newspaper would probably not do well outside, but it would make a great crocheted baskets for indoor use, no? Square baskets perhaps? I would think that once you’ve created something you would want to Modge Podge the bottom at least, if not the sides, to keep the newsprint from staining whatever you’ve stuck it on, but I think it might be a tad time consuming to coat the paper before spinning, and would also probably make it tough to spin. My 2 cents.

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Heather

20. Aug, 2008

How would you dye the finished yarn?

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Alan

20. Aug, 2008

Isnt newspaper poisonous? Or toxic?

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Nichola

20. Aug, 2008

Damn! Why did i sell my spindle?? i want to make newspaper yarn!

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Melissa

20. Aug, 2008

Oh now that sounds like a whole bunch of fun! I may have to try that

Reply to this comment
Nyx

20. Aug, 2008

So I had been trying to figure out how to turn magazines into yarn for various knitting/crochet/basketry techniques and what do I see this morning! Thank you for the tutorial I finally got around to making a CD drop spindle and tried this out.. it works really well with crepe paper too

Reply to this comment
sarahelizabeth

21. Aug, 2008

This is awesome! I will now be saving up my newspaper!!

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strawbird

22. Aug, 2008

I did this with recycled plastic bags in India. We cut up strips of colored bags and twisted them into clear bags- was kind of metalic. Thanks for sharing the paper!

Reply to this comment
shewolf

22. Aug, 2008

Newspaper isn’t poisonous. The ink is soy based, and paper itself, while not very nutritious, isn’t unsafe to eat. At least, the standard black-and-white paper. No clue about the sales circulars.

I think something great would be to ply a thick yarn, and use it to hold firewood. Or a place for newspapers and magazines.

Reply to this comment
julee

22. Aug, 2008

Thanks for posting this! I tried it and posted it to my blog!
http://www.juleedunekacke.com/blog/2008/08/22/hand-spun-newsprint/

I had some problems getting the yarn to be as small as it is in the picture above. I also had some problems with the yarn tearing. It never tore on the current row, but always the previous row that was being knit into. Any tips on that?

Thanks!

Reply to this comment
lennyb

23. Aug, 2008

try those printer ribbons from the kodak instant kiosks like they have at walmart.
spin it up into yarn and then from there you can put it on a homemade rope machine to make very strong rope.

Reply to this comment
Valerie

27. Aug, 2008

Has anyone tried making a hybrid recycled yarn? Perhaps newspaper spun with plastic bags? Or with cassette tape? Seems like there’s got to be a way to make the newspaper yarn thinner without sacrificing strength. I love the look of the twisted newsprint, but I would want it to be thin enough to make something more delicate!

Reply to this comment
Erica

28. Aug, 2008

I had a hat I loved made of paper from China. It was brownish paper, not newprint. I wonder if it was waxed or oiled, but it didn’t feel oily. My Chinese-made hat held up pretty well in occasional light rain. It was the sort of bell-shape that dropped its brim down around my face and neck. It had little wooden beads worked into lacy holes along about an inch from the brim. Very charming, and made of paper! but flexible and strong.

I bet you could do something similar with newsprint, maybe colored ads would be pretty (though slightly more toxic with copper in the inks).

If you want waterproof, you could wax it (but it will be very flammable). If you want it less flammable, maybe use something like latex paint or ask at the hardware store for a good water-seal. Most liquids will soak all the way into newsprint, and when they set it’s like they’re part of the whole piece.

This paper yarn could also be handy for ultralight paper-mache projects. Or as a base for clay - you could dip it in clay slip, fire it, and have a “crocheted” clay sculpture.

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betsy

02. Sep, 2008

How wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial!

Reply to this comment
Purple

04. Sep, 2008

Awesome idea. I’m spinning some right now. I don’t have a spindle, so I’m wrapping it around a chopstick withe rubber bands on the ends so the yarn doesn’t slip off. Seems alright so far. Once I get a good amount of yarn, I’m going to try and knit it - not sure what into, though!

Reply to this comment
Patricia R Cramer

04. Sep, 2008

What is the practical application for this spum paper?

Surely you could not knit a sweater in case you were caught in the rain.

Also, as a knitter, I am much interested in the feel of my yarn.

Harsh or stiff is out for me.

Sorry for the negativity. Perhaps you can enlighten me.

Pat C.

Reply to this comment
Andreia

05. Sep, 2008

Parabens e obrigado por dividir conosco essa ideia.
beijoss

Reply to this comment
Luba

07. Sep, 2008

Wow, what a fantastic idea!!! I’ll try making some tonight.
Thanks for sharing and the great pics too.

Reply to this comment
justin

16. Sep, 2008

this is school

Reply to this comment
Meredith

25. Sep, 2008

As in anything fiber arts related, patience and the joy of making is key. Spinning is time consuming but if you are into it you just are…

I am looking forward to adapting this idea and recycling papers (maybe junk mail/catalogs) wound with other materials. I made yarn out of saran wrap a long time ago for weaving and the durability and effects were gorgeous! http://tinyurl.com/saranwrap

Reply to this comment
FoggySonntag

29. Sep, 2008

Coolest ever. I’ve become overwhelmed with my stash of paper -magazines, shreds, tissue paper, wrapping, and newspaper-all of it! This is something I can’t wait to experiment with.

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Lexi

08. Oct, 2008

How easily do they break? I was thinking of making that string with newspaper beads and giving them away as gifts for Christmas to my friends.

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Nicole

30. Oct, 2008

I have been working at this for about an hour now and I am having a ton of issues. Primarily, the “thread” is very weak where joined to a new piece of newspaper. Spinning newspaper is a challenge, but that will probably become simpler with practice, but I want to know how the heck to keep those two pieces together.

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Kara

03. Nov, 2008

This is brilliant!! now to find time to do it, between all my other spinning desires … >.>

Reply to this comment
Anne

16. Nov, 2008

People in the Philippeans have been doing this for ages and then using the “yarn” to weave baskets, tissue paper covers and other things. Generally, once they are done, it’s painted to make it look more like a traditional woven good. This is the first time I’ve seen it knitted, though. Interesting!

Reply to this comment
angelique

20. Nov, 2008

I found this at about 1:30 this morning and I tried it after I woke up. It worked pretty good for me on a homemade drop spindle. This is the first time I’ve ever spun anything and it was really easy. I understand that some people have had difficulty with breakage, I thought that I would also try this using casette tape folded in with the paper and it worked fantastic!!! If you fold your strips in half and run the casette tape in the center it doesn’t even show.

Reply to this comment
Oh Nevermind

22. Dec, 2008

Why are all these things seen as “green” humans have done this type of thing for centuries until they were coaxed away from it by the seekers of power and wealth, who themselves keep the knowledge of all these arts.

This is not “green” it is HUMAN, perhapse my philosophy is shining through with this comment but it appears as though people call “green” in the west what people call LIFE in the countries that are being exterminated as overpopulated and primitave with convenient diseases from Dr.WHO.

Have none of you wondered why in England the title “Primate” is reserved for the ruler, the one who is uncivilized and of the guardian class, meaning should the empire fall they hold the knowledge to enslave the minds of men anew for their own peace and comfort. They tell us that man comes from the monkey but yet the monkey roams free and men do not, men are taxed and do nothing without permission. Men should long ago have thrown poo at the injustice he endures.

Thank you for this post it shall be put into practice as soon as i get my loom made. May all of you enjoy your time off from the work that we all must do to survive in slavery together.

Reply to this comment
celia

22. Dec, 2008

We have handmade spindles for sale. Just call or email me and I’ll send you one pronto! of course you could make your own out of a CD and some dowel!
Celia

Reply to this comment
Annie Botte

28. Jan, 2009

you wrote:
<>

calm down
Why are you bristling at the term green? No one said that handcrafts and necessity crafts weren’t done for centuries! lol! Of course they were!
Things are often called “green” when they are easier on the environment than their man-made counterparts.
Green simply means less chemicals, less waste, less pollutants, less to go into a landfill,etc….

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Matt Embrey

29. Jan, 2009

@Anne Botte, well put, thank you!

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Pam

25. Mar, 2009

I wish I had the patience to spin, this is a wonderful idea

Reply to this comment
sand

30. Mar, 2009

great idea … mmmm .. :d

Reply to this comment
Soni

09. Apr, 2009

You can make your creations flame retardant (and unappetizing to bugs, if you have silverfish or the like) by soaking it in a solution of:

9 oz borax (in the laundry section of the store)
4 oz boric acid (get it at the pharmacy)
one gallon water

Soak your paper product in the solution until thoroughly saturated, then let air dry. You could soak first and then spin, or vice versa, I would guess. They use this type of solution (or similar ones) to fireproof and bug-proof recycled cellulose for building insulation. It’s totally non-toxic and while it’s probably not 100%-never-ever-burn proof, it’s good enough for building codes.

BTW, this also works for clothing and upholstery, although it washes out so you have to reapply it after you launder them.

Reply to this comment
Soni

09. Apr, 2009

Got to thinking about how some people are having problems with breakage, and maybe it’s because they’re cutting strips against the grain.

To tell which way the grain goes, try tearing a strip. If it rips cleanly and smoothly in a more or less straight line, that’s the grain direction. If it tears all jagged and doesn’t want to tear straight, that’s going against the grain. You want your strips to be cut lengthwise to the grain.

Dunno if that’s the problem, but figured it couldn’t hurt to make a note, lol.

Reply to this comment
Brooke

20. Apr, 2009

This is a fantastic idea! Thank you for sharing!

I linked to this post here

http://siayla.blogspot.com/2009/04/earth-day-newspaper-flowers-and-more.html

Reply to this comment
andza

24. Apr, 2009

great idea…

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JoeK

08. May, 2009

if you “pre-crinkle” the news sheets the yarn is mouch softaer and has more drape. take your news shet and crumble it up tightly un do it carefully, crinkle it again and roll the ball between your palms, the paper gets softer, now flatten out, cut your strips and spin. Much softer mmmmmmm maybe this would make a sweater. . . . .

Reply to this comment
KnittingGuru

19. May, 2009

This newspaper yarn and also the plastic yarn referred to are great recycling ideas. It is important to consider their uses and toxicity however. The flame retardant idea would probably work, but it sounds like you’d be adding some pretty toxic things to your home environment.

I’ve made things from “Plam” but I wouldn’t want to wear them even as a bracelet

I’ll stick to natural fibers every time. To help the planet survive, it’s best to stay away from synthetic yarns like acrylic that are made from petroleum which we need to conserve. Wear comfortable cotton, wool, alpaca, mohair, and bamboo (rayon)! These are sustainable fibers that are also very beautiful.

Reply to this comment
ramesh

19. Jul, 2009

Type your comment here…

Reply to this comment
Denise

01. Aug, 2009

This would also be a great way to just practice spinning! I think I am going to do this on my kick spindle to get me going!

Reply to this comment
nabilah

17. Aug, 2009

what a great idea

Reply to this comment
Safam

26. Aug, 2009

Dude, this is AWESOME!!!
I wish I had the time to do this. I’ve actually got lots of newspapers lying around, but unfortunately there’s zero free time for me to do ,my creative stuff.

Is there a place to buy these products?
Sorry if I’m repeating the question, I’m at work and had no time to read through all the comments

Reply to this comment
Sierra Pelona Crochet

28. Sep, 2009

This is such a fabulous idea! I may dust off my long-idle drop spindle and brush up my hand-spinning skills just to do this!

Reply to this comment
- canoer
  
  09. Oct, 2009
  
  I weave rag rugs on a floor loom, and I was nosing around looking for inspiration for my next rag rug. I don’t do anything special to the rag strips I use (usually just torn sheets). So I just started stripping old newspapers into 1″ or so strips and started weaving with them.
  
  I’m only about 6″ into the rug, so I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. When I get to the edge, I twist the newspaper strip to ease the turn. With rags or yarn, you “bubble” the strip across the warp but flat strips of newsprint won’t bubble. So I may have some weird draw-in. But so far it seems to be working well, and I have nice pile of papers to work with.
  
  Reply to this comment
  - canoer
    
    26. Oct, 2009
    
    The sampler turned out well. It’s hard to tell it’s not some sort of fabric when you first look at it or handle it.
    
    Reply to this comment

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Links round-up for June 19th | Two Swallows blog

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