The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,760 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,508 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MaryJane
Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
For this week’s Stitching and Crafting/Nellie Make-Do Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I settled in for a long winter’s nap a little recycling and crafting.
Getting’ down with my crafty self.
In order to earn my Intermediate Level merit badge I had to devote at least 50 hours to making fiber projects without purchasing a darn thing (sewing machine parts and/or thread excluded). This worked out well since I’m broke as a joke due to the holidays.
And due to my extreme fondness for snacking. Snacks don’t grow on trees, yanno?
I still needed a few gifts for birthdays, so this badge would be perfect for killing two birds with one … bush … in the hand. Or however that goes. Expressions are not my thing. Snacking is my thing.
I took out two sweaters I had been given eons ago by my Gramma Barbie, who—let’s face it—has had at times questionable fashion sense. They were high in quality and color and low in fit and appearance, to say the least. With a Downton Abbey marathon just starting up, I began unraveling.
photo by Bas Sijpkes via Wikimedia Commons
That’s right. I was unraveling sweaters to make balls of yarn to make new knitted creations.
photo by xlibber via Wikimedia Commons
How many pot holders would a sweater make? We were about to find out.
Hang on a second. Lady Mary and Matthew are needing my full attention. Such shenanigans …
Soon, I was sitting in a pile of chartreuse yarn. I felt like Miss Muffet on a tuffet (what’s a tuffet, anyway?) and I had nearly knitted myself into a fiber cage of my own making. I paused the television during poor Sybil’s childbirth, and spent some dedicated time to rolling neat and tidy balls.
Or, at least I tried to.
Note to self: Arrange for kitty-cat daycare when attempting to start large knitting projects. They were unraveling and chasing my yarn faster than I could spin one. It was like shoveling snow during a blizzard, or eating Oreos after brushing your teeth. Sigh.
Now, never let it be said you must follow in my size 5, kitten-heel footprints. You don’t have to be a knitter or a ruthless sweater killer to earn your own Nellie Make-Do badge, no. You can make quilts from other scraps, if that floats your boat better. Also, if you have cats, I might recommend quilting, although they will likely think you are laying out various bedding options for them, so … you can’t win. But I chose the knitting from sweaters option because of this charming book:
It follows an adorable couple who live in a shack and eat nothing but turnips (that’s probably another badge). The wife unravels the husband’s sweater, bit by bit, row by row, in order to knit some socks to trade for milk and cheese (backyard cow, anyone?). Then the owners of the cow unravel the socks, one at a time, to make a sweater for the farmer. And the twist at the end? Well, it’s witty and sweet and will make you want your own bucket of milk, a small cheese, a backyard cow, a turnip garden, and a wholesome and satisfying knitting project.
There you have it! Nellie Make-Do. Now, if I can just figure out who Nellie is. And does she sit on a tuffet, do you think?
Cindi Johnson 
Winnie Nielsen 
Lisa A 
Karlyne 
Bonnie ellis 
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
MaryJane 
This is so funny because yesterday I was reading my new Vintage Knitting book about life in England with the start of WWII and the role of knitting. Clothing, I learned had to be purchased with coupons which were quite limited and meager as clothing was rationed between the years of 1941-1949. Not to be outdone by the war, the women rose to the occasion. They took the challenge and began writing in magazines all sort of tips to repurpose yarn from old sweaters. Nothing was wasted. Scraps were used in fair isle patterns, embellishments and repairs of current woolens. The National Women’s Institute held classes in communities on how to create new garments from old. New patterns were devised that minimized the yarn needed as well as things like buttons or other closures. In addition, there were campaigns to ” Do your Bit and Knit” for the men in service. Like the American equivalent, the knitted military pattern conformed to regulation colors and patterns as each item was considered part of the uniform. Complete with archived photos, this book
highlights the “Golden Age” of knitting. So whether you are repurposing wool to make items to exchange for cheese or other items or serving your country in a time of need, isn’t it wonderful to know that each time we do such a thing, we are following in the footsteps of wise women from ages past? Kinda like wearing aprons that belonged to one’s grandmother, I think. And YES, I will be front and center with my knitting in hand for the beginning of the last season of Downton Abby this Sunday night!! Oh my, I hate to see it all end. But, I know that I will enjoy every last second of this incredible drama.
Wow Winnie, how interesting about the knitting in UK during the war years and afterward.
Such a cute story and funny too! 😊
I don’t know how to knit but I recycle perfectly good all wool sweaters by “felting ” them in very hot water.( kind of like German boiled wool ). Have a big bag of great sweaters all ready for that project. Then you can make hats, mittens, etc that are beyond warm.
and yes, cats and yarn , well it is a classic isn’t it?