baler twine – Dutch Hollow Acres

I mentioned in an earlier post that I recycle the twine that comes off my hay bales. I really try not to cut the twine when freeing a bale and if I have to I make a conscious effort to cut it next to the knot. This way I have a length of twine that is the most usable. With most of my hay used up I have a healthy pile of twine ready for repurposing. This time it went into a rug.

TwineRug2 — Great for scrubbing dirt off your boots

Materials:
Size ‘P’ crochet hook
Baling Twine – approximately 100 bales worth for a 3×2 foot mat
Scissors
Grocery bag
Muscle power!

Preparing the Twine

Step 1:
Twine around bales have knots in them. You want to cut these knots off and toss them in your grocery bag. Jute twine is a nice fire starter so I keep mine to get a camp fire going in the summer.

Step 2:
Knot each strand to another to form a long jute rope. Make sure the knots are nice and tight and trim any extra twine hanging out on the off side of the knot. Yes, I save this too for fire starter

Crochet Pattern

Row 1: All SC – This row will be the Length of your rug – Add one extra SC and turn
Row 2: Into backs only! SC all the way add one and turn
Row 3-?: Repeat Row 2 until desired width of rug is achieved

By crocheting into backs only this creates a ribbed pattern which helps with 2 things. It gives your knots a place to hang out and creates ridges so you can scrub the mud and dirt off your barn boots.

Though the pattern is very simple I would have to say this is an intermediate project for one reason. Twine is a P.I.T.A. to work with! It’s not flexible, carries a twist and every 6 feet you have a knot to deal with. When you’re finished with your rug, your hook arm will be very very tired.

If you’re part of the Fiber Arts Friday crowd check out Wonder Why Gal for more cool projects.

Does your barn look like mine? You have an old feed bag or muck bucket that just collects baling twine each time you feed hay? If you really are like me, you pay close attention to how you take off the twine. I ultimately try to remove the twine without cutting it but if I must cut it I do so as close to the knot as possible just in case I find a use for my bucket-o-twine later.

I thought I’d share with you some things that I do to recycle my twine.

– Hold up a broken gate
– Tie down a tarp over a cattle panel to make a shelter
– Braided into a wisp to groom a horse
– Tie up horse tails into mud knots or to hold a braid
– Fix horse blankets
– Tie panels together for a temporary catch pen
– Chain some together to make a herding tape to round alpacas up
– Braid into leashes and lead ropes – bit itchy on the hands but good in a pinch
– Use as a break-away for cross ties or trailer ties
– Woven, knotted or crocheted into door mats
– Above mats wrapped around a post or on a wall for horses to scratch on
– Use in the garden for peas and tomatoes
– I have organic twine and it makes great kindling for fires

Sorry I’m having issues with comments.

Tag: baler twine

How to make a Recycled Baling Twine Rug

Things To Do With Baling Twine