Thrum Ball

Day 130: The subject of thrums and what to do with them came up in discussion this morning, reminding me that my jar of them was getting pretty full. The Thrum Jar is similar to the Rug Strip Box in that when it gets full, the issue needs addressing. Both rug strips and thrums tend to accumulate with astonishing alacrity, and unless they're taken care of promptly, can become burdensome. Yes, you could just throw your thrums (and old t-shirts) out, but my innate Scottish thriftiness will not allow that. Therefore, I need to find creative ways to use them up. In the past, I've crocheted them into potholders, doubling the threads and changing colours when I came to the end of any given thread. The potholder pattern I use folds in on itself to double the layers as well, resulting in thick, highly insulative pads. At this stage of the game, however, I have more potholders in my kitchen than I really need. So what do I do with the thrums?

Some time ago, I came across another idea: tie them together as I do for potholders, but instead of tucking the tails to the inside, leave the tails projecting for a textural effect in towels. I thought the finished product was cute, but never got around to tying thrums together and rolling them into a ball, thence to be wound on a shuttle. It was easier to "tie as you go" while making potholders. This morning, I said to myself, "Today is a good day to tie," (the weaver's equivalent of a popular Klingon saying), and I'm halfway through the greens. I had very little in the way of blues, so I'm adding them in occasionally for accent, and will be weaving them on a rigid heddle as a "living room project" while taking a break from the large loom.