Top Tip Tuesday: Any Old Opaques?

Got a wee bit carried away again…

If you’re anything like the hoarder I am, you’ll be going through the annual ritual, just now, of trying on last year’s coloured tights, only to find the holes and ladders you didn’t notice before packing them away. But before you chuck them, think carefully – they might have alternative uses!

Some of my favourite uses include:

• Chop tights into rounds to use as emergency hair bands.
• Stuff the legs of thick opaques whose waistband elastic has given up with stuffing (such as old, laddered tights!) and use as boot trees – I usually add small sachets of lavender and rice, pebbles, beads or other cheap weights to the feet to help weigh them down.
• Cut into strips and crochet/knit into cloths.

And this autumn I discovered just how effective old tight legs are in making rosettes as per this marvellous tutorial from Craftaholics Anonymous. Just cut the legs off at the crotch, cut across the toes, then cut each leg in half length ways, to make rosettes approx 2.5 inches across. Great as brooches, or to adorn an Alice band or clutch bag…