The sponge. This is an everyday object for which I had not asked whether it was environmentally friendly or not. I told myself that my little sponge came from the demosponge living in the sea. Pfff…too influenced by SpongeBob!
In fact it is made of resin foam derived from petroleum and treated with chemicals which give it its color and its resistance. It is not biodegradable and its abrasive side contains a glue capable of resisting water which aggravates its ecological impact.
So I started looking for eco-friendly and zero waste alternatives. This is where I came across the DIY from Made in Utopia to make a Tawashi sponge with old clothes. Basically the Tawashi sponge is made of wool and uses a Japanese knitting technique. This DIY explains how to make one in an easier way for knitting novices.
This sponge is zero waste , machine washable and reusable for life !
You’ll need:
– a wooden board
– 20 nails
– scissors
– a hammer
– felt
– a pair of old opaque tights
– a meter
– a sheet of paper with a side of 14cm or a square for the corners
1st step
Draw a square with a side of 14 cm.
For right angles use a sheet of paper or a square.
2nd step
Place 1 point 3 cm from the first corner, then 4 other points every 2 cm.
Drive a nail into each point.
Cut your tights at the leg level into 10 rings 8 cm wide.
3rd step
Put on the tights rings as shown in the photo
4th step
Weave the first ring as in the photo: go over, under, over, under then over and thread over the nail.
5th step
Do the same thing by weaving in reverse: under, over, under, over then under.
Continue with the rest of the rings, reversing the weave each time.
6th step
Once you have finished weaving, bind off the stitches by unhooking a ring from its nail and passing it through the next ring and so on until the end.
The last folded ring can be used as a hook.
This is the result!