It is pretty difficult living in the current state of the economy. Gas prices are going up, which in turn also drives up the price of virtually everything. Everything depends on energy, even the production of natural fibers and skins, textiles and plastics. These materials are then transformed into bags, clothing and all sorts of accessories by companies and designers who most, of the time, a put on a hefty profit margin on their products simply because people like to buy them.

If you happen to be someone who is a bit cleverer and isn't easily awed by designer brand names, then you probably know how to recycle or have recycled at least once in your life. While recycling does mean "using again", we usually refer to recycled materials as something which one can transform into something new and useable. For example, if you have a lot of plastic bottles lying around the house, you can clean them up and use them as flower pots. As you can see, a big advantage of this is that you almost don't have to spend for anything in order to get new stuff since you already have raw materials for free. All it takes is a little effort and creativity and you'll be on your way to saving a whole lot of money, perhaps even turn a bit of profit on the side!

Now how does one exactly crochet recycled materials? Of course as the term implies, you will need a bit of knowledge on how to crochet. Basically, crocheting is the art or making fabric out of thread or yarn using a crochet needle or hook. You use this hook to weave the threads in a pattern on itself. Crochet needles come in different sizes; these sizes determine how loose or how tight the weave is. A bigger crochet needle will make a looser weave while a smaller needle will make a finer weave.

It is pretty easy to begin crocheting but it requires a delicate touch. You will have to adjust the tightness of your stroke depending on what shape or weave you wish to make, but in general all motions have to be even in order to make the strings pull evenly. Once you learn the basic crochet patterns, you will have to learn more advanced ones in order to add diversity to your designs.

You don't have to stick to crocheting though, you can make all sorts of weaves, it all depends on what kind of material you are using, although you may discover that there are so may crochet weaves you need to learn which will keep you occupied for a long time.

Try to experiment with different materials. Let your imagination run wild! For example, you don't have to restrict yourself to the usual yarn and thread. Try twisting strands of plastic from used plastic bags into threads, or combine it with fiber or wire to make it stronger. You can do whatever you what but the basic idea is to always use old material as much as possible.