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.
I made a twine rug last winter and it is so durable and really knocks the dirt and mud off my boots. Who would have thought it really is a multi-purpose tool?
For many years I never used a scrub brush, except maybe in the winter. You have a free one if you have bailing twine. Take a piece, fold it in half and then in half again. Tie it in a knot (two if your piece is big enough). There’s your bucket scrubber. I think you get the idea. I always made them an left them on any farm that I was tending. The looped end hangs on a hydrant or nail. Try one!!
thank you I look forward to making one of these rugs.. I think it is so important to use all that we have and not thow things out like we all have been doing..
I grew up on a ranch and I don’t ever remember throwing bailing twine away. Unfortunatly I haven’t really had contact with ranchers, etc since. It was great seeing your twine idea. It came at a very precipitis time. I have friends that raise llamas. (No llama vs alpaca comments, I’m completely neutral. LOL) Now I can’t wait to start collecting twine. Almost 30 years ago I saw a kitchen sink rug made out of plastic bags, mostly potatoe bags. I was too busy as a young mom to do anything but use my plastic bags for garbage can liners. Now I would really like to make some of those rugs. Does anyone have a pattern?
Thanks.
I actually have instructions in another post how to make a rug http://www.alpacabytes.com/2010/02/09/how-to-make-a-recycled-baling-twine-rug/