Friday, 21 August 2009
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How to Knit your Own Tampons
In light of the recent Diva Cup wars waged on Lovelyish, we thought we'd spotlight another eco-friendly period problem solver.
Crafters, pay attention: you can knit or crochet your own tampons. Warning: if you were grossed out by menstrual cups, you are probably not going to be crocheting up a pair of these any time soon.
At Fern and Faerie Online Store, you can buy a pattern for 50 cents. The tampons are knitted with cotton yarn and can be boiled for extra sanitation.
Here's how to sew your own re-usuable pads.
Sea sponge tampons are all-natural and reusable.
Personally, I'm kind of skeeved out by all this. But the average American woman throws away 15,000 pads and tampons in her lifetime, adding up to 250-300 pounds of waste, and there has to be something we can do to cut back.
Would you try a reusable menstrual product, or are you sticking with disposable tampons and pads? Or, maybe you're a new Diva Cup convert?
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- From: Jessica
- Name: Jessica
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Comments (115)
The idea of reusing something with blood on it... is just repulsive to me. I'd rather stick to the disposables >.<
Lol.
wow.
what the fuck?
I'm gonna stick with disposables, but I think I'm going to switch to the non-applicator ones to sut down on waste.
this is one of the most nauseating things i've ever hear/read about!
I guess I would try something, maybe the sea sponge. But I suck at knitting. And I think I'd have issues with the cup.
my mom told me back in VN in her day....they used a towel to catch all the blood...like a maxi pad...and she would have to wash it and reuse it herself.
And...dont forget about babies and cloth diapers.
We are so lucky.
But no, I wont reuse or knit a tampon. Im very grateful for Tampax DISPOSABLE tampons. Im sorry mother earth. =/
I'm sure that in the beginning days of menstrua lproducts they were reusable. Now adays it just seems absolutely disgusting to do. I would never reuse anything like that.
Than again, people still use cloth for their baby diapers. I guess if you're that into being green, I cannot judge.
Aghhh, disposable pads are working just fine for me. I'm not planning to stick anything up there anytime soon, especially not hand-knitted tampons.
i'm all about saving the environment, but tampons and pads need to remain disposable.
You know... I'm all up for saving the environment (I got over 680 hours of community service cleaning up beaches and planting trees!) but I think I'll stick with disposable.
Um.
Diva Cup for me!
I use that menstrual cup thing. It works out great!
i lol'd like crazy when i read the title. x]
it hasn't convinced me to use reusable tampons though.
@soniiuh@xanga - i agree. all of this is just... not worth my time.
@oOBuBBLes711Oo@xanga - Lol yeh, my mom and my aunts told me that same thing, too! >.<
Handmade pads can be pretty. But tampons? REALLY? Nooooo thanks.
When I first started my period my mom had some reusable pads that she tried to get me to use, but I was a kid and they had told us about the disposable pads in school and everything, so I didn't use the reusable ones. I don't like blood, so disposable ones are gross enough, I don't think I can handle having to wash the reusable ones o_O.
I actually think I would try the sea sponge tampon, but the idea knitted tampons, uck no, that would be too much work to clean and constantly look gross and stained. It's hard to use re-usable products with schooling, nobody wants to see you wash out your intimate bloody products while trying to fix their hair in the mirror next to you =/
The tampons are kinda cute, but I doubt I'd use them. I currently use a Diva Cup and am getting a second cup (mostly for kicks because they're cute and have more options, but I just call it a backup), a MeLuna. I also have cloth pads if I decide I need backup, although I usually don't.
I dunno, when I was a baby, my parents cloth diapered me and I plan to do the same for my children. Chancing touching blood is way better than poop. I've gotten over the whole idea of "eww gross" because the result more than makes up for the "strange" idea.
@stardust_xxx@xanga - The cup can actually just be dumped in the toilet, wiped with toilet paper (or a moist paper towel if you grab some on your way into the stall), re-inserted, and you can clean it more thoroughly when you get home. When it comes to cloth pads, just designate a pouch in your backpack or whatever for them when they're changed with a little bag inside to keep anything from getting on your backpack and wash them when you get home.
@onliadreamer@xanga - lol, it's not like you'd have to handwash the blood off. I think it's easier than it leads on - toss it in a bucket of cold water and let it soak, then stick a bunch in a laundry bag and send it through the wash. It's pretty minimal interaction. :)
Those are cute... XD
They look like they'd actually work, but I still can't trust them to be sanitary...
Tampons for me.
ew. disposable for me.
menstrual cup for me :).
you've got to be kidding me.
this is just...no....just no.