Don't throw away used yarn cones

Q I am a knitter and a weaver. When I buy yarn in bulk, it comes on heavy cardboard cones. The cones are too good to throw away or even recycle. I know that they can be used to make pop-up dolls on a stick, but I don't want to do that. Please help me figure out what to do with them.

A Yarn cones can be used for many different art purposes once you are finished with them, so there is no need to toss them.

Becka Rahn, the director of education at the Minneapolis-based Textile Center of Minnesota, said it always recycles the wooden cones and uses them in projects for Textile Mobile, its children outreach program.

"These cones are great," Rahn said. "The kids are making their own yarn, so reusing the cones is the best way to keep the yarn after they spin it, and prevent it from getting tangled."

While Rahn said the Textile Center doesn't need the cones donated because it gets them in bulk, she said there are plenty of other organizations that use the cones for various projects and art purposes that would welcome the contributions.

"I encourage people to donate them to organizations that teach or provide art resources for kids and can get the cones in the hands of some creative young artists," she said.

The Urban Arts Academy (612-827-1641 or www.urbanartsacademy.org), ArtiCulture (612-729-5151 or www.articulture.org), ArtScraps (651-698-2787 or www.artstart.org) and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (612-721-2535 or www.hobt.org) are organizations in the Twin Cities that actively use the cones, she said. The cones figure in puppets and papier-mâché art, among other projects.

Curbing unwanted callsQ How do I eliminate unsolicited phone calls? I am bothered by them way too often.

A To get on the National Do Not Call Registry, go to www.ftc.gov/donotcall or call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you want to register.

But note that despite a state law restricting telemarketing calls, not all such calls will stop, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce's website.

"Certain organizations are exempt from the law, meaning they do not have to purchase the Do Not Call list and may continue to place telemarketing calls to Minnesota residents," the site says.

"Nonprofit organizations, political organizations, businesses with a prior relationship with the customer and solicitors that do not intend to complete the sale over the phone, but rather the same individual who made the call completes the sales presentation in a face-to-face setting."

BILL WARD