Plastic Bag CAL

[sonnets_and_stitches]

I love the term "plarn" too. I got really tired of saying "plastic yarn, plastic yarn" to my husband, so we made up our own portmanteau!

 

Curious! What do other people call it?

 

~ Joy

[sonnets_and_stitches]

Oh, the pictures have been such a pain lately. I just can't figure them out. Screwy office computer.

 

Here should be two photos of my plarn bag that I made two nights ago. The handles are really uneven - I mixed my thick plastic bags with my thin ones, and the varying quality in the plarn took a toll on the handles. But, now I know not to do that!

 

I love the bag, though! My husband said it was "ugly as sin," but I think that's half of why I love it!

 

 

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z200/sonnets_and_stitches/Crochet/Plarnbagfront.jpg

 

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z200/sonnets_and_stitches/Crochet/Plarnbagback.jpg

 

~ Joy

[RecycleCindy]

I love the word "plarn" for the plastic bag yarn. Your bag looks great. My husband says the same about my bags. They just don't see the beauty in it!

[mimi_mia]

Joy the bag turned out great....forget about what your hubby says, the bag is not ugly it's what it is, it's a plastic bag bag and you are not sending those bags to the landfill!!! That really makes it a thing of beauty!

[Nutsaboutcrochet13]

I agree with mimi_mia...great bag, Joy!

[sonnets_and_stitches]

Oh, he said it in fun, and I took it in such. I love the bag - I'm already toting my bottled waters around in it! (I carry about four or five bottles of water with me to the office on workdays.)

 

I've learned a lot from making that first bag. I was making more plarn last night, and was trying to space out the loops with color. I'd do about five loops that were just white or just white-and-black, and then one loop with a different color.

 

Has anyone made the dish scrubbie? Any reviews on how it scrubs?

 

Plarnfully ~ Joy

[gsaundrs]

This will be my first CAL - hope I'm not too late... I started my bag before seeing this thread...

 

Not using a pattern as such - just going by some designs and ideas I've seen.

 

I've got some brown and some white bags, so thought I'd make a two-color bag.

[Addey]

Great to have you Gene! It's never to late to join. Speaking of joining... I've GOT to get more bags cut up and more 'plarn' made. (Oh, I looked up plarn on dictionary.com and they didn't have a deffinition... hmm.....)

I'm still not sure exactly what mine will turn into, but it's round and a decent diameter and may be a bag or may be something else, who knows!

[gsaundrs]

Everyone's projects look GREAT!

 

I've finished the bottom of my tote bag (in brown). Image is clickable.

 

 

I'm starting the sides now (in white).

 

This is my first "plarn" project and my second tote. I'm not going by a pattern, just "seat of the pants".

[Addey]

Very cool! I can't wait to see the finished tote. Looks like it should be plenty big and sturdy enough to cart around just about anything.

[Nutsaboutcrochet13]

Welcome, gsaundrs!

I love the tote! Is the white portion mesh? I never would have thought of that...

 

[gsaundrs]

Yes, here's my progress since yesterday:

 

 

This pic is clickable and shows the webbing better now.

 

I got the idea for this from this pattern from the Bernat Web Site. I'm not doing their pattern, just the look for my tote. The base size (bottom) is approx. 11" x 8"

[maria isabel vazquez]

I love the word "plarn" for the plastic bag yarn. Your bag looks great. My husband says the same about my bags. They just don't see the beauty in it!

HI CINDY, CONGRATULATIONS I LOVE YOUR WORK:cheer:clap, I SAID THAT ON MY BLOG, VERY ORIGINAL ALL YOUR RECYCLES, IT IS ON MY LIST TO DO BUT SOMEDAY, THANKS FOR SHARING,:yayGLAD TO MEET YOU:hook

HAVE NICE WEEKEND

MIVA

[Nutsaboutcrochet13]

gsaundrs...Your bag is coming along nicely! I love that mesh

[RecycleCindy]

Maria,

Thank you so much for all the kind comments. I appreciate the link backs too. BTW -- I love your website. You have lots of cute stuff!

 

 

 

HI CINDY, CONGRATULATIONS I LOVE YOUR WORK:cheer:clap, I SAID THAT ON MY BLOG, VERY ORIGINAL ALL YOUR RECYCLES, IT IS ON MY LIST TO DO BUT SOMEDAY, THANKS FOR SHARING,:yayGLAD TO MEET YOU:hook

HAVE NICE WEEKEND

MIVA

[mimi_mia]

Gene the bag is awesome!!! What a great idea

[sonnets_and_stitches]

Gene, your bag does look great! I'm looking forward to doing my next plarn bag out of brown plastic bags. I'm hoping it will get a "straw" look - perfect for summer.

 

I was thinking that a plarn doormat might be a good idea. I think it would be sturdy, have great traction, and trap a lot of dirt. What do you guys think?

 

I'm also experimenting with the idea of using other plastics, such as the shrink wrap that comes around so many products, like around large bundles of toliet paper, or the clear bread bags my purchased bread comes in.

 

~ Joy

[fiddleyarn]

I was thinking that a plarn doormat might be a good idea. I think it would be sturdy, have great traction, and trap a lot of dirt. What do you guys think?

~ Joy

 

I thnk a plarn doormat would be great. You could just hose it off if it gets dirty.

[RecycleCindy]

I'm also experimenting with the idea of using other plastics, such as the shrink wrap that comes around so many products, like around large bundles of toliet paper, or the clear bread bags my purchased bread comes in.

 

~ Joy

 

 

Joy--

I have experimented with other plastics. You can use the big plastic shrink wraps for bag strips but you need to use the spiral cutting method rather than the regular interlink method that I use. You can use bread bags and make the interlink strips as I have done that before. I've been saving bread bags and plan to make "something" out of them soon. It's on my list.

 

Gene--

Your bag looks great. I especially like the mesh stitching that you are using. I can't wait to see what type of handles you end up creating.

[gsaundrs]

Joy,

 

I like the idea of a plarn doormat.

 

All,

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I hope my tote isn't too BIG when it's finished. One of my daughters lives in "back East" and uses public transportation for shopping, so I thought I'd send this one to her. She's also very into reduce/reuse/recycle, so she'll love this idea.

 

I plan on wide shoulder straps for the handles to allow hands-free carrying.

[enrapturelj]

It's perfect for doormats. I'm making a patio rug myself. As for bread bags, my grandmother used to wash them out and dry them and use them to store unused skeins of yarn in so the won't get dirty etc.

[sonnets_and_stitches]

Cindy,

 

I poked around on your blog and couldn't find a tutorial on the spiral-cut method. How do I use it?

 

~ Joy

[RecycleCindy]

Cindy,

 

I poked around on your blog and couldn't find a tutorial on the spiral-cut method. How do I use it?

 

~ Joy

 

Here is a link to a tutorial showing the spiral-cut method.

 

It is like peeling an apple in one continuous strip. I have tried this method for a rug I was doing and it makes the edges a bit more ragged than the interlinked strip method. You just have to watch that you do smooth, rounded curves in your cutting. It is a great way to make flat pieces of plastic into ‘plarn.’

[sonnets_and_stitches]

I don't understand how the spiral-cut method can make plarn out of flat piece without having to join the strips . . .

[RecycleCindy]

I don't understand how the spiral-cut method can make plarn out of flat piece without having to join the strips . . .

 

 

You make the longest continuous strip that you can. You will have some knots where you tie the two strips together but you try and limit the knots as they tend to show in the single strand strips. I hope this helps. PM me if I can help further.