Playing With Trash - Plarn

You know what "plarn" is, right?
I just found out about this a couple of
years ago.
It's plastic, used as yarn, as far as
I have figured it out.

I know there is more than
one way to make plarn.
You can look it up on the internet.
I did.
Here is the method I use.

Take one plastic bag.

Flatten the bag out.

Cut away the parts you won't use.
I do this by folding the bag over
so I won't have so far to cut.

Cut off the bottom (where it is stiff.)

Cut off the handles so that which remains

is a fairly even tube, like this.

Flatten out the tube and fold it over
somewhat evenly.
Smooth it out.

Beginning at the edge where the folds
are inside each other,
cut in fairly even strips toward
the edge where
 the folds are on top of each other.

STOP SHORT OF CUTTING
THROUGH THOSE TWO FOLDS.

It will look something like this.

(You can fold the top layer
down so that you cut right
through it, saving the next
step, but this way is easier
to show in a photograph.)

Open it out and cut through
ONE SIDE of the bag, like this.

(You can just cut from one side
 of the tube to the other.  I find
it easier to fold it.)

Now, this is the part
I mess up, now and then:
On the other side,
cut into the first row from the
outside, starting your
continuous strip.

It will not look right,
but it's plastic - the strip
will be straight enough
to work with.
You can probably do a better
job than I on all this cutting.

Drop down and do the same on each row.
If you goof up, remember this
was just going to be recycled... :)

One grocery bag makes
a nice little pile of plarn.

I like to roll mine up

into a loose ball.

Then I plop it into a container
with some other plarn balls,
where they do NOT stay
all nice and tidy.

I have used the plarn alone
and combined with other yarn.

For this small bag  I used
some purple and some red
acrylic Red Heart yarn.

It actually stands fairly well.

This is crochet.
I tried knitting with
the plarn alone.

I didn't like it

Perhaps I shall have
to try knitting with the
combination.

Perhaps not.  :)