Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts

Monday, April 28, 2014

A Little More Plarn

If one is really interested,
there are many things
made of plastic bag yarn
to view on the internet.

I made the small pouch
with blue yarn & plarn
as a camera protector.

I switched to just yarn
on the top part
so it would  be easier
to close.

That is a button
used as a closure.

This bag is all plastic.

I meant to make it bigger,

but I like it, anyway.   :)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

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.  :)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Plarn It!

I know that anyone who reads this post
is always  prepared with shopping bags.
I, on the other hand, frequently forget
or end up in a store when I did not
expect to be there.  So, I collect the
plastic bags up, shove them in the
trunk of my car and recycle them
at the stores, when I remember.

I learned of plarn, a yarn made out of
plastic bags, a while back.  I "Googled"
it and found there is more than one
method to making plarn!  I chose
the simplest looking one, first.
The first part of this SLIDE SHOW
shows the method I use, except,
I use scissors and I just "eyeball"
the slanted lines.

My first project, finished
today, was this small
shopping bag.

So, yes, I made shopping bags into
another shopping bag!
It's surprisingly sturdy.
I think I'd like to make a bigger
bag for carrying wet stuff away
from the beach.  We shall see.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Mouse in My House!

Have you ever tried to photograph
a mouse?

For me, it was not easy!

I tried to make a mouse, last evening.
I have some punch needle
embroidery yarn
and
some small crochet hooks.
I did not have a pattern.

This little critter
is about
2.5 inches tall.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Mushrooming

They are fun, fairly easy and fast.

When I tried to take
their individual portraits...

...most of them were shy.

Truthfully, I tried to get too
close with my beautifully
basic camera.