Making Plarn

When California first banned plastic bags I panicked! I have no problem with using my own recyclable bags (other than remembering to take them into the store with me 🤦‍♀️ can't tell you how many times Thelma here has to go back to the car for them!), but I use those grocery store plastic bags for lots of things - picking up dog poo, lining small trash cans, filling for mailing packages - and now we wouldn't get any more of them? Ughhhhh. So I did what anyone who panics at the thought of not getting their hands on some discontinued thing would do - started hoarding them, of course.

Believe it or not it didn't take me long to amass a large collection of plastic bags and it occurred to me that hoarding bags takes up a lot of room and a crafty person should start making things out of them - first up, plarn. Plarn is essentially plastic yarn and super easy (albeit time consuming) to make. Flatten out a bag (or stack them up to save time), fold in half lengthwise, cut off the handles and the bottom edge. Then fold it in half again and cut into strips; I was able to get about 14 1" strips from one bag. Unfold the strips and they are loops that you then quickly tie together, roll them up into a ball and you've got plarn that you use in lots of different ways (just like regular yarn).

Every bag (14-15 loops) makes about 21 feet of plarn (that's how much I got anyway, if you cut the strips thicker or thinner this number will change). I haven't made anything with the plarn yet so I'm not sure how much I'll need to make a project - I'm deciding between a placemat to put under Sarge's bowls, or a crocheted rug. I'll post what I come up with as soon as I know!

I took pictures of the steps but then thought a quick video would be simpler - here's both...

flatten the bag, fold in half, cut off handles and bottom edge.

fold in half again and cut 1" strips, when unfolded they become loops

lay two loops on your work surface with the loops crossing in the center

put your hand thru the middle of the two loops - hand goes over the
top loop (in this photo it's the pink loop), under the bottom loop (white). 

reach thru the center space and grasp the far edge of the top loop  (pink)

pull the pink loop that you just grasped and pull thru the space where you put your hand

gently pull to tighten - if you pull too tight the plastic might rip (guess how I know?)

roll the connected loop "plarn" into a ball so it' doesn't get
tangled and is easier to work with. 

1.21.18: greek pork, lemon rice pilar, tzatziki sauce
1.21.17: Jen's stuffed spaghetti squash
1.21.16: painting a side table


Happy moment ~ watching a little brown bird try to figure out how to eat from a hummingbird feeder, while a hummingbird looks on.