Summer is a great time to get the family interested in recycling crafts, and this week I've been teaching a few of my kids, as well as my husband (!!!) how to use recycled plastic bags to make yarn, otherwise know as "plarn." As you can likely imagine I've been hoarding colored and even white/clear bags for quite a while now, as one needs quite a few bags to make something like a plastic bag pom pom.
Unfortunately where I live some stores charge for bags, but that is about as far as we've gotten with plastic bag consciousness, which means using them for crafts is a very good thing to do, at least if they do make it to the garbage they'll already be much less harmful as little pieces, possibly? If you are fortunate to live in a place like my home state of California where I'm quite sure plastic bags are scarce, not to worry, there is still plenty of plastic lurking in those online deliverys, the bag that holds the toilet paper, and even frozen veggie bags. Just about any kind of plastic bag is fair game, and even the more crinkly ones like those that hold pretzels can be cut into strips (rather than making yarn) and used to make pom poms as well! Okay, I'll admit I've not yet tryed using a frozen veggie bag or the bag that holds the toilet paper, but I did just save one, so stay tuned for that!
Want to learn how to make "plarn", let's do it!
You'll Need:
- plastic bags, colored, white, printed, plain, etc.
- sharp scissors
- rubber bands (optional)
How To:
- Basically the yarn is made by cutting plastic bag loops (see photo below) and then looping those loops onto one another. Take a look at my in depth tutorial how to make plastic bag yarn, here.
- Something I now do is to save every scrap of plastic bag, namely the handles and the bottom of the bag, and when I have a huge pile I tie a piece of string tightly around the middle to make a pom pom or gift topper.
- Secure your balls with rubber bands or tuck the end in. Either way, just the rubber band is more secure.
- Now go collect bags from your neighbors, and search the house top to bottom to see what you can find, and make a whole bowl full of plastic yarn balls, they sure do look great right?
- Once you have at least the amount shown here you can crochet with the plastic bag yarn, make pom poms, or even weave with it!
- Sure feels good to do something for our environment, and get those creativty gears turning, right?
