How to make mats from plastic grocery sacks

     I understand the purpose behind a blog is to write somewhat regularly about your thoughts and such. I have done anything but that. But, some new revelations (which I'll pass along in another post) have me excited and primed to write much more regularly.
     Our family took our annual trip to Camp Hebron near Halifax, Pa., for Family Camp I. I usually take some sort of knitting or crocheting project with me. It's not unusual for me to be sitting in the lobby of Sylvan View (the lodge) and have several people stop to ask what I'm working on. This year was no different, however, it was somewhat comical at the number of people who stopped and the fact that nearly every person had the same questions. Several fellow campers and a camp counselor and I started counting the number of people who stopped. I think we got up to 12 on one particular afternoon. I had several people wanting to know more about the process. I promised I'd post pictures, so here it goes!
     I make "plarn," plastic "yarn" from recycled grocery sacks. I've usually made tote bags, so I've cut the plastic bags into narrow (about half-inch) strips. Here's a picture of some of the bags I've made:

 

      Here's a picture of a tote full of balls of plarn:

 

     I made these from all the grocery sacks I found at my brother's house in Jacksonville, Fla. Yes, I packed them into boxes and mailed them to myself in West Jefferson, Ohio, and sat on my loveseat in the Mom Cave and cut them up and rolled them into balls. I need a life!
     But, lately, my focus has changed a bit. Our family has been volunteering with a homeless ministry in Columbus, Ohio, called Light of Salvation. I started making mats for the homeless so their sleeping bags don't get wet. The plastic mat is somewhat durable, and it provides a layer away from the ground and some padding. To make the plarn for the mats, the strips need to be wider. Here are some step-by-step photos:


First you have some plastic grocery sacks.

Which you flatten

Fold in half

Fold in half again.

Cut off the bottom seam

Cut off the handles.

To crochet totes, I cut the bags into one-half-inch pieces

For thicker mats, I cut the bags into 3-4-inch slices.

You end up with all these loops of cut up plastic bags

Loop the bags together

Start to pull them tight

Link all the strips together to form a longer piece of plarn.

      Once you have several balls of plarn (it's been estimated that it takes about 500 bags to make one mat. It really does take longer to make the plarn than it does to crochet the mat), you use a size Q crochet hook, chain 41 stitches (this should be about 3 feet long). Turn and single crochet into the second chain from the hook and single crochet across the rest of the chain. You'll have 40 stitches. At the end of each row, chain one, and turn and start your next row in the second stitch from the hook. Crochet 96 rows or until your mat is 6-feet long. Fasten off. You can weave in the end or let it be, whatever strikes your fancy.

     Now you need a strap to keep the mat rolled and to help with transporting it. Using your Q crochet hook, chain until you have a chain about 6-8-feet long. Join in a circle by slip-stitching into the first chain (try not to twist the chain, but if you do, that's OK because it's just plarn and it isn't like you're creating something for the runway in Paris). Chain one and keep single crocheting into the chain until you've completed one completed circle. Slip stitch into the first stitch of the round. Chain one and turn and complete another row, slip stitching into the first stitch of that round. You can stop here or complete another round. When you're done, fasten off and weave in the end if you want.

     Fold the mat in half lengthwise and roll up like a sleeping bag. Use the strap to keep the mat rolled and you're ready to give the mat to someone who needs it!
     I have used the thinner strips of plarn to make the mat, but I've crocheted with four or five strips together at the same time to make something that's the same thickness as the thicker strips. You may be wondering if you can knit with plarn. I have tried knitting, but I don't think it works as well as it does with crocheting.
     And there you have a mat made with recycled plastic grocery sacks. So start keeping all those bags and ask your friends to keep theirs. You're going to need quite a few if you plan to make more than one mat!
     Now, back to the questions that people asked while I was sitting in the lodge at camp. Nearly everyone asked these same questions almost word-for-word:

Camper: What are you doing?
Me: Making plarn.
Camper: Plarn?
Me: Yeah. Plastic yarn from recycled grocery sacks.
Camper: How do you do it?
Me: I flatten the bags, fold them up, cut the bottom and the handles off and cut them into strips. Then
        I string the strips together until I've got a long strand and can roll it up into a ball.
Camper: Then what do you do.
Me: I use the plarn just like regular yarn and crochet mats for the homeless.
Camper: That's cool!

     Imagine answering the same questions from about 12 different people within a 30-minute period. It was comical! And fun. Until next time, keep on Knitting and Needling!