I don't know how it happens, but somehow it seems all those silly plastic grocery bags pile up and start a-multiplyin'! Usually, they eventually get rounded up and recycled by bringing them to a local drop off point. This time, however, I decided to recycle them myself by turning them into a gym tote! I'd had it with my regular gym bag - it wasn't quite roomy enough, things were constantly falling out (because I'd have them piled precariously on top), and it didn't breathe at all! While a plastic mesh tote is not the most fashionable of objects, it certainly seems to do the job well, and I really don't have to worry about it getting wet or dirty.
Not terribly difficult, just a little labor intensive getting the prep work done, this tote was finished in about a week from start to finish, replenishing my plastic bag yarn as I went along.
To prep, I cut the bags into about 1-inch wide strips, then girth hitched them all together to make a continuous piece. For the mottled look, I threw in some white bag strips in with the yellow every now and again.
Using a the largest crochet hook I had in the house (a size P I think), I created a rectangle that was an appropriate size for the bottom...I then started working in the round to make the sides and handles of the bag. The little divider was added after the fact, by picking up stitches in the bottom of the bag, then working side to side, picking up stitches on the sides to anchor it in place.
It's a little roomy, and it does stretch some, but over all, I'm pleased with the result :)
3 comments:
Very resourceful! I too have a ton of those pesky plastic bags which I can't seem to throw out - I think we both have that packrat mentality...look at us and our fiber stashes! Hmm I wonder if I can knit something like that?
Knitting with grocery bags is completely possible (don't let them tell you otherwise!) but if your bags have lots of writing on them, it can transfer itself to your needles. Knitting with garbage bags is wicked fun.
I am STILL in the middle of turning my Target bags into a Target bag (crazy), but can't stand to work on it for more than a few minutes at a time. So, it is basically a size-5 Addi holder right now. But yours is inspiring me.....you always do!
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