Craft: Plarn Gift Bottles

Roll plarn into balls (I used 3) and place them into a clean and dry recycled 2 liter pop bottle (or other bottle). Add crochet hook(s).

To Make Plarn:

If you don't already have a plastic bag collection consider starting one. Consider sorting the bags by color. If you went to 3 stores and each store uses a different color bag, put all the same color from that store into one bag from the same store.

The perfect time to start folding the empty bags into neat squares is when you get home from the store. Straighten out the handles and smooth them. If they are wet, hang them up a while out of the way. If they are a little dirty, wipe them off and let dry. If they are a little torn, that's OK.

Next, when you are less busy, set a good time for yourself to begin cutting the plarn. It may not be comfortable for you or your family to have the whole front room or kitchen buried under so many sacks as you work. You might find it best to do all the cutting a little at a time to stay caught up on it, or pick a good time and get them cut and out of the way. Decide which is best for you.

If you want to tie a lot of knots, then you want to cut your bags into loops. If you would rather tie as few knots as possible, then you want to cut your bag in to one continual piece. I have seen videos for both ways. I like as few knots as possible, but when working with scrap, I find I "take what life hands me."

I recently found a site that explains how to cut more bags faster. After you cut off the handles and cut off the bottom seam, layer several bags smoothly and evenly together - open ends to the left and right and closed sides toward the bottom and top. Fold them up at the bottom until you have only about 3 inches or so at the top then cut as shown in the video.

To Make Gift Bottle:

Cut a door into the plastic pop bottle large enough that the rolled plarn will fit. If you want to cut one or two bags at a time and roll them into a ball or balls and continue to add smaller balls you will need a smaller door.

The lid on the bottle makes cutting the door a little easier. Using a craft knife or a knife from the kitchen drawer, pierce the plastic. I like to pinch the bottle a little bit to make a little crease and saw into the plastic a little until it is punctured. I sometimes finish the door with the same knife. Other times, I get the scissors so the cut is neater. Either way, BE CAREFUL! I rolled a ball a little too large and accidentally tore the door.

Fill the bottle with as many colors or rolled balls as you like. How many it takes to fill up the bottle depends on how many rolls you want to fill it with. There is still room in my bottle to add several other smaller balls of other colors if I want to.

You could create the gift bottles as you get the bags or save them as I mentioned and just add a ball every once in awhile so that it is a random (but pretty and interesting) bottle of colored plarn. You could also focus on 3 or 4 colors only. I like to use the clear bottle so the colors show really nice.

If you know someone who already works with plarn, they won't require an explanation. If not, it may be more of a challenge for you to explain it to them!

Just because you yourself don't work with plarn doesn't mean you can't participate by working up the materials and giving it to someone who uses it.

Look online for projects that use plarn to get project ideas to pass on to whoever you give the bottled plarn to.

Have fun!

By melody_yesterday from Otterville, MO