Making a Purse or Tote Out of Plastic Grocery Bags

I made a tote bag/purse out of grocery store bags almost two years ago, and it is starting to wear out. I used it constantly, so I need a new one ASAP. Plus, when I visited my mother-in-law at Easter, she wanted one, too. Let the plastic yarn making begin!!

I like this shape because it holds a lot, and it goes across the body like a messenger bag, so it's hands-free. I've used it a lot for trips to the zoo, boardwalk, etc, and especially on trips to the city. When it rains, I wear it under my coat.

I got the idea talking to my friend G. She described how to make the yarn from a tutorial she saw online. I have no idea which of the many instructions she saw, so I can't credit anyone, but I know people made rugs out of bread bags years ago, so the basic idea has been around for a while. I started making the yarn that night from her description, even though I was really busy--I couldn't help myself--it was just too fun to not try right away.

OK, I will recycle you...

Cut into strips about .5 inches wide. They are cut across so they are loops.

I place the loops over one another, pull one end over and through...

...and pull gently until the knot is small.

My ball of plastic yarn, ready to go.

I just crochet with it like usual, I chain how wide I want the bottom to be. Here I chained 27.

I crocheted (single crochet) around both sides of the chain, increasing on the ends each time to make an oval base for the bag.

When the oval was the size I wanted, I stopped increasing on the ends so the sides of the bag started coming up. I always crochet bags inside out because they seem to end up tighter that way.

Close up. Ironically, I haven't had a problem with anything slipping out between the holes--except for crochet hooks!

Hooray for new bags! Let me know if you would like to see more pictures or for me to explain a step differently.

Couch Slipcover out of Granny Squares

I'm posting this as a public service because I couldn't find a picture for inspiration when I was making this five years ago...yes, your dreams could come true--and you, too, could make a slipcover out of granny squares!

No, my 10 and 7 year olds don't use sippy cups--this is an old photo.

Church knitting/crochet group gone global!!!

A mother sits at her son's hospital bedside praying and waiting for months for the transplant that will save his life. Someone delivers a handmade quilt to the room for her son, made with love by someone she will never know. A simple act of kindness. One of her son's doctors teaches her a few crochet stitches. A second act of kindness that helps her fill hours of waiting and praying. From these blessings came the idea for our church's group that knits and crochets for those in need. Her son is doing great now, but she started the group while he was still sick--a good reminder that our lives don't need to be in perfect order for us to encourage others.

The pattern for the yelow hat can be found at http://thedaintydaisyblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/shell-stitch-beanie.html It's also cute with a flower, but I wanted this to work for a boy or girl.

Our church is having the fun adventure of construction this summer/fall, so I get to have everyone over to my house each month--very cool. Last night was our July meeting.

I set the drinks up an hour early because I was excited--I think I need to entertain more often!

I know a lot of people judge a group's success by numbers--especially when it comes to church activities. My husband's a pastor, and when I meet someone new, one of the first questions they have for me is "how many people go to your church?" I don't know the exact number, so I usually mumble that it's a medium size church and change the subject. Now, I don't want to seem like I'm bragging...and I felt this same way in the years my husband wasn't on staff...but when it comes to my church, I would say we have the best quality people. Seriously if twelve of us met in a library, it would be awesome. Okay, bragging over.

So back to last night. We had quantity and quality! One of our best turnouts in a while and every one a woman or girl that I am so glad to have a relationship with. We've been meeting once or twice a month for a year and a half at our church to make handcrafted items for those in need in our community. We have beginners who have gone on to finish many projects, and some who have knitted or crocheted for decades. I don't think there's another group in our church that has an age range of 8 to 80's!

We've made children's items for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, blankets for pregnancy centers, dishcloths to be given away at a local food pantry, and lapghans for our local nursing home residents. Our group has even sent items to Papua New Guinea and Brazil! Our latest project is hats for babies and children at a hopital in Togo. (Scroll to the bottom of this post for a quick baby hat how-to.)

A rainbow of hats for babies in Africa.

Whether it's a mother in the heat of Africa receiving a hat for her newborn or a homeless man shivering in Philadelphia, I know our items are meeting a physical and a spiritual needs. We all want to feel loved and seen. (How can someone believe in a God who knows and sees if they feel invisible and alone?) But we are also blessed by having the physical reminder in our laps for a few hours of someone who needs our prayer and concern.

If you are a part of a group like this or crochet/knit for charity on your own, I would love to hear from you. It's always fun to see what other crafters are doing.

Quick baby hat how-to: knit or crochet a rectangle, then...

Sew or crochet two sides together to make a tube. Gather and sew the top. Fold up the brim! Let me know if you make one!

I will finish this afghan!!

I've been making these squares off and on for a year and a half. I'm following a pattern from a magazine, but I changed the colors to coordinate with my living room. There are four people in my family, and just one afghan my grandmom made years ago. So I'm trying to get it done in time for cooler weather. Just a few more squares to go, and it will be time to put it together! Some friends have told me that they like making granny squares or other crochet motifs, but don't know how to put them together, so I'll post how I sew the afghan together as I work on it.

Here's a close up. I'm using Red Heart yarn and an H hook.

The other four colors and patterns.

The well-worn magazine picture of the afghan. I need to finish the afghan before the magazine I got the pattern from falls apart!

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The pile of squares is growing.