Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (37 page)

Recycled “I
am
a plastic bag” Grocery Tote

This is a must-do craft for the gorgeously green girl. It’s really therapeutic to make, and because of the whole recycled plastic thing, toting it around is a serious badge of honor. It’s up to you how detailed and creative you get with it. The look depends on what color plastic bags you end up with. As I use reusable totes, I ask my friends to give me their old plastic bags for this project.

You need basic knitting skills for this project, so if you can’t knit ask a friend to show you how. I taught my 8-year-old daughter to do it with ease.

HOW TO

1.
Lay out a plastic bag on a flat surface.

2.
Fold it in half lengthwise and then in half again.

3.
Cut off the top handle.

4.
Cut the bag into 1-inch strips, discarding the strip at the end (bottom) of the bag.

5.
Take 2 strips and lay them out as shown in the illustration. Loop one over the other, pulling the bottom through, and pull gently to form a knot.

6.
Continue knotting all the strips together in long strings. Cut up more bags until you have a couple of balls of yarn, or “plarn.”

7.
Using your 10½-inch needles, cast on 44 stitches for the back of the bag. Knit in garter stitch (every row is a basic knit stitch) until it measures 15 inches. End with a wrong-side row and cast off.

8.
Repeat step 7 for the front.

9.
For the gusset (bottom panel), cast on 20 stitches and knit in garter stitch until it measures 42 inches. End with a wrong-side row and cast off.

10.
Now you’re ready to sew the pieces together. Start at one end of the gusset and pin it to the back all around the 3 edges. Repeat on the front panel. Using your polypropylene thread, sew the 3 pieces together.

11.
Sew on your bamboo handles.

Wine Cork Kitchen Board

My husband loves our kitchen corkboard because he can look at the corks of many of his favorite bottles of wine. I’m not a drinker, but I love the rustic look of it anyway.