Tape Core Change Cup

After making the Tape Core Wreath, I started brainstorming about what else one could make with tape cores, particularly the large ones from packing tape. A package of just such cores from a fellow PackratCrafter (thanks Rhonda!) fueled the brainstorm.

I decided I wanted to make a box sort of thingy, using a technique similar to the tape core wreath. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, but it was an interesting lesson in being creative and adapting. A quick search of the internet let me to the conclusion that patterns did not exist for what I wanted to do, so I played. Here is the end result:

Unfortunately, I did not keep very good records of what exactly I did. This is more of the general idea than a specific pattern.

I started out with the bottom. I like to use the four-chain ring to start rounds. I double-crocheted for a couple of rounds, then half-double crocheted the final round. You want your bottom to be a little smaller than the diameter of the tape core.

Next is the hard part. Single crochet the next round around the tape core. You will end up with big loops around the tape core. As annoying as this step is, it is necessary to cover up the ugly cardboard of the tape core. I did 2sc in one hdc, 1sc in next hdc, rep until end. This took me several attempts to get it right, and I ended up frogging it more times than I would have liked, but stubbornness won out.

Now, you could stop there, but why? I thought it looked a little plain, so I figured I'd play with patterns along the side. I did a 3dc cluster for the first round, because there were so many stitches. Then I did ch 1, 1sc, ch1, 2sc, *sk next st ch 2, 2sc, ch1, 2sc in next st (rep from *). Join last ch2 with first ch1. (This is a simple sc shell in case my directions aren't clear.) I did this for 2 rounds. For the last 2 rounds, I used a simple ch3 edging (ch4, sc in first ch2-sp, ch 3, sc in next ch2-sp). On the first edging round, I crocheted in the loops from joining the bottom to the tape core to keep the sides from flopping down.

This now makes a nifty little cup for holding pocket change or whatever.

Crocheted Hanger

I seem to have accumulated an ungodly amount of wire hangers. I have a theory that they, like paperclips, are a stage in the life cycle of a sock. Lost socks are the cocoons from which paperclips emerge, which then grow into wire hangers.

Okay, so maybe not. But they're still an annoyance. They leave little puckers in clothes and strappy stuff slides right off. Not to mention they seem to get tangled together easily and are just plain ugly.

I have a few crochet-covered hangers that I acquired at some point that are so much better. I knew there had to be a way to make them, if I could just figure it out. After some searching on the internet, borrowing from email groups and trial and error, here is the pattern I've come up with. It's pretty simple, just a little time consuming. This is a great project to work on while watching TV.

Crocheted Hangers

(Click for a larger view.)

Materials:
Yarn (I didn't measure how much each hanger took, and it might vary depending on your hanger, but they do take a fair amount. The good news is that it's the perfect use for all that ugly yarn you have lurking in your workbasket.)
F Hook
Wire hanger

Starting Chain: Ch the length around the triangle part of the hanger, plus about 1 inch.
Row 1: DC in third ch from hook and each ch to end.
Row 2: Ch 3. DC in each DC to end.
Row 3: Ch 1. Fold cover around hanger (use seam between rows as a guide). SC in DC and bottom of starting ch to end. Fasten off.

Playing with Plarn Part 3: What To Do With Scraps

One of the downsides to making and using plarn is the scraps involved. The bottom seam, handles and any strips too torn to salvage all become essentially waste. I've struggled with what to do with these bits of plastic. Here is what I've come up with.

• Throw away. This is perhaps the least desirable way of dealing with them. Part of why I craft with plarn is to keep from throwing away plastic bags.
• Save and add to the plastic bag recycling collection receptacles at various stores. Slightly more desirable than throwing away, although I have heard stories about where these plastic bags really end up (the trash). I also think about the poor, unsuspecting plarn-crafter who might get their bag supply from these receptacles. I wouldn't be too happy to get someone else's scraps.
• Use to stuff plarn creations, such as stuffed animals. Please note that plarn creations should not be given to small children to play with. They are, after all, plastic bags. (I did have an idea once to make a plarn cat bed after one of my cats showed a surprising tendency to nest on my neatly flattened bags. I haven't done it, as that cat sadly passed away before I could even start.)
• Use as fringe for plarn rugs, although it won't hold up as well as the rest of the rug.
• Another idea I haven't tried yet is fusing. Fusing is basically ironing pieces of plastic together to make a sort of fabric. I would think you could fuse the scraps, but, again, I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for it. If you happen to try it, let me know how it turns out.

Here's my challenge, now that you've read all about plarn. What creative ways can you come up with for dealing with scraps?

Playing with Plarn Part 2: What Do You Make With It?

After a little hiatus, I'm back, hopefully on a more regular schedule. As promised, here is Part 2 of Playing with Plarn. So what can you make with plarn?

The easy answer is that anything you can crochet with yarn, you can crochet with plarn. Some things will lend themselves better to plarn than others. Who wants a plastic scarf or sweater? What does work well are bags and baskets. I have also heard of people making rugs out of plarn, but I haven't attempted this yet. Keep in mind that you will probably have to adjust your hook size. Tension is a little different, too, as plarn doesn't have as much "give" as the usual worsted weight yarn.

For more ideas on what you can make with plarn, you can Google "plastic bag crochet" and come up with a plethora of plarn patterns (say that ten times fast!). Myrecycledbags.com is a blog completely dedicated to making bags out of recycled materials, including plarn and cassette tapes.

This is the first bag I made (click for a larger image). The pattern comes from Marlo's Crochet Corner.

This is my latest plarn project (click for larger image). I adapted a pattern from the book Quick Crochet Huge Hooks by Sally Harding.

Whatever you decide to make, have fun!

Playing with Plarn

You're probably scratching your head right about now, thinking, "What on earth is plarn?" Plarn is plastic yarn, or yarn-like strands made from plastic bags.

I originally came to plarn as a way to deal with the mountain of plastic grocery bags that had accumulated in our pantry area. I literally stuffed my car with bags to take to the local SHARE for them to use in bagging food. Picture a Kia Rio Cinco packed to the gills with me, two kids and plastic bags. Even after that I still had quite a few left. (This is back in my pre-cloth grocery bag days.)

Back to the plarn. You can make plarn two different ways. Some people have figured out how to cut one continuous strand from a plastic bag. I am not one of them. I prefer the second method, which involves cutting loops from the bag, then looping them together. Either method starts with smoothing the bags out and flattening them. Then cut off the bottom seam and the handles. This is where the methods differ. Like I said, I haven't figured out the continuous strand method.

This is what I do: I fold the bag into fourths the long way (fold in half the long way, then fold in half the long way again). This gives me a nice smallish thing. I then cut the long folded bag into little strips, an inch or less in width, yielding a plethora of little loops. The thickness of the plarn is directly related to how wide you cut your strips, and will also affect what size hook you use. Keep in mind, too, that this will yield a double-thickness of plarn.

When I've cut up a pile of bags and have a pile of little loops, I tie them together. If you ever tied rubber bands together as a kid by looping one through another, then back on itself, you have the concept. Do be careful; while the finished items are surprisingly durable, the strands themselves can be fragile. DON'T PULL TOO HARD or you will rip your loops. If you do, all is not lost. You can either tie the ends back together and continue on your merry way or toss that loop.

If my instructions aren't terribly clear--and I'm sure they're not--there is a wonderful tutorial at Marlo's Crochet Corner that even has pictures.

Coming up: what do you do with the leftovers and what do you make with plarn?

Tape Core Wreath

It may seem like a little early to be thinking about Christmas stuff, but I've been working on ornaments and such for our church's Christmas craft fair later this year. This is one of the ornaments I've made.

It's made from the little plastic ring left at the center of a roll of scotch tape, crocheted with worsted weight acrylic yarn. I was going to put little red bead berries on it, but discovered I didn't happen to have any. Pink berries just didn't seem right.

I can't take credit for the pattern. It's one I found on my early days of searching the internet for interesting crochet patterns. The pattern can be here found at JPFun Crochet Club.

15-Minute Writing Exercise Collage

One of my favorite writing exercises in college was quite simple: write for 15 minutes. It doesn't matter what you write, just so long as you're writing for 15 minutes continuously. I've often thought these stream of consciousness writings would make passably interesting art, but on its own it seemed kind of blah.

Enter the book I got, then realized was missing the first 20 pages. So what do you do with a book that is missing the first 20 pages? Make a collage out of it!

NOTE: I normally do not condone the mutilation of books. As a bibliophile it sends chills down my spine. I could justify it in this case as the book was of little good even as a reading copy. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS WITH PERFECTLY GOOD BOOKS!

Materials:
Stiff cardboard (such as an old file divider or the back of a legal pad)
Picture frame
Old book (SEE NOTE ABOVE)
Spray adhesive
White acrylic paint
Fountain pen
Scanner
Timer

Instructions:
Cut carboard to fit picture frame. Frame size matters only in that you want enough room to be able to write for 15 minutes. Frame aesthetics are up to you. I had an old frame that had the beat-up, writerly look I was going for.

Cut pages from book. An Exacto knife really helps for this. Spray cardboard with spray adhesive. Place pages randomly all over cardboard, so that it is (ideally) completely covered. I personally think overlapping and different angles look better than straight, perfectly aligned, but again, aesthetics are up to you. When all pages are placed, trim edges even with cardboard (Exacto knife makes it easy again). You can even use the trimmed pieces to fill in spaces. My original thought was to découpage the frame with the trimmed pieces, but I found that was a little more involved than I wanted to do.

While you're waiting for the adhesive to dry, place the fountain pen on the glass of a flatbed scanner and carefully close the cover. Scan, then print. I have a high-quality color laser printer, so it came out VERY good. Carefully cut out picture of pen. (This step is optional. You can embellish however you want. This particular pen is a Parker Sonnet that I got on a trip to Ireland. It's one of my favorite fountain pens.)

When the adhesive is completely dry, paint with a wash of diluted white acrylic. Be careful not to dilute it too much. It will dry sheerer than it appears when wet, and if it's too watered down, it will cause your cardboard to curl, and may cause your pages to unstick. A quick shot of spray adhesive underneath the unstuck page will fix this.

When the paint is dry, break out your favorite pen and a timer. Set the timer for 15 mintes and begin writing. Write the entire time. It doesn't matter at all what you write, just so long as you're writing. I sort of cheated and wrote a very detailed meditation on the actual exercise. When you're done, don't forget to sign it. I pasted the picture of the pen on so that the nib was at the end of my signature, as if it had just written the signature. If you don't happen to have a fountain pen or a scanner, or just don't want to do that, feel free to embellish however you choose.

If you use a fountain pen, a roller ball, or a gel pen, wait until the ink has dried, then place in frame. Voilà, not-quite-instant art!