America's 250th date of existence is coming up & I'm "all in".
I'm an American, and proud of it: we're aiming to celebrate America's 250th Year, this July 4th: and looking forward to celebrating her 251st.
Materials: 1 ct. 45-oz. Butter container (empty & clean); Plastic shopping bags (I used 2); ruler; packaging tape; #G crochet hook; worsted yarn in color of choice (I used Red, White, & Blue); Scissors; 1 Ziploc Baggie (I used Qt.-size); Tapestry Needle
I wanted a different pot cover to look at - but I also wanted the bottom edge of it to be waterproof since the plant sits on the kitchen island, next to the sink.
I designed the last one out of left-over marine cord I had stored … but that is gone now, so I got to thinking of what else I could use that would give me what I wanted; all the way around.
I remembered something I had tried out around the 2008 timeframe of my life, then: PLARN. It would be perfect!
Plarn is a homemade plastic yarn - the materials are readily at hand, and it is pretty easy to make by repurposing plastic shopping bags. I usually hoard my plastic bags for other purposes around the house, since plastic bags are hard to come by since the obamanite insanity gripped America. But, I thought I could spare one today for this particular purpose.
Plarn is not smooth: it is somewhat stiff, & doesn't easily roll into a yarn ball … but, it makes for a sturdy medium, washes easily, & dries fairly quickly. I was thankful for that memory prod.
There are several ways for making plarn, and I’m going to share the one I used for this little project; making plarn this way is time consuming, but it does make a nice worsted mimic. And you can make it at your own speed for what you need.
I made mine all at once (prep, cutting, folding, and ready for use), and I estimate it took about 5-1/2 hours to make the little needed.
Be sure to make a some extra because plarn stretches when worked with - if you have to pull out a bit an rework, the plarn will be considerably stretched: usable still, but not as smoothly as when you started with it.
1) Select your preferred bag - in my case, I used an Albertson's grocery shopping bag, cutting a sliver of plastic off across the bottom to open it up.
2) Then, I cut cross the strap tops to open that end up.
3) I cut up one side of the bag, to make the bag as flat as possible; then, I started marking off the size strips I wanted. Since the main body of my work would be done in worsted weight yarn, I marked off 1/4" strips & cut them into strips (I preferred to cut from bottom edge to top edge).
I used the back of the bag for these strips because I didn't want any coloration on my strips. The dye used on the bags will bleed off over time - I don't want my kitchen island countertop to get stained.
4) When I had the strips I wanted, I then folded each strip in half, pressing the folded edge tightly to mimic worsted yarn: plastic is thinner that fiber, but that's okay.
I also cut thin slivers (not too thin) off packaging tape, & snipped into pieces needed to connect the folded plarn edges. Plastic is slippery & I wanted to work smoothly without struggling to keep the plarn where I wanted it.
5) Decide on the design you want to use your plastic yarn for, and start designing.
I chose a rectangular sc pattern, making a 3 sc increase in each corner - and working subsequent inc's in the 2nd st of each rows' corner increases. When I was satisfied with the rectangular piece, I ended off and tucked the loose end securely under as I would do using worsted yarn.
6) Then I worked 1 row of plarn sc in the back loop of each st, for 1 row of siding & ended off.
I am now ready to work with worsted yarn for the main design, which is a variation of the afghan stitch.
7) Work 1 row of sc around the plarn base - decreasing 3 sts at each corner.
8) Because Afghan stitches require you to pull loops up through existing stitches, you need to start with a foundation row: make a count of 11 chain sts. Insert your hook in the second chain (ch) from the hook; yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through the chain stitch. Insert your hook in the next chain and repeat the preceding step in each chain across the foundation chain. Your hook is now loaded up with loops. This is known as drawing up the loops. You should have 11 loops - one for each chain stitch in your foundation chain.
Sl st into the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook (yarn drawn through 2 sts). Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook. One loop will remain on your hook - and that st counts as the first stitch of the next row.
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The first half of your foundation pattern row, is complete.
Insert your hook under the first vertical bar of the previous row - repeat this until the end of the row, then sl st in the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook. Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook, until 1 loop remains on the hook. THIS PROCESS ESTABLISHES THE PATTERN.
Work in pattern around the plarn piece, joining the edges in pattern - so the rows line up evenly. TO JOIN: As you work the pattern upward, also include the bottom edge of the foundation chain - this will close nicely. End with a sl st at the top edge.
9) Drop Red & attach White. Ch 4 & insert your hook in the second chain (ch) from the hook, & in each chain across the foundation chain; sl st into the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook (yarn drawn through 2 sts). Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook. One loop will remain on your hook - and that st counts as the first stitch of the next row.
Insert your hook under the first vertical bar of the previous row - repeat this until the end of the row, then sl st in the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook. Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook, until 1 loop remains on the hook.
Work in pattern in the round, joining the edges in pattern, described in row 8, above - so the rows line up evenly.
10) Drop White & attach Blue. Ch 5 & insert your hook in the second chain (ch) from the hook, & in each chain across the foundation chain; sl st into the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook (yarn drawn through 2 sts). Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook. One loop will remain on your hook - and that st counts as the first stitch of the next row.
Insert your hook under the first vertical bar of the previous row - repeat this until the end of the row, then sl st in the next st. Yarn over the hook and draw your yarn through the sl st & 1 loop on the hook. Yarn over (yo) the hook and draw your yarn through each remaining loop on the hook, until 1 loop remains on the hook.
Work in pattern in the round, joining the edges in pattern - so the rows line up evenly. EO work & weave in loose ends.
11) I line my yarn pot covers with plastic tacked in place. To do this, use a plastic bag that is roughly the size of your chosen plant container … trim the plastic bag, leaving some over-hang for ease.
Fold edges under in a neat line, and loosely tack plastic in place, along the upper edge.
Slip your plant container in the pot cover - easy peasy!
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