Green living mantra

Today I was sorting out my old magazines, then I stumbled the magazine Home-Science, this article was published in  this magazine  in 1991 came in front of me. I've got all my articles typed out so that I can get them in book form.

So ,I am blogging this one  here………..

Recycling has always been important to me (even before it became “trendy”! I still remember it was in 80’s that poly bags isn’t appeared in Hisar city, I got a yellow poly bag with my purchase from Kumar store in Hisar, and then each poly bag was stored with time. I stored many bags in an assortment of colours-yellow, green, blue, red, orange, white, and I made yarn out of them and crocheted a rug in 1986, very beautiful one! (Sorry I didn’t procure the photo of that oval beautiful rug). It lasts approximately 10-11 years; after imparting services for a pretty long time it withered and I burnt it to ashes (polluted the environment). Since then I stored every bag and gave away to those who came to me to learn making rug out of poly bags.

Since 4-5 years I said good-bye to poly bags in my house

Regarding my ward-robe, I have always off loaded clothes/ stuff to charity (bagful to garbage collectors, and Krishan Parnami Ashram at village Kamari, some-time woolen stuffs to the beggars in winter). Sometimes there are things I cannot give away or are too damaged, rough or worn…. these go in my rag pile… once in a year or two I get out my surger and my rotary cutter and make tri layer rags with nice surged edges… I haven’t bought tablemats/coasters/ door-mats/ bed-side-mats in over several years.

Some time, I cut out beautiful fabric pieces from the dresses, and give them to trainers at our sewing classes (who couldn’t afford new purchases for practice) in our NGO’s sewing school.

 

Method making poly bag yarn

 

Lay recycled bag flat, cut off the bottom seam and handles). Draw diagonal lines.

 

When all the polybags, has been reduced to strips fold each individual strip into small-small bundles.

Next step is conversion of strips into polybag yarn: take a bundle open it, fold the outside edges, toward the central line, (like single fold bias tape) and begin to roll them individually into balls. When you come near the end of the strip sandwich the end point of another strip and fold like the previous part of the strip as shown in the illus above and below.

By rolling it into a ball, you effectively press the poly material into place by the time you get ready to crochet with it.

You will need a size J metal hook.

Begin by making a chain for the foundation. Start your work with measuring the chains as per your desired mat/rug size (I made 14 inches, and chains to accommodate for this size). Leave a tail of yarn (big enough to be sandwiched while crocheting the 1st round of mat). The entire rug is worked in single crochet (sc).

After making chains of your desired length, turn and skip chain and make 3 sc in next st (one end of the rug started).

Round 1st --------Working with one loop only of foundation chain, make 1 sc in each st down one side; make 3 sc in other end and work 1 sc in each st back to the 1st sc.Join the round with slip stitch on 1st sc of 3 sc.

Round 2nd ---------Make 2 sc in each of the 3 end sc’s of previous round on each end 1 sc in each sc along the sides.

Rounds 3 and 4------- It’s safe to say you can make 2 sc in each end sc on each end sc on rounds 3 and 4, but after that you have to “feel” your way along for the increases. As the rug increases in size try to keep from making increases directly over those of the previous row...stagger them a bit. Proceed all the coming rounds using your excretion for perfect shape, till your desired size of the rug.

On the final round, try to make it around without any increases...more often than not this works and makes a nice finished edge.

When the rug is at the size you desire, finish off by slip stitching in the next stitch (you can do 2 of these if you like over the next 2 sts). Then use your hook to pull the tail end through some of the stitches on the back of the rug.

If you wish you can leave the rug unbaked (I used backing for my rug after several years of use I unravel the backing and my rug was as new as I made it years back but again I made backing for the worn-out/used side, that’s why it had a very… very…. longer life) , so that it is reversible. If you prefer to add a backing cut Hussein or any old cloth to the rug size plus 1cm. ( ½" ) all round. Lay the backing over the wrong side of the rug, turn in the backing edges about 2 cm. ( ¾" ) so the edges will be hidden on the right side and slip stitch the backing in place all round the edge of the rug. Backing saves the back side of your rug, so that you can use the rug as new one again after the right side’s wear and tear stage.

This makes your rug ready; you can place them where you want. Where mats are placed on linoleum the floor immediately beneath them should not be polished, otherwise they will slip when steeped on and may cause accidents. On carpeted floors, in particular, dust quickly accumulates underneath mats, and for this reason the latter should always be removed when the carpet is swept.

Don’t use poly bags, in case you have to recycle them for making other useful items.

Try to stick to the phrase “say no to poly bags" practically.

Try to help make Mother Earth a beautiful place to live in!

xoxo