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
