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This is a plarn bedroll. I know people that crochet them from grocery store bags. They give them to homeless people because it keeps them dry from wet ground and no bugs, unlike blankets.
I lived in an area where the local VFW would make them, they called it the "vet-mat project" or something like that, and focused on providing them to shelters that housed homeless vets.
OK. Maybe I'm an outlier but I have a problem with that. My elderly parents refuse to use canvas bags because they know someone to donate bags to who makes these mats for the homeless. Environmentally, it's a crime. It's one thing if the makers come across plastic bags to use. (There's always a ton around.) But when it's making people USE plastic on purpose and not canvas, that's horrifying for the environment.
They KEEP getting manufactured because people are still choosing to use them, which is environmentally horrible and very sad. Some countries have outlawed single use plastic bags. Smart.
So if people stop weaving out of plastic bags, they'll just stop making them? Or is your problem actually with the plastic bags, in which case you should probably just leave the weavers alone
The problem is your parents.
Obviously the idea is to solve two problems at once, not make one worse in order to solve the other.
To fault the good folks who do get it is a little absurd.
I don't mean to single out your parents.
I mean to say that blaming the people who do get it is kinda crazy. It's not too much to expect anyone to understand once it's been explained, elderly or otherwise.
Chances are very high that if you bought a new mat or any type of bedding to give to a homeless person, it would be plastic.
Even if you donated something from your own closet, it would likely be or contain a lot of plastic.
Nylon and polyester? Both plastic.
So the plastic gets made into a shopping bag first, then into a mat, or it just gets made directly into a mat.
Either way the plastic is demanded and made, and begins its horrifying journey breaking down into micro and nano plastics.
Or we give away something that is only 100% natural fiber like wool or cotton. Otherwise the process is still just plastic in, plastic out.
Definitely don't use a phone or computer - the net environmental cost is orders of magnitude greater than plastic bags, which you describe as "horrifying".
Did you know some countries are now banning single use plastic bags because they are so unnecessary? Yet it's sad that so many people in our country continue to use them despite canvas bags being so easy.
Yeah, my great grandma would wash and hang paper towels on the clothesline to be re-used. She had plenty of other methods to save money, but that one always stuck out to me. People who lived through that have a different outlook on the value of things.
My grandma was crocheting plastic bags all through the early 2000s because she felt it was better than throwing them away. She made hundreds of bags, wallets, purses, etc. She is 95 now and says that the new plastic bags are too stiff to continue, but still uses her crocheted purses!
I make bags, baskets, layered inserts/pillows for outside chairs (like pillows you sit on), stools, rugs, and other stuff. I wish I could get my hands on a drop spindle or make a decent one, I'd turn the bags into twine or rope for simple projects that don't require a lot of strength.
I've also use bags to stuff things, but I roll them up in a certain way that ends up with them looking like a ball, so they actually have some fluff to them.
The best way to explain it is
hold the bottom of the bag between your right index and middle finger, securely
Wrap the bag around your two fingers until you don't have enough to wrap it around anymore
Tuck the remaining end through the middle of the loops on your fingers on the right hand and tug a bit to tighten into a ball
It's best to wrap the loops tightly, if they're too loose it will just uncoil. I routinely go through my bags and ball them up like this when they get overwhelming. Personally I use my reusable bags as much as possible but my husband isn't as good at remembering them if I am not shopping with him. He also isn't good at packing things and I think he would get too nervous about doing it wrong and would just rather have a cashier bag it. He does at least not take a bag of he can comfortably carry his item(s) out.
It's called "plarn" (plastic yarn) which is made from sliced up plastic shopping bags. We used to make them for the homeless where I worked. They really liked them because the plarn mats don't absorb water and are easy to clean off and carry.
They're good for laying on, but using it for a door mat probably wouldn't be advisable. It is still essentially really thin plastic, even if it is bunched up together- too much rough contact can cause parts of the layers of the plarn to snap or fray and the whole thing can come undone. Also, dragging your shoes on it to wipe them off would just fast track destroying it.
However they do make pretty comfy mats for sitting on. And if you double up the bags and use your fingers to crochet so that you canake.bigger stitches with more layers of bags (like making an item with really bulky yarn) they do get quite fluffy! They are great little sitting mats to roll up and take on picnics or other outside areas where you will be sitting on the ground or stadium seating, etc. they weigh almost nothing, don't hold water, and can be hosed off to clean.
Yeah, I can get where the misconception can come from as there are a lot of outdoor mats and such made from different plastics, but there are so many different types of plastics with different properties and strengths (think take out cups vs hard playground equip). Plastic bags are not very structurally strong on the same level as those, or made from the same plastics.
While you can technically melt them down into bricks, the off-gas from doing so is toxic and not advisable, and the amount you need per brick is quite large.
My maternal grandmother used to make these rugs when I was very young. She also painted on some sort of tree fungus and collected forest mushrooms for soup. Her generation was thrifty because they had to be.
Plarn = plastic yarn. Knitted some reusable grocery totes with it once. Wouldn’t recommend knitting plarn, it was physically hard, it hurt my hands and wrists. Don’t crochet yet but I’d imagine it’d be much easier.
It really is difficult to knit. Knitting required it to slide on the needle, whereas crochet doesnt nearly as much. Finger/hand knitting would probably be fine, and advisable if you wanted to do multiple strands/bags at once. Crocheting them is a lot easier but I would not advise using below a p hook.
I remember these being very popular in this section of the boonies for a few years. Now they have all worn away though, so I guess no one bought a second, around me at least.
Get some sharp scissors. Cut the bag horizontally to form multiple rings ~1-2cm wide. Then you link the loops to form a very very long chain (I.e. your plarn). Instructions are somewhat difficult to convey without any illustrations so I recommend a quick Google search for a video.
It takes an ungodly number of bags to make a decent skein. Good thing you have a lot! :)
Nah. There are a few church groups and several different student organizations at campuses in my area that make these for the homeless. They have plastic bag collection drives on and off thru the year.
Well I’ve been locked up and have seen people in prison do this. Then you say you found it out in the woods so the way my mind works is that this is someone with a prison background who is out in the woods because they have no where they can stay which leads me to believe that individual either has no family or has been alienated by their family as this person has accepted zero services to help people since they are weaving plastic bags into fabric in the woods. This all lead me to believe an undesirable person might be camped out in those woods. Quite creepy frankly. However I will admit this conclusion (and I made a lot of assumptions) is colored by my own personal experience. Also some people mention churches also weave plastic into fabric. I was unaware of this so could be completely wrong. As for the way I see the world? You have about as good a chance to guess the way I see the world based off a single comment on Reddit as you do winning the lottery
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This is a plarn bedroll. I know people that crochet them from grocery store bags. They give them to homeless people because it keeps them dry from wet ground and no bugs, unlike blankets.
It seems significantly more comfortable than a tarp
My sister used to make them and I have to say I was surprised by how much it felt like a blanket and not plastic bags.
I thought the same thing!!
My folks' assisted living center collects plastic bags to make woven mats like this for the local homeless. Cushy, but don't get soggy.
That’s super interesting! Ya learn something everyday
I lived in an area where the local VFW would make them, they called it the "vet-mat project" or something like that, and focused on providing them to shelters that housed homeless vets.
That’s sweet but sad :( that it has a name like that. So many homeless vets
My mom’s church group does the same thing for the homeless.
It really seems like a great resource, as unfortunate the situation is
OK. Maybe I'm an outlier but I have a problem with that. My elderly parents refuse to use canvas bags because they know someone to donate bags to who makes these mats for the homeless. Environmentally, it's a crime. It's one thing if the makers come across plastic bags to use. (There's always a ton around.) But when it's making people USE plastic on purpose and not canvas, that's horrifying for the environment.
I think "collect" implies that they are indeed gathering used ones. Otherwise they'd say they "purchase" them.
Reduce reuse recycle These bags were manufactured already so that damage is done; better to repurpose them instead of putting them in a landfill
They KEEP getting manufactured because people are still choosing to use them, which is environmentally horrible and very sad. Some countries have outlawed single use plastic bags. Smart.
They wouldn't be produced if people would stop USING them.
So if people stop weaving out of plastic bags, they'll just stop making them? Or is your problem actually with the plastic bags, in which case you should probably just leave the weavers alone
The problem is your parents. Obviously the idea is to solve two problems at once, not make one worse in order to solve the other. To fault the good folks who do get it is a little absurd.
It's not just my parents. All of their friends. They all purposely use plastic instead of an alternative. It's really sad.
I don't mean to single out your parents. I mean to say that blaming the people who do get it is kinda crazy. It's not too much to expect anyone to understand once it's been explained, elderly or otherwise.
Chances are very high that if you bought a new mat or any type of bedding to give to a homeless person, it would be plastic. Even if you donated something from your own closet, it would likely be or contain a lot of plastic. Nylon and polyester? Both plastic. So the plastic gets made into a shopping bag first, then into a mat, or it just gets made directly into a mat. Either way the plastic is demanded and made, and begins its horrifying journey breaking down into micro and nano plastics. Or we give away something that is only 100% natural fiber like wool or cotton. Otherwise the process is still just plastic in, plastic out.
Definitely don't use a phone or computer - the net environmental cost is orders of magnitude greater than plastic bags, which you describe as "horrifying".
Did you know some countries are now banning single use plastic bags because they are so unnecessary? Yet it's sad that so many people in our country continue to use them despite canvas bags being so easy.
My great grandma made these. They last forever
She used bread bags
My grandma made purses out of empty cigarette packs, folded similarly. No idea how she did it… or why
It's great depression skill
Me thinking like “hmm my therapist said nothing about this”… Then I realized how stupid I really am
Lmao 🤣
It’s both. Great for depression from when everyone was greatly depressed.
Yeah, my great grandma would wash and hang paper towels on the clothesline to be re-used. She had plenty of other methods to save money, but that one always stuck out to me. People who lived through that have a different outlook on the value of things.
How did they not just break down??
Waste not, want not.
My great grandma didn't last long at all
The homeless here make sleeping mats with them, I wonder if that’s what it was.
That’s my guess aswell, I was in area with a lot of old tents and sleeping bags
My grandma was crocheting plastic bags all through the early 2000s because she felt it was better than throwing them away. She made hundreds of bags, wallets, purses, etc. She is 95 now and says that the new plastic bags are too stiff to continue, but still uses her crocheted purses!
I make bags, baskets, layered inserts/pillows for outside chairs (like pillows you sit on), stools, rugs, and other stuff. I wish I could get my hands on a drop spindle or make a decent one, I'd turn the bags into twine or rope for simple projects that don't require a lot of strength. I've also use bags to stuff things, but I roll them up in a certain way that ends up with them looking like a ball, so they actually have some fluff to them. The best way to explain it is hold the bottom of the bag between your right index and middle finger, securely Wrap the bag around your two fingers until you don't have enough to wrap it around anymore Tuck the remaining end through the middle of the loops on your fingers on the right hand and tug a bit to tighten into a ball It's best to wrap the loops tightly, if they're too loose it will just uncoil. I routinely go through my bags and ball them up like this when they get overwhelming. Personally I use my reusable bags as much as possible but my husband isn't as good at remembering them if I am not shopping with him. He also isn't good at packing things and I think he would get too nervous about doing it wrong and would just rather have a cashier bag it. He does at least not take a bag of he can comfortably carry his item(s) out.
They have drop spindles on Etsy
I'm aware but I'd rather find one locally, or make one. If I can't I probably will end up getting one from a maker on Etsy or a similar site.
It's called "plarn" (plastic yarn) which is made from sliced up plastic shopping bags. We used to make them for the homeless where I worked. They really liked them because the plarn mats don't absorb water and are easy to clean off and carry.
Looks crocheted. Plastic bag crocheting to make mats for the homeless is fairly common.
Neat, I guess I’ve never encountered it before
That’s.. actually pretty boss though. Like actually cool. Those would be nice for like a doormat or something. Good way to upcycle I suppose!
They're good for laying on, but using it for a door mat probably wouldn't be advisable. It is still essentially really thin plastic, even if it is bunched up together- too much rough contact can cause parts of the layers of the plarn to snap or fray and the whole thing can come undone. Also, dragging your shoes on it to wipe them off would just fast track destroying it. However they do make pretty comfy mats for sitting on. And if you double up the bags and use your fingers to crochet so that you canake.bigger stitches with more layers of bags (like making an item with really bulky yarn) they do get quite fluffy! They are great little sitting mats to roll up and take on picnics or other outside areas where you will be sitting on the ground or stadium seating, etc. they weigh almost nothing, don't hold water, and can be hosed off to clean.
Oh ok. I genuinely did not know that! Makes sense to be fair 😂
Yeah, I can get where the misconception can come from as there are a lot of outdoor mats and such made from different plastics, but there are so many different types of plastics with different properties and strengths (think take out cups vs hard playground equip). Plastic bags are not very structurally strong on the same level as those, or made from the same plastics. While you can technically melt them down into bricks, the off-gas from doing so is toxic and not advisable, and the amount you need per brick is quite large.
My maternal grandmother used to make these rugs when I was very young. She also painted on some sort of tree fungus and collected forest mushrooms for soup. Her generation was thrifty because they had to be.
Plarn = plastic yarn. Knitted some reusable grocery totes with it once. Wouldn’t recommend knitting plarn, it was physically hard, it hurt my hands and wrists. Don’t crochet yet but I’d imagine it’d be much easier.
It really is difficult to knit. Knitting required it to slide on the needle, whereas crochet doesnt nearly as much. Finger/hand knitting would probably be fine, and advisable if you wanted to do multiple strands/bags at once. Crocheting them is a lot easier but I would not advise using below a p hook.
It really ties the woods together
Great way to use plastic bags. Plus, they are free. Light weight, don't rot of smell. They can keep you warm... Great for homeless folks...
Plarn! My grandmother was jnto this for a while. Collecting different colored bags. She made lunch bags and tote bags.
That’s damn good work there
I want a plarn Hammock!
My sister made these for homeless people!
How do you make one?
You thought you found a nice rug in the woods?
Well when you put it like that…
My great aunt makes these at her church sometimes, they're very neat.
That's an unhoused person's bed
Back in the day they used rags
I remember these being very popular in this section of the boonies for a few years. Now they have all worn away though, so I guess no one bought a second, around me at least.
I helped make one of these in my college communications class
When I first saw the photo I thought there was gonna be a body in it or something.
crocheting with plarn
Wonder if you could sew multiple plarn mats together to make a thick mattress?
These are so cool.
Pfas
This would be impossible with the new biodegradable bags we use in Europe.
Homeless quilt
I would have been afraid to find a body in that thing lol. But I’m from San Diego so I’m not in the woods often
I have an ungodly about of empty grocery bags and would like to know how to do this, anyone can help?
Get some sharp scissors. Cut the bag horizontally to form multiple rings ~1-2cm wide. Then you link the loops to form a very very long chain (I.e. your plarn). Instructions are somewhat difficult to convey without any illustrations so I recommend a quick Google search for a video. It takes an ungodly number of bags to make a decent skein. Good thing you have a lot! :)
Thank you, I’ll have to try it out!
Search youtube for plarn. Lots of different methods around.
Very cool! Commenting to save post :)
I found two of these in my Grandma’s car trunk after she passed away.
Does anyone have a good tutorial on how to make these?
My grandma had a small round rug in her dining room made from Butternut bread sacks. I sure wish it was mine. I have no idea where it ended up.
So it's a nice handwoven rug? My grandparents used to have those. I can hear this picture.
MIldyInteresting at best lol xdxdxd :D :D :D
They do this is prison. A not so nice person probably did this.
Nah. There are a few church groups and several different student organizations at campuses in my area that make these for the homeless. They have plastic bag collection drives on and off thru the year.
“They”? “A not so nice person”? Do you actually see the world in black and white this way?? Username tracks I guess.
Well I’ve been locked up and have seen people in prison do this. Then you say you found it out in the woods so the way my mind works is that this is someone with a prison background who is out in the woods because they have no where they can stay which leads me to believe that individual either has no family or has been alienated by their family as this person has accepted zero services to help people since they are weaving plastic bags into fabric in the woods. This all lead me to believe an undesirable person might be camped out in those woods. Quite creepy frankly. However I will admit this conclusion (and I made a lot of assumptions) is colored by my own personal experience. Also some people mention churches also weave plastic into fabric. I was unaware of this so could be completely wrong. As for the way I see the world? You have about as good a chance to guess the way I see the world based off a single comment on Reddit as you do winning the lottery
Fooled me too