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Monday, April 29, 2013

HOW TO MAKE BAGS OUT OF BAGS


The size of this bag is about 16 1/2 by 19 1/2.
 
HOW TO MAKE BAGS OUT OF BAGS

 

Ø  Take a clean, empty, plastic grocery bag.

Ø  Put in on a table – flat, with the handles to the left, the bottom to the right.

Ø  From the side of the bag closest to you, fold over to meet the other side – lengthwise.

Ø  Fold again.

Ø  And again.

Ø  Until you have a long, very narrow length of folded plastic.

Ø  Cut across the bottom, discarding the bottom seam.

 

·         Make cuts along the length, about every one inch (more or less depending on the strength of the plastic and how strong you need the bag to be.

·         You now should have about 10 or 12 loops of plastic – sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the width of the original bag. Continue making loops until you have a big bowl full.

·         Take two loops and begin making a chain (like you would to make a chain of rubber bands), pulling tightly (but not too tight) so that the “connections” are as small as possible.

·         Continue to chain the loops together, rolling them into a ball as you go. That much will make a nice big ball of “plastic yarn.”

·         You can scout around for different colors of bags and make stripes using separate balls of “yarn” or just let the colors mix for fun.

·         Use a large crochet hook – decide for yourself the size that fits your needs.
 
ü  Make a chain as long as the width of the new bag.

ü  Single crochet around that chain.

ü  From there, you can just continue crocheting around and around until you have a bag.

What I usually do (because I’m always too impatient to single crochet the entire bag) is to single       crochet for several rounds, to give stability to the bottom. Then, I start double crocheting which seems a lot faster to me. But once I get almost to the top of the bag, I go back to single crocheting again for stability around the top. It is needed for the attachment of the handles.
 

For the handles, just make a chain the length of the handle you want and single crochet around it twice.

Then, attach each end to the top of the bag on one side – and do the same with the second handle.
 
HAVE FUN!
 
Jean Straatmeyer
4/6/09


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Trees Battered by the Winds of the Ocean

ROCKPORT-FULTON, TEXAS WATERFRONT
 
Strong winds from the ocean are evident here.
 
 
Some of the branches touch the ground and continue growing.

The live oaks outnumber the palm trees.

If you walk down the middle of the road here, you will run into a tree!
 
Kids have a ball climbing these trees and making forts. Notice someone didn't want that branch to touch the ground.
We noticed very few houses built on pilings here and yet, folks talked of flooding.
Severe hurricanes are leaving this area alone - for now.