Category: Upcycle

Waste Plastic Waste Paper Basket

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Ever since I started this blog I see the world around me differently. Looking at anything I am thinking of throwing in the trash or recycling, I say to myself, “Can I crochet something with it?” After a recent Prime Day feeding frenzy, I was tossing a fifth blue-and-white padded plastic envelope on the guest room bed (to postpone the inevitable) when the thought struck me: a waste-paper basket! Made of waste plastic!

Making yarn out of plastic bags etc. is a thing. The product is called plarn. Mostly it’s used for crochet but you can also knit with it. There are lots of great project suggestions out there already. Here is one from Zween of cute little owl zipped bags.

Directions: Cut the envelopes into 1/2″ wide spiraling strips (so you get a continuous strip from each envelope). Lay the ends of two strips on top of each other so that they overlap about an inch and staple twice to join into one long strand. Use a big, fat crochet hook. Mine is about 3/4″ across. Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch into a circle. Chain 1 then single crochet five times into the circle. Join with a slip stitch and chain 1. Make 2 sc into each sc, join. Chain 1, then work a round even into front loops only. Join and chain 1. Continue working in joined and stepped up rounds, increasing one stitch every other round to gently flare the shape of the basket. Keep going until the basket is the desired size or you run out of plarn. (If you need more plarn, order the next crochet pattern book you have been wanting from Amazon…)

  • Start with 5 envelopes and cut into 1/2″ wide spiral strip
  • Crochet into a flat circle
  • Turn the corner by working into front loops only
  • Finished product compared to the basket I used as a model
  • Basket in use under my crafts table
  • This is all that is going to landfill now!

The same amount of envelopes could make a small waterproof anti-fatigue mat or bathroom mat (the envelopes are waterproof and the bubble wrap that lines the envelopes is cushy) or a fruit basket (make a bigger circle or oval before turning up side and use more increases to flare shape out faster. If you don’t like the blue and white color scheme, spray paint the finished product with Rustoleum plastic paint.

Let me know what you make and how many envelopes it took!

Sock It To Me Bathroom Rug

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Turn your old socks into a plushy and indestructible bathroom rug!

Today we are gonna talk about old socks. Yup, just about the most disgusting old things you don’t feel too sad about throwing away. If they are 100% cotton or wool you could theoretically compost them, but I am talking about athletic socks with nylon and Lycra. I don’t know about your household, but with three or four workouts a week we generate an annual supply of at least a dozen pairs of blown out, dingy, ratty socks. Inspired by “calamari” technique of Mason Dixon Knitting, I discovered you can make them into a kind of yarn.

Making Sock Yarn–step-by-step

  • Start with a pile of old socks
  • and a sharp pair of scissors.
  • Cut the sock into 1/2″ wide strips, changing the angle of cuts to exclude the heel.
  • Hold the loop you want to join over your thumb and pinkie and line the existing chain perpendicular to the one you are holding
  • Put the new loop under the old one, then scoop your finger through the old loop and under the new one.
  • Pull the new loop up through the old one and through itself, letting the loop slide off your other fingers
  • Pull up until snug
  • and repeat until you have a giant ball of sock yarn.

Now get your biggest crochet hook out (I used a P = 15 mm). Make four chains and join with a slip stitch. Crochet as many single crochets as you can in the loop. Continue working in a spiral in rounds, making two singles in every single for the first couple of rounds, then gradually decreasing the frequency of increases as the circle gets larger. Basically if you can’t reach the next single crochet to work into with the hook, make a second single crochet in the same stitch. Check frequently to make sure you are keeping the shape flat. Keep going until you are temporarily out of socks or your rug is big enough. Standard round bath rugs are about 30″ across.

Socks with color make nice little flecks of color in the rug

Warnings: Cutting up the socks may give you sore hands. Working the sock yarn rug may give you sore hands. Little fragments of sock lint will get everywhere.

Upcycle quotient: throwing away only the heel and toe instead of the whole sock.