Plastic Bag Trash Cans
Its been a while since I've ended the month with an upcycle project and I'm very happy to announce that I'm finally ready to start doing that again. The truth is that I never intended to stop posting about upcycling, I just kept running into problems with my projects and as a result they kept getting pushed back. And such is the case with this months crochet project.
It all start way back in December, when I found a video about crocheting plastic shopping bags into sleeping mats for the homeless. I thought it was so easy and would cost me nothing to start. So I started making mats. And even after my mom bought me three big boxes of bags I was only able to make 2. (And they weren't even long enough!). So I was a little disheartened and I then realized it is a great project to make, but not one you can do on your own.
So I regrouped a little bit and I decided to try my hand at crocheting the plastic bags, instead, into baskets. (I attempted last year to braid bags together and then weave them together, but after about a week it started to fold in on itself.) So I found a basket pattern I liked and I made myself an office trash can. Only to have the basket start to fold in on itself.
This is when I realized I needed to have something underneath to support it. So I thought about it for a while, when I realized that lamp shades would be the perfect solution. They are the right size and most have a solid frame underneath. Lamp shades, however, are shockingly expensive if you buy them from a retail store. Luckily I live by a couple of thrift stores, so I popped my head in while and I was able to find a couple that would make good trash cans.
The Project
Make Trash Cans From Plastic Bags
Ideas from Make My Day Creative
Supplies Needed
Lots and Lots of Plastic Bags
Old Lamp Shades
Results
Obviously the first step in crocheting plastic bags is learning how to make plarn. Its so easy and I often try to get through as many bags at a time as I can.
Photo Tutorial from Crochet Anonymous. Click over for a full tutorial!
Once I have a decent size ball. (Plan balls roll up quick, so about the size of a honey dew melon or if I have enough bags a basketball!)
It was time to start turning the plarn into some trash cans!
I ended up finding four different lamp shades to turn into trash cans. So for each one, I decided to try a different crochet technique. (The one pictured above I was alternating my rows between front posts and back posts, which I know understand how to work!)
So out of my four lamp shades, I have been able to finish three different trash cans.
The first is the smallest of my three and perhaps the hardest of my lampshades to work with.
The frame broke up into three side pieces along with top and bottom rings. So the trick to turning it into a basket was to crochet panels into the sides. And then I connected them to the top and bottom rings and filled the empty side panels.
The second is the one I made for my office.
For this one, I crocheted the entire thing using just back posts. And I attempted to make some handles for it.
And the final one is the finished basket is the finished version of the one pictured above.
For this one I alternated my rows between using the front and back posts.
And the fourth one, which is still in progress, I used the diamond trellis pattern from the link above.
Since the lamp shade I used to make this one was just a top ring and a bottom ring. So I'm attempting to crochet from the top down and then attach it to the bottom. So I guess we'll all have to see how this turns out!
