Eco-Friendly Knits: Using Recycled Plastic Bags by Emily Blades is part of the Twenty to Make series of books from Search Press. This series of books offer 20 projects that cover a particular craft or technique. While these books are small in size, they manage to pack a lot between the pages.
Eco-Friendly Knits focuses on knitting with 'plarn'. The term 'plarn' has been coined by eco-crafters to describe the yarn like product that is created by cutting plastic bags into strips. This thin yarn or plarn can be knitted like other yarns and fibers. One of the attractive features of knitting with recycled plastic bags is the fact that it is not only cheap, but it also helps the environment by taking plastic out of the waste system. In Eco-Friendly Knits: Using Recycled Plastic Bags, Emily Blades presents 20 different plarn knitting projects which are ideal for knitters wanting to try their hands at something a little different. The projects are innovative and fun and the plastic bag yarn or plarn gives interesting effects.
Plarn Knitting Projects
Emily Blades has chosen 20 projects that are all well suited to plastic bag yarn or plarn. They are small enough that they can be completed using just a few plastic bags. The end results can be varied significantly by using colored plastic bags. In addition to full project instructions, details of the approximate number of plastic bags is given. The projects include jewellery and accessories as well as bags and purses.
Finishing Techniques
Instructions are provided for finishing the projects to a high standard. Some of the projects are ironed in parchment paper as part of the finishing process and this gives a flat and robust finish. This is an innovative approach and creates a different finished effect.
Plarn Project Book
Eco-Friendly Knits is a project book and not a how-to-knit book. Therefore beginner knitters may need to look in other books or online for more detailed explanations of some of the techniques used. While many of the projects use shaping and other techniques, knitters with just a little knitting experience ought to be able to undertake the majority of the projects. The small nature of the projects - and the fact that the yarn is cheap or free - makes these ideal projects for knitters looking to learn or practice new skills.
Eco-Friendly Knits is a fun knitting book with innovative and exciting projects. As is typical of the 20 To Make series, the book is well priced and manages to pack a lot into 48 pages.
More Information
- Title - Eco-Friendly Knits: Using Recycled Plastic Bags
- Author - Emily Blades
- Publisher - Search Press
- ISBN - 978-1-84448-486-7
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Kate Pullen - Kate Pullen is a freelance writer specializing in arts and crafts , and is an accomplished craftsperson. As well as being a designer / ...
