Using Plarn . . .

I can't remember whether I've mentioned that I've been introduced to the use of Plarn?

For those who don't know what this is, it's plastic yarn and, in particular, the use of plastic shopping bags, that are cut into strips, then joined together in one long string, which can then be used to either knit or, in my case, crochet items of use again - a great way to use those unwanted bags that seem to pile up at an alarming rate :)

I haven't done much with the ball of Plarn that I've already made, as I've been so busy making accessories for my daughter, then crocheting a blanket for my bed. I'm in the processes of finishing a blanket for my daughter right now but, while she was staying with me, I put that down for a while, to make a hat for her friend - and also a rather unusual set of items, made out of my Plarn :)

Brex had brought her practice Fire Fans with her, so that she could show Bob and myself what she does but, as Bob was quick to notice, the Kevlar she uses on the fans -which are used for the fire-making itself - were covered in soot and so, every time Brex touched them, her hand came away soot-covered. She was telling me that this was a problem, but she couldn't think of a covering that wouldn't weigh down the fans while she practised, and then I remembered the Plarn, and asked if that would be suitable. Neither of us were sure, so I dug out the ball of Plarn from under my bed (Kushka, my cat, had batted it there after finding it in the box I stored it in), and started to experiment in crocheting covers for the Kevlar. 

After a couple of false starts, I managed to crochet enough covers for the fans, and Brex said that, provided she remembered to put on the covers once the Kevlar was cold, she didn't see any reason why they wouldn't work, especially as they added very little weight to the fans!

They also had an advantage, in that they were quite flexible, but would also stay in shape if scrunched up to close the ends, so Brex didn't need to worry that they would fly off while she practised her moves :)

She was so pleased with them, that she took some photos for me - so here they are:

And here's a close-up:

I really enjoyed making them for Brex to use, although I could only do a couple a day, with a few hours space in-between each one, as crocheting with Plarn takes a lot more hand strength than wool, and so my poor hands really felt the difference. But I was delighted that we had come up with a solution to the soot problem, so it was well worth it - and we had also found a practical use for something most people just throw away!  :)