Recycling plastic comes from Africa which is where I grew up. The locals sometimes made bags and hats as well as other weird and wonderful creations using plastic bags making the most of a free material.
Having been shown how to quickly transform a plastic bag into balls of yarn (using a specific folding and cutting technique) it became easier. The Coloured balls can then be combined and arranged creatively to achieve interesting designs, I usually carry a variety of colours with me when I travel as I’m never without my small crochet hook.
I started to crochet plastic about 20 years ago because there is and was so much dumped plastic everywhere that simply just does not degrade! This is a global problem and a threat to humanity and the natural world which distresses me very much. So because of my love of handy crafts I began to explore the art of recycling plastic, any plastic so long as it’s not biodegradable. This is what I do every day in my spare time, I focus on raising money for charity, originally the African street kids of Soweto and more recently a local hospice which depends o charitable donations.
My friends save their bread bags, toilet paper bags, carrier bags or whatever plastic they have. I have found that lining the bags with fabric and adding zip pockets makes them stronger, more useful as well as giving a more stylish look. I have been able to design many different bags, belts, hats, purses etc.
I enjoy teaching others and passing on my skills especially to people who need to make a small income, plastic is a free material and it can be found everywhere. It takes time to crochet a lovely bag but it focuses the mind and is almost like a meditation so is very therapeutic as well giving creative satisfaction.
I have taught in SA, the UK and in East African countries.
I hope I can continue to inspire others and pass on this passion for recycling plastics.
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