A green way to keep her hands busy and relax… and ’save a fortune on yarn’

July 8th, 2009 at 06:40am Jennie Pollock

Judi Kernica of Loves Park crochets almost every day. And almost all the time, she uses strips of plastic bags instead of yarn.

Kernica got the idea watching “The Carol Duvall Show” more than four years ago when her youngest child was just a baby — it was something she could do and still keep an eye on her.

She said the idea dates back to the 1960s when people regularly saved bread bags.

Today, she makes rugs, purses, tote bags and car seat mats. Once she even made a mat to go under a neighbor’s camper awning.

“I have no idea how many (things) I’ve made. I’ve given a lot of them away as gifts. I’ve done a couple of craft shows.” She is now selling her wares at the Midtown Farmers Market from 3 to 8 p.m. Fridays at 222 Seventh St., Rockford.

So how does she do it?

She cuts up the plastic bags, puts them into a comforter bag and ties the strips as she goes along. She has no idea how many bags it takes to make any particular product, though she gets supplies from friends, her mom and a neighbor. “I think it’s better that way if I don’t keep track; it would boggle the mind.”

She does donate the scraps for recycling (broken pieces and handles) — usually a grocery-cart full by the time she drops them off.

Kernica has been crocheting for two decades but never learned how to read patterns, so everything has been learned and tweaked along the way. She proudly talks about a tote bag she stuffed and took to the beach. “The sand fell out the bottom!”

She added: “I’ve been amazed at what I fit in those things, and I’ve never broken one.” Her husband jokes that he could swing a bowling ball around in one.

Well, that’s probably not practical. But this is: You can put the bags in the washer (not the dryer). And the more they get used, the softer they feel.

If you want to do this yourself, she suggests Googling “crocheted plastic.”

Entry Filed under: Recycling, Living without plastic