Plarn it!!!

I said I would love to help. I meant it with all my heart. A dear friend is the librarian at an elementary school, and one of the teachers at the school has a science/ecology club. Last fall, they decided to recycle plastic bags by collecting them, cutting them into strips, joining the strips, rolling them into balls, and crocheting 3' x 6' mats for the homeless. I told her I would help. I've been knitting lots of prayer shawls, and thought this would be another wonderful charity project.

Great idea! But the kids could not cut, join, and roll them into balls fast enough, much less crochet them.

                                          So, I collected,

                                          cut,

                                          rolled,

                                                   had helpers,

and, using a size N hook and working across 75 chains, I crocheted 

ad finitum.

I did not finish by Christmas. The mat goes on and on. 

Finally, I did get it completed yesterday.

 

The end result will keep someone warm and dry, and it was crocheted with love and prayers, but I cannot do another. I love the process, but the project just took too long. My friends will have to recycle their plastic bags elsewhere. Am I happy I did it? YES!

And as a finale, the day I finished my mat, there was an article in the local paper highlighting a different school that is working on this mat project for the homeless!