That's Not Yarn!!!

I dunno.  Maybe it was last night's latest round of insomnia.  Lack of sleep can make judgement calls a little..."dicey."  Stuff happens.  You think it's a good idea.  You cackle a bit at the very thought of your genius.  You read books.  You get all inspired.  It's a path that leads to Crazy Town.

Back in February, I picked up a copy of Simple Knits With A Twist.   It had simple knits in it.  But with a twist.  No false advertising there.  I sort of liked the idea of knitting something simple but which had an element of twist-i-ness.  Mostly it was the "simple" part, I suppose.  

So, between these two things, I suddenly found myself spending an entire Sunday cutting up plastic bags.  To be more specific, I have been spiral cutting plastic bags.  Because I was seized by a compulsion to knit a plastic bag from plastic bags.  

It's not really as crazy as it sounds.  I have a bunch of 'em.  I used to use plastic shopping bags for disposing of the kitty scoopin's.  But now that I have a new litter disposal system, I don't use them as much.  And it certainly wouldn't do to throw them away.  One must be more Green Minded in this day and age, after all.  And the whole thing had a certain novel appeal, if I am going to be perfectly honest.  

But do you know how many plastic bags it takes to knit a plastic bag?  No?  I do.  It takes eight million.  

That's not true.  I exaggerate.  It takes seven million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety seven.  But I didn't think you'd mind if I rounded up.  

So, in between doing all the other things that I didn't do last week because I was celebrating my Birth Week and didn't feel that housework or nutrition should be a part of that, I cut up plastic bags.  I now know more about the structure of the average plastic bag, durability of the various plastics and why it is important to not knit with all the good colors first than anyone should ever have to know.  I also know that Continental knitters will not fare well with plastic knitting in humid weather.  And I am keenly aware of my dislike for the squeaking sound that plastic makes when you force it into a knitted state.  

Still...I'm pretty enamored with this project.  I feel like the Greenest of the Greenies and most ecologically aware knitter on the block right now.  Plus, it is a keen way to break the knitting slump.  

But there is a great deal of bag cutting left to go.  A very, very, very most greatest of deals.  Eight million bags is a commitment.  I may have to take a week off from work.  And go shop somewhere that has blue plastic bags because I seem to have run out of those and things are going to get all color wonky pretty soon now.  

And, for the record, plastic bags go on the ballwinder quite nicely.  The don't come off quite so handily, though...

SA