The ladies of the Knitty Gritters club at the Lake Branch Library are turning trash into treasures. They are knitting and crocheting items from plastic grocery bags.
“Any knitting or crocheting pattern can be used with plastic,” said Sally Lenke.
Through Lenke’s son, she connected with a Massachusetts woman named Cara Taylor. “Her philosophy is this is the only plastic she wants to see,” Lenke said.
Taylor’s Web site, carataylor.com, offers a multitude of items made from plastic bags. She offers anyone who sends her 50 plastic bags a change purse in return.
Lenke has been sending the plastic grocery bags to Taylor. She has a change purse that has endured much use and washings over the last three years. The items made with the plastic bags are durable.
The plastic bags are turned into market bags, baseball caps, brimmed rain hats, rugs, scrubbers and coin purses.
“We fold the bags and cut them into strips,” said Lenke.
The scraps, such as the handles or pieces that are torn can be taken to recycling bins at grocery stores. “They don’t re-use the plastic bags, so it’s okay to take the scraps for recycling,”xplained Lenke. “But the ultimate goal is to eliminate the plastic bags altogether. They are dangerous to wildlife and they blow away, get caught in trees, and they exist in landfills forever.”
The Lake library will collect plastic bags which will become treasures.
On July 6, the Knitty Gritters will host a Trash to Treasures demonstration and lessons. The class will run 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests can bring a brown bag lunch. The class is free and open to the public.
The Knitty Gritters meet the first and third Monday of each month. They work on a wide range of projects. One lady makes hats for women going through chemotherapy. Others make scarves for cancer patients. Many of the ladies participate in Warm Up Akron! - a program that provides afghans to people in need.
Carol Wolf said the Warm Up Akron! volunteers recently celebrated their ninth anniversary. The group has donated more than 4,700 afghans.
Warm Up Akron accepts yarn donations as well as donations of needles, hooks, books and patterns. “Often we accept donations from estates,” said Wolf. “When someone dies, the family will donate knitting and crocheting materials to use.”
Wolf said sometimes entire craft kits and cross stitch kits are donated. The group offers two craft shows in the fall to sell items they’ve made from the kits. The proceeds go toward the Warm Up Akron! projects.
The library’s Knitty Gritters welcomes new members, beginners or advanced.
“Knitting and crocheting is easy and it reduces blood pressure,” said Lenke. “It’s relaxing.”
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