Retiring the crochet hook...

I have been using the same crochet hook for about 90-95% of my bags. It is treated like royalty and I panic when I can not find it. I have tried to find another "back-up" one but could never find any that came close. If you read the post below, you know I have recieved some treasures from my Grammie's home. My mother also brought back some crochet hooks. As we sat around looking at them we noticed something very strange. I have actually worn out my crochet hook. Seriously!! It is no wonder I could not find another hook to match it.

Here is a photo. They are both size 9 crochet hooks. The pink one to the left is one of the hooks my mother brought. The one on the right is my treasured hook. If you look at the top towards the "head" you will see the "neck is almost worn through. I still can not believe it. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? It is  a first for me. Looks like I will be retiring the old one and break in a new one.

Gifts from Grammie

Over Memorial Day weekend my mother went down to Florida to help my father's siblings go through my Grammie's home. While she was there they found loads of plastic bags. My mother asked if anyone would be intgeresed in them for the bag craft that she taught so many of us. No takers. So, she offered to send it ALL to me. Saturday, two large boxes arrived at my door. One box weighed 30 pounds and the other weighed 55 pounds!! Yes, you are reading correctly. That is a total of 85 pounds of plastic bags!!!

As we were lloking over the top of the boxes, my daughter seemed to like digging into the bottom. She said, "Mom, there is something black at the bottom". To my surprise at the bottom of the boxes were my Grammie's cutting boards, rotery cutter and original directions to the bag she taught me to crochet so many years ago. I could not speak. I just held the first cutting board to my chest. It was such a treasure to have a piece of her craft.

                                      

Believe me when I say they are not the thin ones you get at the craft store either. The black board below is 13 x 22 inches and is 1/2 inch think! I am not sure I will even use them right away...I may just hang them up like artwork. :)

Think Spring!!

Well, here in NH we got a couple inches of snow for the first day of Spring. This does not stop us however from dreaming about the warm, sunny days of Spring. So, in honor of Spring here is a new item now available.... Picnic Baskets!! Store your plates, napkins, plastic cutlery and even a tablecloth in this handy bag!

Gift in the Mail

A few weeks ago I recieved a package in the mail. Now, I had not ordered anything recently so I was slightly puzzled. To my pleasant surprise it was a gift for a woman who had seen the article in the paper. She sent me some newspaper plastic and a lovely note of encouragment! So sweet!

How many bags....?

One of the questions I get asked all the time is, "How many bags does it take?". I have bowls that are about 22 bags and much larger bags which take 80-100 bags. This is hard to picture as you are looking at a finished product. So when my son Jadon held up a very large Target bag the last time we were sorting and said, "I bet you can make a lot with this!", I had a great idea. I would document exactly how much I can make with a very large Target bag....

So, this is Jadon. He is 12 and is just under 5ft tall. I then cut the bag and strung it into a ball.

Yes, you are not seeing things. The ball was only the size of my palm. What does this make? A key fob which measures 10 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide. I them fold it in half and secure it into the ring holder. Here is the finished product (with a couple of cut pieces left over)!

Concord Monitor Article

So there has been nothing new in my little world of plastic bags as of late. I have been hard at work crocheting away to get enough product for the Just Be Boutique on Main St. in Concord. Then on Tuesday of last week (during one of the 3 snow storms that week) photgrapher from the Concord Monitor, named Katie Barns came to my house to see me in action. She wanted me to "just do what I usually do". So, I strung some plastic and crocheted while homeschooling my children. I am not sure how exciting that is but we had fun chatting with her. Then during Friday's snow storm we walked to the corner store to get the Concord Monitor. I was featured right there on the front of the local section. How fun is that? If you look to the right of the picture you will see the bags I use for grocery shopping. Yes, I really use them. :)

The article says, "Kathi Rienstra crochets items from plastic bags. She sells them locally and online on Ets. "It helps with school books and fid trips," Rienstra said. She gathers plastic bags from friends, family and grocery store recycling containers.
Top: Rienstra crochets a wine bottle holder from Target bags while homeschooling her son Grant Rienstra at their kitchen table in Concord onTuesday.
Left: Rienstra's crocheted bowls and bags are displayed on a shelf in her house. The bowl on the right took about 22 plastic bags to make."

Last minute gift ideas?

Looking for that last minute gift idea for the special teacher, neighbor or friend? Here are some sweet little bags that are sure to please. Fill them with goodies to eat, pencils, gift cards, lotions, jewelry, or anything you can think of to make that gift extra special. This great gift bag measures 8.5x 4in tall(with a 2 1/4 in bottom). Get one now at Just Be Boutique in Main St. Concord, NH or order one today and have it shipped to your door.