Plastic bag crochet

This is the project that has been on my mind.  A new genre of craft is emerging that utilizes recycled materials in part to create a use for things otherwise destined for the trash heap and to raise awareness of the vast quantities of waste we generate in our daily activities.  These objects can be quite beautiful.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the plastic bag.  And I'm not the only one.  Ikea will start charging a nickel for each plastic bag used (as opposed to the existing model in many grocery stores, which give you a nickel off your order for each bag you re-use).  There is flickr group that aggregates photos of plastic bags in the environment and those put to good re-use.  Reusablebags.com provides lots of interesting facts on disposable bags and the savings that could be realized by consumers Bringing Your Own Bag (BYOB).  I keep a heap of canvas bags in my car trunk at all times so that when I am out shopping, I always have one or a dozen on hand. 

Still, we do accumulate some bags (my hubby always 'forgets' to bring the canvas bags in when he does an errand) - our 2 daily newspapers come wrapped in one or two bags each day.  I have been saving up these newspaper 'condoms' for a while and now have enough to make something.  I'm planning to combine my interest in crochet and the natural world (particularly the ocean) to create some plastic bag crochet sea creatures.  I don't think I'll ever top gooseflesh's amazing sea creatures but I'd like to create something worthy of the hyperbolic crochet coral reef project I've been invited to contribute to.

My first challenge is to create the 'yarn' - not as straightforward as these instructions for plastic shopping bags.  The newspaper 'condoms' are long and narrow and cutting straight strips will make a lot of little loops that will be tedious to combine.

As this project progresses, I plan to post updates and photos.  Ideas and suggestions are welcome.