I'm crocheting the bags from under my sink into a tote bag.

Okay, I cannot be the only person who saw a cat in the bag before realizing it was more bags?

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Textbook sign of overfitting in deep learning.

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- How do I fix my learning model
  
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i wouldnt have noticed it isnt a cat without your comment.

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It’s not a cat??

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It is a classic cat thing though...

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Always though about learning to crochet and this gets my attention. Where do I begin?

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There's a couple different ways to make the plarn but this is super simple, all you need is scissors, and you can do it as you go. That said, I would follow a single-crochet tutorial online with some kind of string even like a shoelace or something first because I found the plarn somewhat difficult to work with at first and it would've been much harder if I didn't already have that basic stitch down.

I mentioned this on another sub but they were super displeased that I interrupted their extremely important political discourse about politicians and political parties memeing at each other. I suspect they may have also been upset that I was referencing activities they have difficulty engaging in; upcycling being only one example.

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A relative of mine is a big fan of The Woobles, they got me a panda kit that I really have to start on. But the how-to videos go over every step in detail and are pretty easy to understand.

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- The Woobles are a little pricey, but having that kind of cute project and video help can be a good motivator. I think starting with amigurumi can still be a little ambitious though. I’d suggest starting with a blanket of single crochets to get comfortable with the hook - all you need is the right size hook and yarn. No need to spend more than $6 at Walmart or Dollar Tree.
  
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Learn how to make yarn from grocery bags first. There's tutorials on YouTube to get you started.

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You could always go find whatever bottle my mother crawled into and dump her out. She probably won't teach you how to crochet since she's old AF but it'd be funny.

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- Is your mother a hermit crab?
  
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Get a skein of medium-weight yarn in a light color (it's easier to see what you're doing) and whatever the recommend hook size it says on the label. Then watch some tutorials for basic stitches. I'd start making a little pot holder kinda thing with double or half-double crochet stitch. It's small enough that you can get used to turning rows, and it'll work up pretty fast with the medium weight yarn to give you some nice dopamine when you finish.

I would definitely recommended learning with just regular yarn, nothing fancy, until you get used to it. Yarn with lots of variability in the weight (as i expect plastic bags would have) is going to be difficult if you're not comfortable with the basics.

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Smart.

Question, would this make it take longer to decompose? Because it's all tied together instead of seperate?

Awesome bag either way

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A thousand-and-one years vs a thousand I would think.

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- How many bags do you think it will take the complete?
  
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- The micro plastics will probably last a couple hundred years but the plastic shopping bag as a recognizable object will typically disintegrate within 5-10 years. It may last a bit longer being crocheted like that, assuming a good portion is protected from UV light.
  
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If only I didn't have a dozen tote bags already. At any rate, the plastic bags around here all get used for disposal of pet waste. Fun project though. My kid is into crocheting and made a sort of rug out of them once.

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We haven't been using them for pet waste at the rate they've been accumulating for quite some time now, so they had really built up. I'm hoping that making him a grocery shopping tote will also help them accumulate less quickly.

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Wow, that's great! Thanks for sharing

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Wow. With that many bags packed together that tote bag should be extremely rigid by the time you get done with it. Excellent progress!

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Most people only bring one or two bags to the shops with them. Looks like you're bringing double digits of bags lol

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They've been accumulating for 5+ years now...

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- Seriously admire the effort lol. Awesome project!
  
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I read this in a Wisconsin accent. Specifically Charlie Berens' voice.

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You betcha

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Yummy microplastics!

Your new bag of bags will be made from your bag of bags. You've reached peak Midwestern.

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Well they're still macroplastics for now. I'm delaying their conversion into microplastics by about 5-10 years in a way that will prevent the need for more of them.

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- I was kind of joking, but plastic bags create microplastics and nanoplastics through photo-degradation and manipulation. Unfortunately, stretching, tearing, cutting, and twisting plastic bags create both micro- and nano-plastics. So you're definitely creating them now, not in 5-10 years.
  
  Avoiding microplastics is basically impossible though, so I wouldn't stress it. You should look up how much magic eraser sponges create. It was actually so crazy I decided not to use them again, even if avoiding microplastics is not realistic.
  
  This will prevent you from using plastic bags ever again?? That's the real value. Nice job!
  
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I miss that ancient artifact that is plastic bags

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Love seeing this kinda thing on lemmy nice change from posting links

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