Sydney Craft Group Makes Plastic Bags Beautiful
Knitty Gritty & Loopy Exhibits Plastic Bag Baskets At Climate Rally
Oct 25, 2009
Knitty Gritty & Loopy is a craft group formed a couple of months ago and based in Sydney’s eastern and inner west suburbs, according to spokeswoman Liane Rossler. It was started by a group of friends, and a month ago they expanded their circle to make 350 baskets from plastic rubbish for the global 350.org event.
Nitty Gritty & Loopy Craft Group Finds Novel Way To Support Climate Change Movement
Standing in the blazing sunshine on the Opera House forecourt, Mrs. Rossler said the reason behind their environmental efforts was “to get rid of all the rubbish that’s going into the oceans and from landfill and also to get people involved in the issue of 350.org, but through something pleasurable and constructive.”
“We’ve been doing it about the last month and we’ve had hundreds of people join in and we’ve saved thousands of bags from landfill. It’s been great, a really great experience.”
The 350.org movement is a grass roots organisation that started in the United States. Having quickly spread worldwide, the group is trying to influence world leaders to agree to lowering the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 387 parts per million to 350 parts per million.
The event on Saturday had people around the world forming giant number '350's, and Knitty Gritty & Loopy were exhibiting the baskets to show their community support.
Knitters, Weavers and Crocheters Make Beautiful Baskets From Plastic Rubbish
The largely female creators were plainly proud of their efforts, and had set up the containers on two cloth-clad tables under plastic display boxes.
Their infectious enthusiasm was passed on to curious onlookers, who stopped to check out the side show, while on their way to the main event a couple of metres away.
Mrs. Rossler said the group had started out using the plastic bag stashes people kept in their cupboards, but because they had all been refusing bags for so long they soon had to move on to glad wrap, bubble wrap, newspaper wrapping and anything else they could lay their hands on.
Everyday rubbish had been woven, knitted and crocheted into colourfully designed baskets that could be used for anything from toothbrushes to potting seedlings.
The group had even been asked to make a surfboard cover.
“Some people whip it up in about an hour and some people will take a couple of hrs but what’s been fantastic is every single person has done it in their own individual style,” she said.
One woman, Rena, held comically oversized knitting needles threaded with black plastic which she called her “weapons of mass construction”.
Recycled Plastic Brings A Community Together, Creates Heirlooms, Saves The Environment
Mrs. Rossler said because plastic could last for “a thousand years” they were effectively making heirlooms.
“It’s been really great to see people’s interpretation of using this rubbish, and it’s amazing how you just see, like you see an old bag or a bit of plastic and you just see the potential in it now.”
The baskets on display on Saturday weren’t for sale or to give away as it had been an “educational, community thing to do”.
Even the kids had a part in the day. Mrs. Rossler’s daughters, aged five and eight, decided to put their touch on the day and were doing face painting for the large numbers of children who had been brought along for the 350.org event.
One of the best things about Knitty Gritty & Loopy was that children could join in. “Kids come along and they can make things…there’s no boundaries for the ages and the experience and the creativity. It’s just brought everybody in.”
Mrs. Rossler had been following the 350.org movement and the climate change issue “for some time”, and hoped something would come of the rally on Saturday.
“We can’t wait for the government, we can’t wait for the media. It’s actually people getting out there and interpreting it in their own way.”
The members of Knitty Gritty & Loopy have done just that; with its success in bringing people together and raising awareness of recycling and of the environment in general, Mrs. Rossler tentatively thought they may continue making treasure out of other peoples’ rubbish.
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