An Adventure in Crochet and Recycling!

One day, a few years back, I was cleaning out a drawer and came across an old roll of film.  I was going to toss it out, but decided to pull the film out instead, and survey the possibility of using it for something other than its intended use.   I had just finished a project, where I had punched holes in leather and crocheted an edging, so when I saw the holes in the side of the film, I thought about crocheting into them and what I could make.  I decided to cut the edges off of the film, and make it into bangles, crocheted with pearl cotton.  I was quite pleased with the results and contacted Kim Werker who was the editor at that time, of Crochet Me.  She was interested in publishing the pattern for them, but was concerned about the safety of film being worn next to the skin.  I then did some research, and found an expert in the film industry, Chuck Woodworth, who kindly responded to my email.  He said that the coated film base contains gelatin layers that will swell and get sticky if they get wet or damp, and they might stick to each other, or to the wearer.  He also said that there are some hardeners in the coatings that could produce a skin reaction.  So, unfortunately, I had to scrap the "Snapshot Bangles" pattern.  I still think that they are interesting to look at, and might think of another, non-wearable, use for them.  In the end, it turned out to be a creative exercise in recycling, rather than a viable design submission.  Hopefully, in the future I will be more successful with my recycling and crochet!