Designer embraces the plastic bag

A New York designer has come up with a handy way to reuse plastic bags - she knits them into handbags and sells them for up to $70 (£35) each.

Kristin Jordan, a lawyer in Manhattan, told the New York Daily News that she came up with the idea two years ago when she was restless after giving up smoking.

She cleans the carrier bags, cuts them into strips and knots them into plarn bags, which look almost wool-like from a distance.

Ms Jordan said that she would knit the bags on the journey to work, which led to fellow travellers becoming interested in purchasing her designs.

"Strangers ask me, 'Where did you get that?' 'Can I touch it?'," she said, according to the Daily News.

Ms Jordan recently launched her website, daisybags.com, to provide a portal to sell her bags. The items are grouped into sections, including the Shannon bag set and the Vivian bag set and come in a vast array of colours.

She said that she hopes the current rejection of our throwaway society will provide more appreciation for her creations.

The UK retail industry is currently experiencing somewhat of a backlash against the plastic carrier bag, with many supermarkets now charging for them.

A recent survey by the Association of Convenience Stores found that almost six out of ten people think local shops should charge for carrier bags.