Plarn (PLastic yARN)

Here's a fun way to reuse all those plastic grocery bags that pile up so fast.

                                                                  Lay the bag out flat.

                                                 Fold it in fourths and cut off the handles.

 Cut across in 1 inch strips. You can't use the bottom strip of the bag, But all you have to recycle from this bag is the handles and that bottom strip, which greatly reduces trips to the recycling center.

                                                                   Open the strips.

                                           Put the end of one loop in the end of another loop.

                     Take the left end of the right loop and pull it through the right end of the right loop.

                                                                     Pull it tight.

                                                   Repeat until the loops are all joined.

                                                                   Roll it into a ball.

 Plarn is a bit easier to start than yarn, since you already have a loop. I like to use a size G aluminum hook.

                                             No short end of yarn, but just crochet as usual.

                                       I'm making a shoulder bag, so I need 11 chain stitches.

                                                                 10 Single crochet

 One bag makes a strip about 2 inches long of 10 sc. It takes about 70 bags to make this shoulder bag.

My mom cuts and "ties" bags as soon as she gets them. They take up less space in balls than they do in bags lying flat. I just want to crochet as fast as I can so I tie balls on as I go.

                                            End of the ball into the loop on crocheted piece.

                                                                Ball through loop.

                                                                         Pull it tight.

Continue tying on and crocheting the 10 sc rows until the piece is as long as you want. I made this just over 10 inches. This is the base (bottom) of the bag.

                          Working in the sides of the rows, work 1 sc in each row down one side.

                                                       Work across the end of the strip,

                                                              And down the other side.

                    For second and following rounds, work a sc in each stitch of previous round.

                          I like to see progress, so I measure often. 4 inches, not deep enough yet.

 10 inches! Time to start the handles. From the 4 corners of the base, fold the bag straight up. Mark with safety pins.

                                                             Work sc over 10 stitches.

You can make the handle whatever length you like. I want the strap to go diagonally across my body and the bag to hang near my waist. The strap needs to be about 38 inches long for me. It will stretch a bit over time, so a little shorter is better than a little longer.

                    Here are my safety pins marking where the strap needs to be joined to the bag.

 Make sure the strap isn't twisted. Right sides together. Working on the inside, join the strap to the stitches between the pins using slip stitches.

                                       If you want an open bag, you can finish off the bag here.

I like a flap over my bags, so working across the top of one side, work rows of sc until the flap is as long as you want.

I like a long flap, almost covering the front of the bag. This bag took 70 plastic grocery bags. If you make a shorter shoulder strap and/or a shorter (or no) flap, you would not need as many. This bag took 8 days of crocheting in all my spare time, about 25 hours.