Patterns: Plastic Bags / Plarn
Patterns made from plarn, yarn cut from plastic grocery bags. Totes, purses, scrubbers, rugs, baskets and holiday decorations that keep bags out of the landfill.
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Creating plaid using recycled plastic bags has been on my to-do list for quite some time. This last week I finally set out on what I call my plaid plarn project. I wanted to keep it simple and small as I found making a plaid design with recycled plastic bags very challenging. It was a trial and error project which needed to be tackled on a small item until I could prefect my process. Needless to say, I got a bit frustrated but finally came up with this little wallet as my finished product.
Crocheting the surface chaining is a bit challenging to get the stripes straight. I had to work a few stitches a bit off to get my vertical stripe to look somewhat straight. Below is my piece once I was finished. It’s not perfect but that is the beauty of working with recycled crafts, it doesn’t have to be perfect. You are creating something new from trash so there is always beauty is each finished product. Hope you enjoy this plaid plarn project and remember it doesn’t have to be perfect for you to enjoy your wallet.
Plaid Plarn Wallet Pattern
Materials needed:
One ball of white plastic bags cut into plarn about 3/4 inch wide
Small amount of salmon pink newspaper bags cut into plarn about 3/4 inch wide
Here is my link for plarn making tutorials for newspaper and retail plastic bags.
1) 1/2 inch button
Hooks:
J (6 mm) size metal crochet hook
H (5 mm) size metal crochet hook for button loop
Description: Plaid plastic wallet
Wallet measures 5 inches wide and 9-1/2 inches tall
with 2 inch long flap
Directions:
Using J hook with white plarn, Ch 17.
I present my plarn apron which was crocheted from recycled plastic bags. Some time ago I had a request for an apron pattern and put it on my to-do list. I add project ideas to my list all the time in an effort to create a comprehensive library of free recycled craft patterns here at My Recycled Bags. So depending on what pattern you may be looking for, here is the link to all my free patterns. If you don’t find a pattern for something you would like to make, let me know and I will try and create a pattern for you.
Just a word a caution about this plarn apron, don’t use it around an open flame or bbq. It is plastic and would be best used to protect your clothing when washing the dog or maybe working around the house. If you’d like to waterproof it, consider fusing plastic bags to the back side as I did with my sit-upon project. Enjoy and happy crafting to all!
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Free Pattern for Recycled Plastic Bag Apron
Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bags or plarn cut into 1 inch wide strips
Approx. 60-70 bags
Hooks: N (9 mm) size metal hook & J (6 mm) hook for straps
Description: Recycled Plastic Apron
Apron measures 25-1/2 inches wide and 25-1/2 inches long
with 25 inches long top strap and 20 inches long straps on sides
Directions:
Row 1
Ch 19, Hd in 2nd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end.
This week I crocheted a little bucket basket from recycled pink newspaper bags. I created this bucket basket as a gift to my local library for saving all the plastic newspaper bags they receive their newspapers in daily. Each week I pick up these bags and use them in my recycled crafting projects. I feel so fortunate to get these beautiful and uniquely colored bags.
I recycled this jam container for my plastic bag crafting project. As outlined in the pattern below, you insert the plastic jam container inside the crocheted plarn bucket. Once finished, I filled the bucket with candy and presented it to my local library staff. This was their first time really seeing a finished product I crafted from their recycled plastic bags. I think they were happily surprised to see something pretty as well as useful made from their old newspaper bags that I collect from them.
So I hope I have inspired you and you will give this recycled crochet basket project a go. Best wishes and happy green crafting to all!
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Plarn Bucket Basket Pattern
Materials:
One ball of pink plarn (plastic bag yarn) Appox. 20 bags
3 white plastic bags for edging
1 recycled jam container (4 inches wide by 4 inches tall used)
Hook: Metal J (6 mm) US size hook
Description: Crochet basket measures 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall with 8 inch handle
Directions:
Ch 4 and join with a sl st to form a ring.
Crochet yourself this cute and handy little cell phone holder from recycled materials. This holder can hold any type of phone, from iPhones to any of the latest 4g phones in most shapes and sizes. This cell phone holder was made from recycled disposal plastic diaper bags cut and assembled into plarn (plastic bag yarn.) This is another readers creation from Diane who asked me to share the free pattern here.
Free Plarn Cell Phone Holder Pattern
J (6 mm) crochet hook
14 diaper disposal bags (when making Plarn, use 2 loops together)
Note: The disposal diaper bags are small and thin, but are cut the same way as regular plastic bags and 2 loops are used together for each “strand”, so it was doubled up.
2 snaps, or Velcro or buttons
Ch 8. Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each to end, 2 hdc in end ch, continue around other side to end. Do not join, but work in rounds. Hdc in each hdc for approximately 8 rounds, ending at side, sl st in next 3 sts. (strap that holds phone inside) Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. Continue working on 3 sc for 10 rows. FO and weave in ends.
Belt Loop Strap: Attach plarn with sl st to st next to middle on rnd 2 on back of holder (same side as other strap), ch 1, sc in same st and next 2 sts, ch 1 turn. Continue working on 3 sts for 5 rows. FO weave in ends.
Attach snaps or Velcro or buttons on end of strap and in coordinating spot on holder.
Diane used these small plastic diaper bags for her project so it took quite a few to complete the project. I believe if you use a retail plastic bag that you could crochet this project with around 7 bags. Thanks to Diane for sharing this recycled bag project with everyone![…]
Here is my first crocodile stitch project using recycled plastic bags. I collected these plastic bags which are used for newspaper deliveries. I recycled about 40 bags for the Gator Sling Bag and cut them 1 inch wide using this plarn making tutorial to create plastic bag yarn.
Crocodile Stitch Sling Bag Pattern
J (6 mm) hook and H (5 mm) hook
40+ Plastic Newspaper Bags cut into Plarn about 1 inch wide
Fabric for lining
Magnetic clasp for closure
Sling Bag Purse measures 7-1/2 inches wide x 7-1/2 inches long with 30 inch strap
Crocodile Scale Stitch: Dc 5 stitches down first post of the 2-Dc base set, Ch 1, and then work 5 Dc up the 2nd Dc of the 2-Dc set.
Directions:
Row 1
With J hook, Ch 21 loosely.
I’m happy to present my crocheted laundry basket. This laundry basket project is made from recycled plastic bags or plarn. In case you are new to the idea of crafting with plastic bags, here is my picture tutorial showing how to make the plastic yarn from the plastic retail bags.
This laundry basket project has been a huge undertaking. It is the largest recycled plastic bag project that I have ever crocheted. It has well over 150 bags in the finished product. When I set out to crochet a laundry basket, I wanted a large enough bag that I could use for a clothes hamper as well as a carrying bag for transporting the laundry to and from a laundromat.
The basket has a round base and while it looks funneled-shaped at the top, its really round in it’s overall shape. The photo above has 6 large beach towels in the bag and as you can see it still has room for more. You can also roll down the top and handles when using it for a hamper so it stands up if the basket isn’t full.
Plarn Laundry Basket Pattern
Materials needed:
Approx. 150+ white plastic grocery bags for main bag and
20 grey plastic bags for stripe and trim
Hook: N (9 mm) U.S. size metal hook
Description: Plarn Laundry Basket Bag
Bag measured flat: 22″ wide and 28″ long with 14″ strap and
22″ tall standing with 17″ wide bottom
Directions:
Rnd 1
Using a magic circle, Sc 6 times into circle with white plarn. Don’t join but work in rounds unless advised otherwise. Use a stitch marker to mark rounds.
This recycled bag features a new stitch design that I added for a new look to my latest reusable bag. I call this stitch the Picket Stitch. I have used a similar stitch idea in my picket fence dishcloth pattern and thought it would be interesting to use on a tote bag pattern. It adds a different look and I’m always trying to come up with new ideas for dressing up my recycled bags.
Here is a handy plastic bag keeper crocheted from what else — recycled plastic bags or plarn.
This project was crocheted using plastic bags made into plarn along with one strand of some fingering weight yarn I had to add color. You just crochet holding the plarn and the yarn together. I then trimmed the top and bottom edges using just the fingering yarn. I also used the fingering yarn to make the ties for the bag as shown. This project was a request for a teal or turquoise bag holder and since I can’t really find that color of plastic bags to recycle, I added this yarn that I got at a garage sale for just 25 cents. Anyway using regular yarn along with recycled plastic bags is a great way to add color and spice up those boring white bags.
Enjoy the project and free crochet pattern below.
Plarn Plastic Bag Keeper Pattern
Finished Bag Keeper measures 4 inches circular wide and 18 inches long. Strap holder length is 10 inches.
Materials:
One large ball of plastic bags cut into 1 inch Plarn strips (Approx 25 bags)
3 ozs fingering yarn
Hook: Metal N (9 mm) US sized hook
Rnd 1
With plastic bag yarn (plarn) and fingering yarn held together, Ch 30, Sl St to join in first st of chain to form ring.
This week I present my first pop tab tote bag project. I was asked to create a tote bag using soda pop pull tabs and recycled plastic bags by a member of my Trash to Treasures group on Ravelry. I have been saving soda pop tabs and beer pull tabs so I could complete this project. It took 252 tabs for my bag. I decided that I would alternate rounds so that it didn’t take so many tabs to do this bag. Plus I like the look of the plastic bags by themselves to separate the pull tab rounds.
I used cotton cord on the base of the bag to give it a sturdy bottom and also on the handles. I found if I wrapped the plastic bag yarn (plarn) around the cord as I crocheted around it, it hides the white cord better. As you may see in the closeup pictures of the base, the first few rows I didn’t wrap it as close as I did in later rounds. The later rounds look better and the white cotton cord doesn’t really show through. I found if I wound the plastic around the cord in small sections and then crocheted around the cord, it worked best to keep the plastic tighter and uniform.
Hope you enjoy this free crochet pattern. Happy 4th of July to everyone!
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Free Plarn Pop Tab Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
One ball of plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
(Approx. 50 plastic newspaper bags cut into 1″ strips of plarn)
252 Soda pull-tabs
4 yards – 12/32 (9.5 mm) cotton cord
Hook: J (6 mm)size metal crochet hook
Description: Plastic Bag & Pop Tab Tote Bag
Bag measures 12 inches wide and 10 inches long with 18 inch straps
Directions:
Ch 20 loosely.
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