Patterns: Totes
Tote bags, market bags, beach bags and messenger bags made to carry real loads, most of them crocheted from plastic grocery bags (plarn) and some from denim or yarn.
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Crocheted Grocery Tote Bag
Want to make your plastic bags recyclable? Want to bring your own bag to the grocery store? Want to have your own green eco-friendly shopping bag? Well crochet or knit those plastic bags into a recycled grocery tote bag.
Here is the link for the tutorial for creating plastic bag yarn. Recently this plastic bag yarn has earned the nickname of ‘plarn’ to describe it. I love the term and hope it catches on. Crafting tote bags has become very popular. It’s a wonderful way to save our trees and our landfills. I have several free crochet and knitted patterns available at the patterns links page here so check out your options and make yourself a reusable grocery tote bag!
Inside of Tote Bag
This bag features a roomy expandable heavy bottom, an open mesh upper tote and a wide sling strap handle. If you are a crocheter, below is the free pattern to create this recycled tote for your next shopping trip.
Outside Expandable Bottom
Crocheted Plastic Grocery Tote Bag Pattern
Materials needed: One large ball of plastic bags cut into strips and interlocked to create a ball of plarn yarn — Approx. 56 bags.
Hook: N size metal crochet hook and J for edging
Description: Grocery Tote Bag
Bag measures 12 inches wide at top and 15 inches long with 7 inch oval expandable bottom and 28 inch sling strap handle.
Here is my newest recycled bag. It’s a round grocery tote that I crocheted with plastic bags made into plarn yarn. I designed this recycled plastic tote to be roomy and to replace my favorite reusable grocery tote that is disintegrating. My favorite grocery tote is going to have to be retired as it’s just falling apart after years of use.
Anyway I love the big round base of this reusable tote. The stripes add a cheery look to the design. I added thick heavy handles and this grocery tote should service me for many years. I have written up the free crochet pattern below and hope you too can make yourself a useful tote bag for your trips to the market.
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Striped Round Grocery Tote Bag Pattern
One ball of plastic bag yarn or plarn cut 1 inch wide – Approx. 35 white plastic grocery bags,
12 pink newspaper bags and 7 blue bags cut into plarn also for the stripes.
Here is my picture tutorial link on how to make plarn yarn from the different plastic bags.
Finished Size:
18 inches wide lying flat, 12 inches tall standing with 12″ wide base and 9 inch handles
Hook: N (9 mm) size metal crochet hook
Directions:
With white plarn yarn, Ch 3 and join with a Sl St to form a ring.
I have tons of white plastic bags as many people do. Most people that craft with recycled plastic bags find it difficult to find pretty colorful bags. You can usually find a few unique colors but it’s almost impossible to find enough bags to crochet a complete tote bag. So I’m always on the quest to find new ways to embellish my white tote bags. Here is my latest crocheted recycled plastic bag. It’s a red, white and blue striped reusable tote bag. It uses around 30 white retail bags and only about 3 blue plastic bags and 3 red newspaper bags. As you can see, just a few colorful bags can dress up an otherwise boring white plastic bag tote.
To crochet this recycled tote bag you basically use my Ultimate Grocery Bag pattern and add the stripes using the red and blue plastic bags cut into plarn. I also changed up the handles a bit and will detail the changes below to explain how to crochet this recycled plastic tote bag.
I used a N (9 mm) crochet hook to work this tote bag. The finished size is 13 inches wide and 14 inches long with 9 inch handles.
Following the basic pattern link, crochet with white plastic bag yarn (plarn) for 19 rounds. End at side of bag with a slip stitch.
This week’s recycled bag project is a crocheted plarn produce bag. I have had a reusable produce bag on my to-do list for some time now. And thanks to a request from a reader of my site, I was encouraged to finally get it done.
Here is my plarn making picture tutorial to help you get started. Crafting with recycled plastic bags is fun, frugal and a great way to recycle plastic bags into something new and useful like this reusable produce bag.
Plarn Produce Bag Pattern
Materials:
Plastic bags cut into 1 inch strips approx. 20 bags for small produce bag and 35 for larger bag
Hook: Metal J (6 mm) crochet hook
Description:
Small produce bag: 8 inches wide by 9-1/2 inches long with 13 inches strap
Larger produce bag: 10″ by 11″ long with 14″ strap
Directions are given for the smaller produce bag and then options for the larger bag given at the bottom of the pattern.
Round 1
Ch 20, Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea st and then working around the backside of chain, Sc in ea st along the other side of original chain.
I am back sharing another free recycled plarn pattern that I created. I used a satchel style strap design in this crocheted tote bag using plastic bags. The white bags are just regular grocery sacks and the pink ones are plastic newspaper bags that I have been getting from my local library. I used the combination to craft this satchel styled tote which I hope you will enjoy.
Best wishes and happy crafting to all!
Satchel Styled Recycled Tote Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn aka Plarn in white (approx. 40 bags)
Small ball of pink plarn (approx. 20 bags)
Hook: J (6 mm) metal crochet hook
Description: Tote bag
Bag measures 14 inches wide and 10 inches long with 14 inches handles
Directions:
Using pink plarn, Ch 26.
Here is my latest recycled tote bag which features spike stitch striping. I added the recycled pink newspaper plastic bags in an effort to spice up my mainly white tote bag. It’s amazing how just a few brightly colored bags can add a nice touch to a plain-looking bag.
So if you only have a few colored bags, you might want to try this crochet pattern to add some diversity to your tote bag project. Should anyone be interested in purchasing this bag, it is available on my products page for sale. For all those crafters out there who make their own recycled tote bags, please enjoy my free plarn pattern below.
Spike Stitch Recycled Plarn Tote Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
Approx. 50 plastic grocery bags – white in color
One smaller amount of pink plarn – Approx. 8-10 bags
Hook: N (9 mm) metal crochet hook
Description: Recycled Plarn Tote Bag
Bag measures 14″ wide and 13-1/2″ tall with 12″ handles
Directions:
Ch 26 with white plarn.
It’s nearly the 4th of July so I thought I’d post a fun stars and stripes project I did for charity. Crocheting for charity is very rewarding and enjoyable. It’s a wonderful way to give back a bit and pay it forward to someone that you may not even know.
I’ve recently crocheted a few wheelchair – walker tote bags for my local nursing home. Here is one of my stars and stripes tote bags I created from some vintage bulky wool yarn I found at a thrift store. Being wool I just had to felt this and I was really pleased with the results. Felted wool just looks so cool and I think it adds a special touch to the bag.
Please feel free to use my pattern to crochet for your local charities or organizations.
Enjoy and I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!
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Free Pattern for Stars & Stripes Wheelchair – Walker Tote Bag
Materials needed:
Bulky weight wool yarn in red, white and blue, approx. 2 ozs in each color
2) 1 inch buttons
Hook:
N (9 mm) U.S. size metal hook
Description: Wheelchair – Walker Tote Bag
Bag measures 9 inches wide by 9-1/2 inches long with 8 inch straps after felting
Bag measured 11″ wide by 12″ long with 8-1/2″ straps before felting
Directions:
Using red yarn, Ch 27.
I recycled two t-shirts to create this wheelchair or walker tote bag. I crocheted from strips cut from the two tees about 1/4″ wide. Here is my picture tutorial showing how to make t-yarn from old t-shirts. I added a couple of novelty dice buttons to finish off my bag.
Maybe you’d rather crochet your wheelchair tote using regular yarn or even plastic bag yarn. Here is the link to the free pattern to crochet a wheelchair walker bag using regular yarn and this link will take you the tote bag pattern using plarn or plastic bag yarn.
So whether you’re into crocheting with recycled t-shirt yarn, plastic bag yarn or regular yarn, there is a free pattern here for everyone to create this handy wheelchair or walker tote bag. People who receive these totes really love them and they make wonderful gifts.
Free Pattern for T-Yarn Wheelchair – Walker Tote Bag
Materials needed:
2) T-shirts cut into 1/4 inch wide strips of T-Yarn or Tarn
2) 3/4 inch buttons
Hook:
J (6 mm) crochet hook
Description: Wheelchair/Walker Tote Bag
Bag measures 12 inches wide and 8-1/2 inches long with 7 inch straps
Directions:
Using blue t-yarn, Ch 36.
For my first post of the year, I bring you the green shopping bag. This is a true green crafting idea in every sense of the word. It is crocheted from recycled plastic grocery bags into plarn, then of course it’s green in color, and lastly it is eco-friendly as it saves the use of plastic bags as you can reuse this roomy bag over and over again.
This crocheted shopping bag is created in three pieces and then assembled as shown in the photos below. As always, I offer the free recycled plastic bag pattern below. Enjoy!
All photos are clickable to supersize
Assembly of main piece to long strip
Free Green Shopping Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn or Plarn
Approx. 80 plastic grocery bags
Hook: N (9 mm) size metal crochet hook
Description: The Green Shopping Bag
Bag measures 12-1/2″ wide, 15-1/2″ tall and 6-1/2″ deep with 14″ handles
Directions:
This shopping bag is crocheted in 3 pieces. A front and back piece and one long strip that runs down the side, across the bottom and back up the other side of the bag.
Main pieces (make two for the front and back of your bag.)
Ch 30.
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