Turn Those Plastic Shopping Bags into Something New!

Lets keep exploring the world of PLARN. Create your own fun and useful projects while also reusing plastic shopping bags instead of just throwing them away!

In case you’re new to plarn; I’ll walk you through creating your own.

First, flatten your bag and lay it out on the floor.

Then, fold the bag in half so that the handles are overlapping.

Next, fold it in half the same way.

Finally, cut off the bottom seam and the handles, and cut the remaining portion of bag into roughly 1 inch wide strips.

After you have cut up all of the bags (this project will take roughout 45-50 standard sized plastic shopping bags), you will unfold each loop and connect them together.

Now you’re ready to wind the plarn into a ball and crochet!

Plarn Hanging Bag

Base of Bag: ~10 inches x ~6 inches Height of Bag: ~15 inches

Supplies: 6.5 mm hook, plarn (~45-50 standard sized plastic shopping bags worth).

Stitch Abbreviations Used: ch – chain, sc – single crochet, dc – double crochet, inc – increase (2 single crochet stitches into the same stitch), slst – slip stitch, BLO – back loop only.

I choose to finish this bag with a loop at the top to be able to hang it and use it for storage (I collect empty shopping bags in it), you could also add a longer handle to make this into a reusable shopping bag of sorts if you would like instead. *Or check out my other plarn pattern, a reusable shopping bag!

Base

Round 1: ch 16, starting in the 2nd chain from hook, inc, sc next 13, 4 sc in next stitch, turn to continue working along the opposite side of the foundation chain, sc next 12, inc in final stitch.

Round 2: sc in first stitch, inc, sc next 13, inc, sc next 2, inc, sc next 13, inc, sc in final stitch of round.

Round 3: ch 2 (does not count as stitch here or throughout), dc in first stitch, dc inc, dc next 16, dc inc, dc next 3, dc inc, dc next 16, dc inc, dc last 2, slst to top of starting chain.

Round 4: ch 2, dc in first 2 stitches, dc inc, dc next 15, dc inc, dc next 6, dc inc, dc next 16, dc inc, dc last 4, slst to top of starting chain.

This is as big as the base will be. If you would like the base to be bigger, you can continue around increasing at the ‘corners’ until the base is the desired size.

Round 5: BLO sc around entire round.

Round 6 – Round 30: sc around (through both loops).

Round 31: sc in each stitch around to center of one of the long sides, ch 19, begin working in 2nd chain from hook, sc 18, holding the loose end of the ch 19, fold it over to the next stitch of round 30 on bag, slst through bag and chain section to create hanging loop, continue sc around to beginning of round, slsf nd.

Fasten off, weave in ends.