Free Granny Square Bag Pattern – Recycled Plastic Bags
Granny Square Motif Bag
Crocheted using recycled plastic bags this Granny Square Bag
is a quick and fun project!
Size: Approx. 8-9 inch square bag if using 3/4 to 1 inch strips of cut plastic bags into plarn.
Hook: N metal crochet hook used in this Motif pattern.
(Any large size hook can be used but Motif size will vary.)
With center color (White shown) Ch 4, Sl St to form ring.
Rnd 1
Using White bag yarn, Ch 2, (counts as 1 Hdc) in ring work 2 Hdc,
Ch 1, 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, Ch1, 3 Hdc
Ch 1, Sl St to top of Ch 2. (4 corners & 4 shells made)
Fasten off and weave ends under on back side of Motif.
Rnd 2
With next color (Grey) attach in any Ch 1 corner space.
Ch 2, 2 Hdc, Ch1, 3 Hdc, all in the same ch 1 corner space.
*Sk next 3 Hdc, 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the next Ch 1 corner space.*
Repeat between * 2 more times, Sl St to top of the beginning Ch 2.
Rnd 3
Sl St across remaining Hdc’s to corner.
Ch 2 (counts as 1 Hdc) 2 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the corner space.
*Sk 3 Hdc, make 3 Hdc in between shells, Sk next shell, make 3 Hdc, Ch 1,
3 Hdc in corner.* Repeat 2 more times then Sl St to top of first Hdc.
Fasten off and weave ends under on back side of Motif.
Rnd 4-8
Using White bag yarn, attach in any Ch 1 corner space.
Ch 2 (counts as 1 Hdc) 2 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the corner space.
Continue working in established pattern of
Sk 3 Hdc (shell), 3 Hdc in between each of the shells,
Sk next shell, until you reach the corner again
and then make 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc in each corner.
At the completion of each rnd, Sl St to top of the beginning Ch 2 and Sl St over to corner space.
Then begin again with Ch 2 (counts as 1 Hdc) 2 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the corner space and so on.
Complete 8 rnds.
Fasten off and weave ends under on back side of Motif.
Tip:
(On second Motif, don’t fasten off. Just leave your yarn attached at corner to begin weaving the two Motifs together.)
Make two Motifs. This bag is shown using White and Grey plastic bag yarn but any colors can be used as desired.
With wrong sides together and weave them together by attaching white yarn (or using tip above) at corner and work 1 rnd of Sc around 3 sides of the bag. (The right sides of the bag should be facing out when you Sc around 3 sides of bag.)
Don’t fasten off. Leave yarn attached to make strap handle.
Add strap handle: Chain 40 and attach your yarn to opposite opening edge. (I use a Sl St to attach and then another Sl St into another stitch at opening edge to provide added strength for your handle.) Turn and work back up the chain by working a Sc around the chain until you get back to opposite end of strap handle. Adjust your Sc stitches around chain as needed to provide a smooth strap for your bag. The Sc’s slide a bit and this allows for you to adjust your stitches as needed. Attach your yarn into opening edge once you have your strap handle completed. Fasten off and weave ends under on inside of the bag.
If you have any questions or find discrepancies in this pattern, please email me using contact tab above.
Abbreviations:
Ch – Chain
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Plarn – Plastic Bag Yarn
Sc – Single Crochet
Sl St – Slip Stitch
Sk – Skip
Rnd – Round
This pattern is copyrighted by Cindy at My Recycled Bags {dot com} and may only be used for private individual use. No commercial sales or use is permitted. Links to this pattern are acceptable. ©2007
****Please do not copy my patterns on your blog site or post my patterns on Internet sites. I do not allow my patterns to be republished without expressed written permission. Posting of my patterns, without written permission is in violation of my copyrights and is content theft.
Tags: free-pattern, Granny Square, plarn, plastic-bag-crafts
Feb 11, 2007
What a wonderful idea! I’m going to look up some patterns and start saving bags to make myself a nice rug for my kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration!
Feb 23, 2007
This is so cool. I would love to include this on my carnival – Make it From Scratch. You can find more details from the link I left above. Now if I only knew how to crochet I could do this! LOL
Feb 26, 2007
Wow! That is so cool!!!
Feb 26, 2007
I agree with the others, too cool!
Mar 19, 2007
Hi Cindy
I think it is great what you are doing and I did a little write up about you on my blog. You have found “Abundance from Abandoned”.
Like you I too enjoy using waste material to expand my creativity and have created dolls bottle and pot holder, a costume from plastic material.
Apr 12, 2007
This is a great project, and reading the other replies made me realize where I had seen this before. I’m my grandmother, who if alive would be 112, used to make rugs out of bread wrappers. My mother still has one of Grandma’s rugs. My grandmother hated to waste anything, and she would often make some of the neatest projects using things that others threw away. Thanks again for sharing your creativity.
Apr 12, 2007
Betty,
Thank you for sharing that great story about your Grandma. I have heard others tell me about their grandma’s using bread bags to make rugs and other items. Even way back, there were recyclers making crafts!
Aug 01, 2007
Thanks for the pattern. It looks like fun. I want to try that! 🙂
Aug 01, 2007
Hi, Cindy. I found your website through the Yarn Lover’s Room newsletter. You have such great ideas! Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve been wanting to make some grocery tote bags, and your pattern is exactly what I need.
Aug 01, 2007
Cindy – Many thx for the smart bag pattern–now I know what I can do with all those plastic bags they keep giving me at the stores. (And I even have several cloth ones I use for groceries–they STILL give you plastic ones!) Can’t wait to see if I can knit something from them, too, but will definitely try this pattern first. Thanks for a great idea!!
Aug 01, 2007
Thanks, Cindy! I’m on a crochet binge right now and have been thinking of doing something with all my plastic bags! This is perfect–cute, quick and useful!
Aug 01, 2007
[…] so, check out this cute, quick and useful crochet project. The designer, Cindy, at My Recycled Bags offers us this pattern free! Thanks, […]
Aug 04, 2007
finaly a bag that looks so natural….my friends will be so envious..Thanks
May 03, 2008
I am very happy to see all that can be done using bread bags and other things that are teach to others.
Dec 03, 2008
I love this variation on the popular crocheted plastic bags! We’ve linked to this in our favorite granny crochet projects roundup. (linked from name). Thanks for sharing!
Jul 29, 2009
Does this cute little bag need to be lined to keep small things from falling through the holes? If it were lined it probably wouldn’t be hard to put a recycled zipper in it too (If you wanted one).
Thanks,jj
Jul 29, 2009
@Janet:
Lining this purse would be useful to keep small items from falling out if they were loose in the bag. To line it just use a small piece of scrap fabric and a recycled zipper is a wonderful idea to have a secure closure on your granny bag.
Apr 18, 2010
my grandma was doing this in the early 1970’s! What goes around comes around
Aug 03, 2010
Hi Cindy, i like the suggestions that you have brought up concerning the recycling of the thin film plastic bags. I live in Kenya and am also involved in a project that involves recycling of these bags. The area that am coming from has been taken over by the menace of these bags. Our sewer lines have been clogged by them, our wastes disposal sites have been submerged by them too.
I bet all be borrowing some of the ideas that you have into turning around our environmental predicament as per the bags. Am sorry about your cancerous condition, i wish good health and longer life. Let’s keep talking!
Jan 24, 2011
I remember my mother in law saving bags and making then into little round and ovel rugs
Jan 24, 2015
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