My Recycled Bags.com

Christmas Greetings From My Recycled Bags

Wishing everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

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Ana Sweater Shell

I present my crocheted toddler sweater vest shell. I have named this project the Ana Sweater Shell in honor of my sweet Granddaughter who this sweater was created for. The sweater is worked from the sides rather than from top to bottom as is with most crochet patterns. Because it worked with the stitching running up and down, it provides a unique and easy to finish crochet project.

I first saw this idea from a sweater shell that Guro crocheted over at her blog but she did not have a pattern written up. Well after checking with Guro, she said to just go ahead and feel free to be inspired by her project so this is my results. I worked my vest shell in half-double crochet stitching while hers was done in single crochet.

I really love this sweater as it is so versatile. It can be worn as a vest over a t-shirt or blouse and it can also be worn as a shell alone in warmer temperatures.

Click to Super-Size

My vest shell is about a children’s size 3 and should fit a toddler who is around 2 years old. It has a longer body so it’s a nice length for a toddler. The vest fits my Granddaughter who is 15 months old. The pattern has been written up and while I have not tested it, I believe it’s pretty solid but please email me if you have any questions or find any errors in my free crochet pattern below.

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Crocheted Toddler Vest or Shell Sweater Pattern

Finished toddler vest measures: 12” wide by 14” long
Size: Children’s size 2-3

Hook: Metal “G” (4.25 mm) US sized crochet hook

Materials:
6 oz – Caron Simply Soft Yarn in Lt. Country Peach
(315 yards/288 meters of 4-ply worst weight yarn)

1 inch Button for front closure

Row 1 (Back piece)
Ch 57 […]

Plarn Checkbook Wallet Organizer

I just finished participating in a crochet along (CAL) over at my Trash to Treasures group at Ravelry. Several of the members of the group crocheted this checkbook wallet organizer from recycled plastic bags. We each crocheted the plarn pattern that Crochooley shared in what she called a crochet – plarn along (C-PAL) that she hosted at Ravelry. Crochooley is a fellow plastic bag crafter whose blog is found here.

Here is an inside picture of my checkbook wallet which is complete with a pen holder and an ID slot. The checkbook wallet has a strap band closure and features a big flower decoration that uses a pop tab for the flower center.

Click on any of the photos to super-size them.

Here is a picture of the flap edging I did. I found working the reverse single crochet (SC) around the flap just didn’t work for me. With the outside facing out, I started at the right corner of the flap and worked regular SC stitching around the flap edge as shown and then down around the front of the wallet and back up the flap back to the beginning.

I enjoyed making this checkbook wallet and found the pattern fairly easy to follow. Crochooley was very helpful when I had questions concerning this recycled bag pattern. So if you are looking for a cool and basically free craft project, I recommend checking out this cute checkbook wallet organizer.[…]

Mini Recycled Wreaths

I crafted these Christmas wreaths by using recycled rings from milk, juice, and other bottles for my wreath’s base. The crochet wreath pattern I used can be found over at Ravelry that a blog friend Kristy posted. The ruffled wreath was created by just working more double crochet stitches around. Just add stitches to get the desired ruffling for your wreath.

By using rings that you recycle from bottles and jugs, you can save yourself money on crafting supplies as you have no need to purchase plastic rings for your wreaths. Not only can these rings be used for wreaths, they also be used on potholders and other crafting projects that call for round plastic rings.

Here is my green plarn wreath. I crocheted this using plastic recycled from packing pillows cut into plarn. I did just a single round of double crochet stitch around an apple jug ring for this little wreath with a J crochet hook. A small piece of red cotton yarn was used to add a bow to the wreaths. That’s all it takes to make these cute and quick little recycled wreaths. Enjoy![…]

Little Plarn Christmas Bag

Time to kick of the holiday crafting with this little plarn Christmas bag I crocheted. Isn’t it adorable and guess what — its free to make. All you need is a few recycled plastic bags to create this cute little striped gift bag. So grab about 3 red, green, and a white plastic bag and cut them into plarn. For this project you want your plarn to be real thin so I cut my strips only about 1/2 inch wide.

With the built-in handle, you have a ready made gift bag perfect for that special little gift item or you can slip a gift card into your recycled plastic gift bag. My inspiration was Kristy’s ornament pattern as I tried doing it in plarn (plastic bag yarn) and it came out way too big. So I just modified the top and added the handle for a closure.

My little plarn Christmas bag is 6 inches wide by 3 inches tall. The handle is 3 inches long. Using a H crochet hook, I basically followed the pattern by Kristy until row 18 which was my last row to work. I marked the center of my bag by laying it down flat. Sc around in each stitch of this last row — at the center chain 3 and skip 2 stitches to create your hole for the handle. Then Sc in each stitch around to other center mark for the handle, chain 22 for handle. Skip 2 stitches and Sc into last stitches of row and finish off.

Volia — Your recycled Christmas gift bag is complete. You also can come and join the fun over at Retro Housewife’s Green Holiday Carnival that I am participating in this weekend.

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Working Plarn in the Round

As you may know, many of my crochet patterns are worked in the round and without joining. This has become a very popular and handy way to make crocheted bags and rugs so you do not need to count rows or use stitch markers. I have had several people contact me asking for clarification on how to work in the round. So I taken a few pictures and created this picture tutorial which hopefully new crocheters and other crafters who are not familiar with this process can benefit from my tutorial.

I have chosen one of my favorite patterns and will illustrate how to work plastic bag yarn or plarn in the round. Here is my signature recycled bag purse pattern which is crocheted in the round.

The first step is to chain 26 for this particular pattern.

Hdc in 2nd chain from hook and in each stitch down to the end.[…]