Recently I was asked for a pattern for a wide tote bag. Surprisingly I have been working on this bag which I am calling my mega tote bag. My mega tote is crocheted from recycled plastic bags made into plarn. The tote features an open mesh styling and handy wide strap. It measures a generous 18 inches wide so you can carry those long items in it. It would also make a wonderful market bag as it has a sling type strap that fits comfortably over your shoulder.
Here is a closeup of the mesh stitching made by crocheting a triple crochet stitch. Click on photo to supersize it.
So for those crocheters out there looking for a free pattern to crochet yourself a recycled mega-wide tote, look no further. Here is your free pattern to crochet a plarn mega tote bag!
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Free Recycled Mega Tote Bag Pattern
Tote bag measures 18 inches wide and 12 inches long.
Strap length is 20 inches long
Material: One large ball of plastic bags cut into 1 inch strips. (Approx. 45-50 bags)
Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook
Chain 28
My blog friend Nan, owner of Nannybird.blogspot.com, created this great purse design and which I finally was able to crochet using her pattern. The purse is crocheted using recycled plastic bags or plarn. In case you are new to the term plarn, here is the link to my picture tutorial on how to create yarn from recycled plastic bags.
Here is Nannybird’s Recycled Purseability Purse Pattern. Nan offers her pattern free for personal use and is very helpful should you have any questions as your crochet this cute purse. While you are over visiting Nannybird’s Blog, I hope you’ll take a moment to checkout all of her recycled bags. She has made purses not only from plastic bags but also from candy wrappers. She has quite an assortment of purses that she has displayed on a cool slideshow at her blog.
Enjoy the remainder of your Labor Day weekend. And to everyone getting ready for back to school or off to college, take care and happy green crafting!
Just in time before Summer is over, crochet this handy water bottle holder from recycled plastic bags or plarn. It has a convenient sling shoulder strap and holds a reusable Nalgene 32 oz/1000 ml or one liter water bottle. This makes a wonderful water bottle holder because the bag is crocheted using plastic bags, you don’t have to worry about it getting wet from the condensation from a cold bottle.
Here is the free pattern link to crochet the water bottle holder.
Enjoy the rest of your Summer and happy green crafting to all!
Need a cute summer handbag? Why not crochet yourself this hobo handbag from recycled plastic bags. Who said trash can’t be stylish when you can create something this cute and useful from plarn. This handbag purse is lined and has a magnetic clasp for a closure. It measures 8″ x 11″ at the widest point. Plenty big enough to hold everything you might need for a daily outing.
Click to view full-size
Inside picture of the lining.
Should you want a larger version of this hobo purse here it is. Click here for the free pattern link.
Click to view full-size
I have given you several different sizes, materials, and ideas for creating your own recycled hobo purse. So what are you waiting for — grab that hook and go!
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Free White Hobo Bag Crochet Pattern
Materials needed:
One large ball of white plastic bag yarn aka Plarn – Approx. 40 bags
1 set of 1 inch D rings or circle rings
2 yards of ribbon (1/8″-3/16″ will work)
Magnetic clasp closure
Material for lining if desired
Hooks:
N US size Metal crochet hook
J US size Metal crochet hook
Description: White Hobo Bag
Bag measures 8 inches wide and 11 inches long
Directions:
Rnd 1
Using N hook, Ch 23.
July 24, 2008 will be a date I will always remember. It is the day I finished my chemo treatments for breast cancer. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that I don’t have to have any more infusions of that nasty stuff. So I say hallelujah, yahoo, yipppeee, and thank God for giving me the strength to get through it.
This is also my 100th post of my blog. I can’t believe I’ve made that many posts already. I’ve shared over 60 free patterns for recycled craft projects ranging from tote bags to baby bibs, wheelchair bags to scrubbie dishcloths, and lunch sacks to water bottle holders. Also in these last posts, I shared with you about “my pink journey” with cancer.
Needless to say, it’s time to celebrate. So let the celebration begin! If you drop by for a visit, please leave me a celebration comment.
What would be the ultimate grocery bag? Of course in my opinion it would be made from recycled materials, be reusable, strong and very durable. What about free — yes that would be the ultimate. So here it is. It is crafted from recycled plastic bags, it is reusable over and over, doesn’t tear, and it reduces the use of bags from the grocery store. So it is a win-win bag. You win and the environment wins. It’s the ultimate bag!
This bag is created by crocheting with plastic bag yarn or plarn. I have a handy picture tutorial here if you need to know the steps to make your own plarn. It’s a fun and easy way to create a durable market bag as shown above. Plus it’s a great way to repurpose those plastic bags you may have stashed around the house.
I hope you enjoy this green and frugal project. Here is the free crochet pattern below.
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The Free Ultimate Grocery Tote Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
One very large ball of plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
Approx. 50 plastic grocery bags
Hook: N (9 mm) metal crochet hook
Description: Grocery Tote Bag
Bag measures 13-1/2 inches wide and 13 inches long with 9 inch handles
Directions:
Ch 28
White plastic bags are used by many retail and grocery stores these days. They are not the prettiest bags to use for crafting. People give me lots of white plastic bags to recycled. So I’ve been trying to be more creative and come up with clever ideas to turn these dull bags into cute and useful items. What do you think of my clothespin bag with a ribbon bow tie?
Here is a hobo bag I crocheted too. It’s amazing how much a little ribbon adds to the projects. Click on my hobo bag and see if you think it makes a cute summer purse.
Click to view full-sized photos
Here’s an example of adding some fun fur to spice up those white bags in this recycled tote bag pattern.
So take heart if you have lots of white plastic bags. You can upcycle them into some really cute crochet projects by just adding some ribbon, fun fur, or other embellishments. Here is the link to my free clothespin “peg” bag pattern if you’d like to crochet this project. Also you can browse through all my free patterns at this link.
Enjoy and happy green crafting to all!
Happy 4th of July! I love handmade dishcloths and even better are ones that have center scrubbers. Just in time for the big Summer holiday, here is my latest “Sunshine” dishcloth I crocheted with a center scrubbie made from recycled plastic bags.
Here is another variation using scraps I had leftover and is one round less than the original pattern as I ran short of materials.
Click to view full-size
These dishcloths with center scrubbies are very durable and handy for cleaning your dishes. Here is a picture tutorial on how use plastic bags to create plastic bag yarn or plarn. This is a great way to use up scrap cotton yarn and also re-purpose those unique colored plastic bags as you only need a small amount of plarn for the centers. Here is the free pattern for everyone to enjoy this fun recycled green craft project.
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Sunshine Dishcloth with Scrubbie Pattern
Dishcloth measures: 9 inch Square
Hook: Metal H (5 mm) US sized hook
Materials:
1-1/2 ozs. of Cotton yarn – variegated yellows
Small amount of white Cotton yarn
Small amount of plastic bag plarn for scrubber center –
white (1 bag) and yellow bags (2 bags needed)
Option: This pattern can be worked all in cotton if you’d rather.
Allow about 2 ozs. of cotton for project.
With center color (white plarn shown) Ch 4, Sl St to form ring.
I have had several requests for recycled crafts projects that kids can do. With that in mind, here is a quick upcycle project that children and adults can both enjoy. First you need a large plastic container. The container I used was a 64 oz. soda pop cup that I found and decided that I would re-purpose into a plastic bag keeper.
Here is the finished plastic bag keeper
Below is a picture tutorial that I put together to show the steps for this project.
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