I have had lots of time on my hands lately to crochet with all the stay-at-home orders. I thought it was time to break into my huge stash of plastic bags and crochet a new recycled plastic tote bag. This bag was crocheted using mainly white plastic retail bags made into plarn and I added blue and green yarn to give it a Seattle Seahawks color theme.
This tote bag was crocheted using my free ultimate recycled bag pattern. I added stripes using regular yarn by doing 3 blue HDC (half double crochet stitch) rows, 3 green HDC and then 3 more blue HDC rows along with plastic bag yarn to crochet this bag.
Finished size is 12″ wide by 13″ long with 7″ handles. I think it would make a nice book bag so I may donate it to the next library fundraiser. So in honor of my beloved Seahawks,
I posted a few weeks ago about my crocheted plarn tote that a customer ordered to hold her recycled paper. I have been working on writing the crochet pattern and am happy to post it today.
Here is the crocheted base which is done in single crochet for added strength.
One final photo of the recycled tote bag laying down and showing the base.
So without further ado, here is the free crochet plarn pattern for this recycled tote bag. Please enjoy and share any comments with me concerning the project below.
Recycled Paper Tote Bag Pattern
Materials needed:
Plarn yarn 1” wide – approx. 90 plastic grocery bags
Hooks: K (6.5 mm) & N (9 mm) metal crochet hooks
Description: Recycled Plastic Tote Bag
Bag measures 18″ wide, 12” tall and 7” deep with 8.5” handles
Directions:
Recycled bag is crocheted in 2 pieces. A base piece is crocheted and then the sides are worked in the round to complete the bag.
Row 1 (Base piece)
With K crochet hook, Ch 52. Turn and Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each chain stitch down to end. Ch 2 and turn.
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
Crochet yourself this cute summer tote from plarn. What is plarn? Well if you haven’t heard the term yet, it refers to the yarn created from recycled plastic bags. I believe Sonnets and Stitches from Crochetville.org was the first to coin the term.
Here is my link to a picture tutorial on how to make plarn. So check it out and recycle all those plastic bags into something of beauty. It’s truly trash to treasure at this website!
Free Pattern for Crocheted Plarn Tote Bag
Materials needed: One very large ball of plastic bag yarn Plarn
Hook: N (9 mm) size metal hook
Description: Tote Bag
Bag measures 12″ wide and 12″ long with 4″ expandable bottom
Directions:
Ch 28
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.
This crocheted Eco tote features a granny square motif and recycled materials to create an unique look. I used yellow and grey plastic grocery bags, vcr vhs tape, and white plastic retail bags in this project. My goal in creating this Eco tote was to crochet a bag that would be strong enough to use as a book bag and could be used for an everyday carry tote. I also crocheted this bag as a Crochet-a-Long (CAL) at one of my favorite craft website forums Crochetville.
My Eco tote measurements are 12″ wide, 13″ long, 1-1/2″ deep at sides with strap that is 1-1/4″ wide and 28″ long. I have included some closeup pictures below to help you in this project. I must warn you that I did have problems keeping my tote bag square. I believe it’s because of the different materials that I used and because the plastic tends to stretch a bit during crocheting.
Closeup of edging on bag
Click to view full-sized
Closeup of handle attachment
Click to view full-sized
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Plastic Eco Tote Pattern
Size: Approx. 12″ square bag with strap that is 1-1/4 inches wide and 28 inches long.
Hook: N (9 mm) metal crochet hook used in this Motif pattern.
Materials: Plastic bag yarn and 2 partial reels of vcr vhs tape.
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