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!

Stumble It!
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Free Recycled Mega Tote Bag Pattern

Tote bag measures 18 inches wide and 12” long.
Strap length is 20 inches long

Material: One large ball of plastic bags cut into 1” strips. (Approx. 45-50 bags)

Hook: Metal “N” USA hook

Chain 28

Rnd 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook in each chain. Continue around the corner and down the back side of chain by working a Hdc in every chain stitch.

Rnd 2
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in the end st, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in the end st. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Hdc’s in rounds as this creates a seamless bottom for your bag.

Rnd 3 – 4
Work Hdc in ea st down to the end st, work 2 Hdc in ea of the two end sts. Hdc in ea st down to the other end, work 2 Hdc in ea of the two end sts. End rnd at side of bag.

Rnd 5
Ch 4, Tr in ea st around to beg. Join with a Sl St into top of the Ch 4.

Rnd 6 – 14
Ch 4, Skip 1st space between Tr and where Ch 4 was just made. Work Tr in the space between the Tr of the prior round. This gives your bag more strength. Tr in ea sp around to complete rnd. Join with a Sl St to top of Ch 4 beg. Repeat until 14 rnds complete.

Row 15 (Row 1 of Strap)
Mark center 12 Tr sts at center front of bag. Working from right edge, Sl St over to right side mark to begin the 12 center sts of handle. Begin handle here with Ch 2 (counts as 1st Hdc), Hdc in the next 11 sts. (12 sts)

Row 2 – 4 of Strap
Ch 2 (counts as 1st Hdc here & throughout strap), turn, Hdc in ea st across. (12 sts)

Row 5
Ch 2, turn, Work 1 Dec Hdc over the next two sts of row, then Hdc down […]

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” size metal hook

Description: Tote Bag
Bag measures 12” wide and 12” long with 4” expandable bottom

Directions:
Ch 28

Rnd 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end. Work 2 Hdc in end st, then continue around other side of chain by working a Hdc in ea st to other end then work 2 Hdc in end st.

Rnd 2
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in 1 end st, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in 1 end st. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Hdc’s in rounds as this creates a seamless bag.

Rnd 3-4
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in 1 end st, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in 1 end st.

Rnd 5
Hdc in ea st around the entire bag bottom.

Rnd 6 – 24
Hdc in ea st around bag for the next 19 rounds. Mark center 10 stitches on each side of bag for handle opening.

Rnd 25
Hdc in each st to mark for handle opening. Ch 12, leave 10 stitches un-worked for handle, then Hdc in remaining stitches and across other side to mark for handle opening. Ch 12, leave 10 stitches un-worked for handle opening on other side of bag to match front side. Hdc in each stitch around until you reach side of bag.

Round 26
Hdc in each st around to handle. Work 16 Sc around the chain of handle, then Hdc around in each stitch until you reach handle on other side. Work 16 Sc around chain of handle, then Hdc around in each remaining st of round.

Round 27
Hdc in each St around to handle. Work one Sc in each st of handle, then Hdc in each st of bag to other side’s handle. Work one Sc in each st of handle, then work one Hdc in each st to remaining last 3 stitches at side. Work Sc, Sl St, and Sl St in the last 3 sts of round ending at side of bag. This should blend the edge so round ends with edge being even with last round.

Fasten off and weave ends under on inside of the bag.

If you have any questions or find discrepancies in […]

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 yarn” — Approx. 56 bags.

Hook: “N” size metal hook and “J” for edging

Description: Grocery Tote Bag
Bag measures 12” wide at top and 15” long with 7” oval expandable bottom and 28” sling strap handle.

Directions:
Ch 28

Rnd 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end. Work 2 Hdc in end st, then continue around other side of chain by working a Hdc in ea st to other end then work 2 Hdc in end st.

Rnd 2
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in the 2 end sts, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in the 2 end sts. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Hdc’s in rounds as this creates a seamless bag.

Rnd 3
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in ea of the 3 end sts, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in ea of the 3 end sts.

Rnd 4-10
Hdc in ea st around the entire bag bottom. (End so that you are at side of bag.)

Rnd 11
Starting at side of bag * Ch 1, Sk next st, Hdc in next st *
Repeat between * – * to end of round.

Rnd 12-35
* Hdc in next ch 1 space, Ch 1 *
Repeat between * – * to end of round for open mesh area of bag.

Rnd 36
Begin at side of bag, work 2 Hdc in ea ch 1 space around bag.

Row 37
Hdc in ea st around back to starting side. Work a Hdc in 5 sts past beginning. (This starts the handle.) Ch 1, turn.

Row 38
Hdc in the next 10 sts at side. […]

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” wide and 28” long.
Hook: N metal crochet hook used in this Motif pattern.
Materials: Plastic bag yarn and 2 partial reels of vcr vhs tape.

With center color (Yellow shown) Ch 4, Sl St to form ring.

Rnd 1
Using Yellow plastic 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.
Fasten off and weave ends under on back side of Motif.

Rnd 3
With next color (Black – vcr vhs tape shown ) attach in any Ch 1 corner space.
(Use double strand of vhs tape and crochet with both strands together.)
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 4
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 […]