Mark your milk jug as shown and use a sharp pair of scissors to cut away the top and handle portion of the jug.

My first attempt was done free hand and I found it difficult to get my shape even when I marked the jug for cutting. I made this little template below and used it as a guide for marking the jug on my 2nd attempt. Just hold it up to the milk jug to help you mark the shape for your cuts.

It’s very important that you cut up high to the top of the milk jug opening to get the curved flap area for your lunch box. I used a small sharp nail to push the holes through on the plastic to create the folds for the flaps. My milk jug had a natural line molded in the plastic that I used for the line for my holes. Once the holes are punched, you can fold over the flaps along the punched edges.

The original recycled craft project called for a Velcro closure but I wanted to create a simple closure using some spare buttons I had on hand along with a scrap of yarn.

Here is my first completed lunch box. As you can see the top flap doesn’t curve over enough for a good closure.

I finished off my lunch box container using a small button and a bit of yarn. I just used a small nail to push through the plastic to create the holes for my button and for the yarn tie. I threaded a small piece of cotton yarn through the hole in the front and tied a knot on the inside to secure the tie. Then you just use the yarn tie to wrap around the button to close your lunch box.

Here is 2nd finished recycled milk jug box. The flap curls over the outside nicely and makes a great way to recycle an old milk jug into something new and reusable.
[…]

I am back sharing another free recycled plarn pattern that I created. I used a satchel style strap design in this crocheted tote bag using plastic bags. The white bags are just regular grocery sacks and the pink ones are plastic newspaper bags that I have been getting from my local library. I used the combination to craft this satchel styled tote which I hope you will enjoy.

Best wishes and happy crafting to all!

Satchel Styled Recycled Tote Bag Pattern

Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn “Plarn” in white (approx. 40 bags)
Small ball of pink plarn (approx. 20 bags)

Hook: “J” U.S. size metal hook

Description: Tote bag
Bag measures 14” wide and 10” long with 14” handles

Directions:
Using pink plarn, Ch 26.

Rnd 1
Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end. Continue around other side of chain by working a Hdc in ea st to other end. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Hdc’s in rounds as this creates a seamless bag.

Rnd 2
Work 2 Hdc in end st (corner), 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 3
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in ea of the two corner end sts, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in ea of the two corner end sts. (Picture 4 corners on the bag with 2 corners on each end. You work 2 Hdc in ea of the corner sts.)

Rnd 4 – 6
Work 2 Hdc in ea corner st (where you worked 2 Hdc on prior round). Then work Hdc in ea st down to other corner st, work 2 Hdc in ea corner st (where you worked 2 Hdc on prior round). Repeat this for other side and other corners.

Rnd 7
Working in back loops only (Blo), Hdc in ea st around to end st. Work 2 Hdc in ea of the end corner sts. Continue around the other side by working a Hdc in ea st, work 2 Hdc in ea of the end corner sts.

Rnd 8 – 12
Working through both loops now, Hdc in ea st, work 2 Hdc in each of the two corner sts on each end. Repeat for other side and other two corners.

Rnd 13
Hdc in ea st around, ending at side of bag with a Sl St into the last 3 sts. FO pink plarn.

Rnd 14 – 27
Using white plarn, attach at side where you just left off. Ch 1 and Hdc in ea st around. Don’t join but continue working in rounds. FO white at end of round 27 at side of bag with a few Sl Sts to make an even edge.

Rnd 28
Join pink plarn, at side of Ch 1, Hdc around […]

Next is a recycled tissue box project which shows how it can be upcycled into a cute Easter basket.

Here is a quick Easter basket crafted from a recycled plastic soda pop bottle.

Now for some mini Easter baskets. Here is a cute small basket pattern crocheted from a bed sheet.

More creations from Carmen who crocheted these mini Easter baskets using recycled plastic bags in several different colors.

This little white basket is one that I crocheted and added a ribbon bow tie. These mini Easter baskets were crocheted using this plarn crochet pattern.

I saw this adorable mini Easter basket over at Ravelry that Marilee crocheted. This is done in regular yarn which could be crocheted using her pattern and reclaimed or scrap yarn. It’s just so cute that I wanted to share it with all you.

I hope you have enjoyed this Easter basket parade. Many of these recycled crafting projects and patterns are quick and so eco-friendly to make. Happy Easter and happy crafting to all! […]

I was asked recently for a round toy ball pattern. Well ask and you share receive. In an effort to continually make this blog a comprehensive library of free patterns using recycled materials, here is my free crocheted toy plarn ball project.

My recycled plastic toy ball has a 5 inch diameter and reminds me of a nerf ball as it’s soft. It would be a great toy for a child or a play toy for a pet. It also is a wonderful way to use up those little scrap pieces of plastic bags that you have leftover when you create your plarn. You can use the handles and end pieces to stuff your toy plarn ball.

This is a simple pattern but I had to re-work it four times to get it round. Who says creating patterns is easy — LOL. This toy ball is worked all in one piece and my final product is pretty round. You could probably easily adapt the crochet pattern to make it a smaller or larger ball as desired.

Please enjoy the pattern and you can find a list of all my free recycled craft patterns here.

Free Crocheted Round Plarn Toy Ball Pattern

Materials needed:
*Plastic bags cut into strips 1” wide and interlocked to create plarn. (Approx. 12 plastic bags)
The tutorial on how to create yarn from plastic bags can be found here.
*Scraps of plastic bags for ball stuffing.

Hook:
“J” US size metal crochet hook

Description:
Recycled Plastic Toy Ball – 5” diameter

Directions:
Using plastic bags cut into plarn, Ch 4 and join with a Sl St to form a ring.

Rnd 1
Ch 2, then work 10 Hdc in ring, join with a Sl St to top of Ch 1. (11 sts)

Rnd 2
Ch 2, Hdc in same st, *Work 2 Hdc in ea st*. Repeat between * – * to end of round, DON’T join, just continue working in rounds. (22 sts) Use st marker if needed.

Rnd 3
Hdc in the Ch-2 space from prior rnd, * 2 Hdc in next st*, then Hdc in next st*. Repeat between * to end of rnd.

Rnd 4
*Hdc in the next 3 sts, then work 2 Hdc in next st*. Repeat between *.

Rnds 5-12
Hdc in ea st around.

Rnd 13 (Decreases begin)
*Hdc in next 3 sts, then work 1 Hdc dec over the next 2 sts (work 2 Hdc tog)*. Repeat between * to end of rnd.

Rnd 14
*Hdc in next 2 sts, then work 1 Hdc dec over the next 2 sts (work 2 Hdc tog)*. Repeat between * to end of rnd.

Rnd 15
*Hdc in next st, then work 1 Hdc dec over the next 2 sts (work 2 Hdc tog)*. Repeat between * to end of rnd.

Rnd 16
Work 1 Hdc dec over every 2 sts until you have just a very small opening. Leave a long tail at the end to […]

Here is my plastic only sit-upon without the denim. This is my basic recycled plastic sit-upon that is crocheted using plastic bags made into plarn and with a fused plastic backing. This fused plastic backing makes the sit-upon waterproof.

Click to supersize photos

Here is the back side of the finished sit-upon and also another version of how you can decorate your finished denim side by adding a denim jean pocket.

I tried to keep this project simple so a young Girl Scout or anyone could make this sit-upon without a bunch of sewing required. You can just glue the hearts on or even hand decorate the denim. Handwriting your name on the denim may be another embellishment a Scout could add. Needless to say, you can decorate as much or as little as you like. I’ve included several different ideas and here is the free crochet pattern and tutorial on making a recycled sit-upon.

Free Sit-Upon Crochet Pattern

Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn “Plarn” – approx. 35-40 plastic grocery bags
Four plastic bags cut into large pieces to cover back for fusing
Waxed paper for the fusing
Option for denim cover: One large piece of recycled denim from an old pair of jeans
appox. 15” x 15”

Hook: “N” U.S. size metal hook

Description: Plastic Sit-Upon with fused plastic backing
Sit-Upon measures 13” wide and 13” long with 5” handle
Option with recycled denim cover measures 14-1/2” x 14-1/2”

Directions:
Ch 32

Row 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end.

Row 2 – 24
Ch 2, turn. Hdc in each st. Repeat this row until measures 12” long. Leave your plarn attached to work edging.

Edging:
Starting at top corner, ch 1, Sc evenly around the three sides of sit-upon. (Down one side, across bottom, and back up other side.) Leave yarn attached to begin handle.

Handle:
Mark center 7 sts on top edge for handle opening.

Row 1
Starting at top corner and working across the top, ch 1, Sc in ea st to the center 7 sts marked for handle opening. Skip the 7 center sts, ch 9, and Sc in the remaining sts of top edge.
Check your work to make sure the handle opening is centered. Adjust your sts as needed.

Row 2
Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st to handle opening. Work Sc’s around the chain […]

April 22 is Earth Day and the kickoff of the beginning of the Green Generation Campaign over at Blogger’s Unite. Let’s all celebrate this great day by Recycling, Reusing, or Repurposing. These are my favorite three Rs. I try very hard to live by them and while nobody is perfect, maybe today we can really dedicate ourselves to the cause. Anyone who reads this site on a consistent bases knows that it’s a crafting site which uses recycled materials most of the time. Yes I love to crochet and at times share projects that aren’t necessarily recycled or green but are fun and frugal. That’s the joy of crafting. It’s the use of ones spare time to create something special that isn’t available at any retail store.

But maybe you aren’t a crafter and want to recycle all those old vcr or cassette tapes. Check out this link to GreenDisk and you can choose to use your own box (20 lbs or less) and it costs only $6.95 for the Technotrash Pack-IT. Put all your tapes in there and ship them off. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to recycle those old tapes and save them from the landfill.

If you are a crafter, then consider making your own plarn and crochet something wonderful from trash. You can check out all my free patterns here. I offer everything from grocery tote bags made from plastic bags to potholders and purses created from reused denim jeans to clutches crocheted from repurposed cassette tapes.

So on this Earth Day 2009, please enjoy our Earth and remember the three Rs. Recycling, Reusing, and Repurposing. It’s a great way to preserve this wonderful Earth that we all love and have a great time green crafting too!

[…]

Here is another scrubbie I crocheted using one of those plastic nets that they put around a ham. The ham netting is much thicker and harder to crochet with. I had to cut the ham netting into wider strips of about 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide otherwise I couldn’t connect the cut links. The lettuce sleeves are much softer and easier to crochet with. But the ham netting does make for a very good and stiff scrubber. I crocheted only three times the 2-row sets using the gold colored ham netting to complete this scrubbie.

Anyway I just wanted to share this fun spiral scrubbie pattern and show how by adding a bit of recycled material, you could create a very handy scrubber. Enjoy this green craft idea![…]

This bag also features longer handles. I’ve had requests for longer handles on my tote bags so I crocheted this bag with 18 inch handle straps. Of course if you use this tote for groceries, it will stretch even longer. With these longer handles, you can put it over your shoulder while carrying the tote bag.

Here is a closeup photo of the flat bottom of my recycled plastic tote.

So grab your crochet hook and crochet yourself a spike stitch tote bag today. As always, happy green crafting to all!

Free Spike Stitch Plarn Tote Pattern

Materials needed:
One large ball of plastic bag yarn “Plarn”
Approx. 50-60 plastic grocery bags – Brown/tan in color

One smaller amount of blue plarn – Approx. 10-15 bags

Hook: “N” U.S. size metal hook

Description: Recycled Plarn Tote Bag
Bag measures 13” wide and 13” tall with 18” handles and nearly 4” wide flat bottom

Directions:
Ch 28 with brown plarn.

Rnd 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea chain st down to end. Then continue around other side of chain by working a Hdc in ea st to other end. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Hdc’s in rounds until told to join.

Rnd 2
Hdc in ea st down to the end, work 2 Hdc in end st. Then Hdc down to other end and work 2 Hdc in the end st. Again don’t join and don’t turn but just keep working in rounds.

Rnd 3-4
Hdc in each st around to first end, work 2 Hdc in ea of the two end sts, then Hdc in ea st to other end, then work 2 Hdc in ea of the two end sts.

Rnd 5
Working in back loops only and inside loop of prior rnd sts together, Hdc in ea st around the entire bag bottom. This create a ridge for flat bottom of bag. (By working Hdc in back loops and prior round loop, this makes the bag bottom stronger than just working back loops only.)

Rnd 6-18
Hdc (normally) in ea st until last round. On last rnd, finish with a Sl St in last st at side of the bag to finish rnd edge smoothly. FO. (Appox. 6-1/2” long)

Rnd 19
Switch to blue plarn and join at side of bag with a Sl St, ch 2. Hdc in next 2 sts, then work 1 long spike st. (Spike st is done by working […]

I cut the end off the bag and folded it in half. I then stitched up the two sides using the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine. I left the top open to insert my items for shipping.
Click on photos to view full-sized

Here is a close up of the stitching.

After putting my items inside the bag, I then folded over the top and stitched my mailer closed. You can also glue around the edges for extra strength if needed. My recycled paper bag mailer is now ready to address and take to my post office for shipping.
[…]

They shipped this sample recycled tote bag for my review. They wanted my opinion on the product as they are apparently going to start making them from the old tarps along with the hats. Because they graciously sent me their product without charge, I agreed to provide a complimentary review of their new recycled product.

Upon inspection, I found the bag measures 12-1/2″ wide by 12″ long and a side depth of 4″ with 24″ straps. The bag has been nicely constructed with the outer portion from old recycled tarps. Pieces of tarp have been cleverly added to the front to embellish it along with a 9″ by 7″ outer pocket. The inside is especially attractive with a pretty bronze fabric lining that nicely compliments the bag. A roomy 6″ by 6″ zippered pocket along with a handy cell phone pouch are included inside the bag. A magnetic closure secures the tote bag closed.

My only concern when I first received the bag was that the tarp material had a bit of an old tarp odor to it. Real Deal Brazil said they would check into eliminating the smell. I must say though after several weeks that this bag has been sitting in my house, there is no odor or smell remaining at all.

Inside picture showing zipper pocket, cell phone holder, and magnetic closure.
Clickable

You can read more about this endeavor at the Real Deal Brazil blog site

Thank you again for the wonderful recycled tote bag and I wish the folks at Real Deal Brazil the best as they continue on the great cause of green, recycled crafting![…]