Learn Plastic Bag Crochet
Plastic Bag Crochet is easy.
Here are some pictures to illustrate how to prepare the plastic bags for crocheting. And the video on my Kickstarter page has an animated version of the instructions below.
First, take a bag and flatten it out.
Fold it in half.
Fold it a few more times.
Cut off the handles and bottom of the bag (these pieces can be used for other projects).
Cut the bag into small 2-inch chunks.
You’ll end up with about 10 pieces per bag.
Unfold the plastic bag pieces and loop them together one at a time.
After cutting and looping together several plastic bags, you’ll end up with a plastic bag chain.
Now you have your plastic bag yarn, or “plarn” (which you can crochet like you would with regular yarn). The size of the hook doesn’t really matter. You can experiment with various sized hooks until you find one that works for your particular project.
Don’t know how to crochet? I have plans to make a more formal “How To” video soon, but YouTube is an excellent resource.
My advice is not to get overwhelmed with reading patterns. Once you learn a few basic stitches…you can just make things up as you go (which is what I do).
Here’s a video that shows how to make the crochet chain needed to start projects.
And here’s a video to learn single crochet, which is the stitch I use most often when crocheting plastic bags.
Want more plastic bag crochet tutorials?
Here are some written instructions about plastic bag crochet:
http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Plastic_Bags_Crochet
Here’s a page about spinning yarn out of plastic bags:
http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/11/spinning-yarn-out-of-plastic-bags/
And here’s an instructional video I made at the MakerFaire for Craft Magazine:
For plastic bag crochet patterns, check out these pages on Ravelry.com and MyRecycledBags.com.
And here’s a pattern I created for a plastic bag crochet shoulder bag.
C.P.Mittal
May 17, 2010 at 8:13 am
Really a great idea.
Kelley D
May 19, 2010 at 3:44 am
That is awesome! You rock!!
Nicole
June 10, 2010 at 6:19 am
I love the idea!
Just wish I was better in handicrafts
Amy
November 10, 2011 at 11:22 pm
I have been crocheting plastic into bags for at least 20 years, but the colors that I have a lot of excess to are white, clear, and brown. I may be able to get other colors, if the store is changes their colored bags or I could buy them. I would like to know how you can crochet thicker plastic bags (ie Hefty or Glad trash bags). Please help me!
Cristen
November 20, 2011 at 12:29 am
Hi Amy.
If you want to crochet thicker bags, just cut them into thinner strips. They work just as well.
But if you want to actually use recycled bags…you could do a call out on craigslist for colored plastic bags. I’ve found that when you start doing art with recycled materials, many people will very willingly offer up their leftover bags. If your local grocery store has a collection bin for recycling plastic bags, you can also sift through it to find colored ones. NY Times comes in pretty blue bags.
-Cristen
Carolyn Stephens
December 12, 2011 at 2:43 am
I’ve been researching plarn projects and instructions for about a week, ever since I got a Christmas “wish list” from a homeless teen. Her list includes “knitting supplies”. I’m providing her with some yarn, needles, etc. but I thought about what happens when she runs out of yarn. She won’t have any money to buy more. So I’ve been searching for plarn patterns and I’m not finding many that are in PDF format so I can print them for her. I’ve been able to download one basic page on making plarn and two patterns for tote bags and that’s about it. I’m a serial entrepreneur so of course I see this as a business opportunity for her or at least the ability to make gifts at absolutely no cost. Any suggestions?