Let There Be Plarn

[Patti Wigington]

I've become hooked on Plarn. What is Plarn? Plastic yarn. Now, I haven't brought home a plastic grocery sack in about three years, but plenty of my friends and family do. I decided it was time to take some of those extra bags and turn them into something sturdy, cute, and reusable. I gathered bags from everyone I could think of, and began cutting them into one-inch strips that I could crochet with, like yarn. It's time consuming, but the end result is worth it. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make a bag with plarn:

Get a clean plastic grocery sack, and lay it out flat.

Cut off the handles, and the seam at the bottom, so you end up with a flat piece of plastic open at both ends.

Start on one end, and cut the bag in a continuous spiral about one inch wide.

Each bag will give you about eighteen feet of plarn. Keep your cats away -- they'll enjoy playing with this.

Roll your plarn into a ball for easy management. This roll contains seven plastic bags. It's a good idea to keep track of how many bags you have in a roll -- I try to do ten per ball.

Use your favorite crochet pattern to make a bag. Or if you're like me (I've never learned to read crochet patterns), you can start by crocheting a round base, and then go up the sides to make the bag. Add handles when your bag is deep enough, and use it for shopping. Weave loose ends up into the stitching to hide them.

The bag in this photo is the first one I've done -- I used gray Kohl's bags and white Meijer and Target bags. And since we live in central Ohio, it's perfect for us Buckeye fans! This is a fairly large and roomy tote, but you can make them smaller if you like. My next one is going to be of blue Giant Eagle bags, and is going to be a bit more rectangular, rather than tapered like the Buckeye bag.

[Kristie Nackord]

Clever! Fantastic. Thank you for sharing!

[Melissa]

Very cool idea. I don't have a ton of experience crocheting but I think I can handle this project. Can't wait to give it a try.

[Cornelia]

I'll be sure to like this great how-to to the recent blog post we did: Using Less Plastic Every Day. HOMEGROWNer Lizz crochets totes, too!

[Stacey]

This is very cool. I don't knit or crochet, so I'm wondering if I could do it, but I certainly love the results and what a great way to reuse!

[Not at Carrefour]

Thanks for this great idea! I mentioned it in my new blog post: http://not-at-carrefour.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-103-holiday-gift-guide-homemade.html