The plastic grocery sack tote

            I have had several people ask for the pattern for my plastic grocery sack totes, so I’ve tried to recreate the patterns here. But first, a few words about plarn and color.
            The plastic yarn I make from plastic grocery bags really reflects the stores I frequent. In central Ohio, brown sacks come from Kroger, blue from Giant Eagle, gray from Walmart, yellow from Dollar General, and white from Walmart, Meijer, Joann's, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots and many others.
            I’ve mixed the colors in several different ways. Sometimes, I’ll cut up the different bags (see the previous blog entry on how to do this) and throw all the different colors together in the same bag and connect them together randomly. I just stick my hand in the bag and whatever color comes out next is the next color in the ball of plarn.
            Now, the OCD way of doing things is to separate the bags into colors, cut them each up keeping the colors separated. This way, you can string together balls of plarn that are the same color.
            It really doesn’t matter which way you do it. Choose what makes you happy.
            Now on to the patterns for the totes.
            I basically use two different types of patterns and whatever size crochet hook feels the best. You can’t use a really small hook because you won’t be able to grab the plarn to make individual stitches. A really big hook means you’ll have large holes that “stuff” might fall through once you start using your tote. Just experiment until you find something that feels right.

Pattern One
     Crochet the bottom of the bag. Do this by chaining however many stitches that will make a bag the length you’d like it to be. Then start single crocheting every row until the rectangle you get is the size of the bottom of the bag.


This is the bottom rectangle.

     Then start crocheting in the round by picking up stitches on the ends (make sure you get roughly the same number of stitches on each end) and picking up stitches on the chain edge of the bottom rectangle.

This is what the bag will look like after you continue crocheting in the round for awhile.

     Sometimes, I find it necessary to reduce stitches in the four corners to make them more pronounced. Single crochet in the round until your tote is the height you’d like it to be. When you get to your last round, do one round of reverse single crochet to make a nice ridge at the top of the tote.

One round of reverse single crochet puts a nice edge on the top of the bag.

Pattern Two
            Again, crochet a chain that’s as long as you want the bag to be, Then start single crocheting each row until you get a large rectangle that is the size of one side of your tote.

It looks a little wonky, but this is the size square I'll use as the basic size of this bag.

            After I finish the last row of the side of your tote, do NOT turn to go back; instead, turn your work clockwise 90 degrees and pick up stitches along the end of the rows (I usually do one single crochet in each row), until you get to the bottom chain row.

           Again turn your work clockwise 90 degrees and pick up stitches in each chain along the bottom edge. When you get to the end, again turn your work clockwise 90 degrees and single crochet in each row until you reach the top. Don’t put extra stitches in the corners as you turn the tote to pick up stitches. You want this “U” shape to start forming the sides and bottom of the tote.

 

           When you get to the end, chain one and turn. Continue to single crochet each row until your edge piece makes the tote as wide as you’d like it to be.

           When you finish the last row of the sides, chain one and turn. Single crochet down the side until you reach the bottom. Now it’s time to start crocheting the other main side of the tote. You’ll complete rows of single crochet and crochet the last stitch in the row together with a stitch in the side.

 

This is what the bag will look like as you crochet up the last side of the bag.

           Please refer to the photos as I try to explain how I do this. (I’m sure there’s a better way. I’ve tried several different methods and this seems to work the best for me. If you’ve got another method, stick with what works for you.)

Crochet to the last stitch in the row.

Single crochet in the last stitch but don't pull the plarn through to
make the last stitch. Instead, pick up the stitch in the side.

 

Then pull the plarn through all three loops on the hook.
This is kind of like a single crochet decrease.

The slip stitch in the stitch on the side
above the row you've just completed.

After you slip stitch turn your work and
continue in single crochet across the row.

          Complete the fourth side when you've used all the side stitches and then fasten off.

This is the final tote using Pattern Two.

Handles
            It seems to me that a really cool plastic grocery sack tote can be ruined if the handles aren’t strong enough. Believe it or not, the handles will give way before the rest of the bag does. Again, I’ve tried several different types of handles, and these are the ones that work best for me. But if you’ve got a different way of doing it, go for it! These are, after all, totes made from plastic grocery sacks. We’re not talking life or death here! J Use your own creativity!
           I chain 11, turn and single crochet in the second chain from the hook and single crochet across. Continue until the handle is as long as you want it. Then I fold the handles in half lengthwise and crochet along the open edge to create a double thickness handle. Leave a long tale when you get to the end and fasten off and use the long tail to whip stitch the handle where you want it. I whip stitch around all four edges. This creates a very firm and secure attachment.

Place the handles wherever you think they'll be the strongest.

These are the handles whip-stitched in place.

           For one of these totes, I used a single thickness of the plarn and a size K crochet hook. The other is made using a double thickness of plarn and a size M crochet hook. I used the same thickness and crochet hook size for the handles of each bag. You can attach the handles to the outside or inside of the bag. It's your preference.

The bag on the left is crocheted with a double thickness and used Pattern Two.
The bag on the right is single thickness and Pattern One.

The two bags on the ends are made using Pattern Two
and the bag in the middle used Pattern One.

          I really enjoy making these and it's always fun to take them to the store and use these to bag my groceries. The folks at checkout are enthralled with them. I've become a good "recycling center" for my friends who want to get rid of their grocery sacks. My kids make fun of me all the time. They tease that I could figure out how to make a formal dress out of old pieces of garden hose. I'm not that thrifty, but if I could figure out a way to do it, I'd probably try.     

Enjoy and keep on creating!

Susie

How to make mats from plastic grocery sacks

     I understand the purpose behind a blog is to write somewhat regularly about your thoughts and such. I have done anything but that. But, some new revelations (which I'll pass along in another post) have me excited and primed to write much more regularly.
     Our family took our annual trip to Camp Hebron near Halifax, Pa., for Family Camp I. I usually take some sort of knitting or crocheting project with me. It's not unusual for me to be sitting in the lobby of Sylvan View (the lodge) and have several people stop to ask what I'm working on. This year was no different, however, it was somewhat comical at the number of people who stopped and the fact that nearly every person had the same questions. Several fellow campers and a camp counselor and I started counting the number of people who stopped. I think we got up to 12 on one particular afternoon. I had several people wanting to know more about the process. I promised I'd post pictures, so here it goes!
     I make "plarn," plastic "yarn" from recycled grocery sacks. I've usually made tote bags, so I've cut the plastic bags into narrow (about half-inch) strips. Here's a picture of some of the bags I've made:

 

      Here's a picture of a tote full of balls of plarn:

 

     I made these from all the grocery sacks I found at my brother's house in Jacksonville, Fla. Yes, I packed them into boxes and mailed them to myself in West Jefferson, Ohio, and sat on my loveseat in the Mom Cave and cut them up and rolled them into balls. I need a life!
     But, lately, my focus has changed a bit. Our family has been volunteering with a homeless ministry in Columbus, Ohio, called Light of Salvation. I started making mats for the homeless so their sleeping bags don't get wet. The plastic mat is somewhat durable, and it provides a layer away from the ground and some padding. To make the plarn for the mats, the strips need to be wider. Here are some step-by-step photos:


First you have some plastic grocery sacks.

Which you flatten

Fold in half

Fold in half again.

Cut off the bottom seam

Cut off the handles.

To crochet totes, I cut the bags into one-half-inch pieces

For thicker mats, I cut the bags into 3-4-inch slices.

You end up with all these loops of cut up plastic bags

Loop the bags together

Start to pull them tight

Link all the strips together to form a longer piece of plarn.

      Once you have several balls of plarn (it's been estimated that it takes about 500 bags to make one mat. It really does take longer to make the plarn than it does to crochet the mat), you use a size Q crochet hook, chain 41 stitches (this should be about 3 feet long). Turn and single crochet into the second chain from the hook and single crochet across the rest of the chain. You'll have 40 stitches. At the end of each row, chain one, and turn and start your next row in the second stitch from the hook. Crochet 96 rows or until your mat is 6-feet long. Fasten off. You can weave in the end or let it be, whatever strikes your fancy.

     Now you need a strap to keep the mat rolled and to help with transporting it. Using your Q crochet hook, chain until you have a chain about 6-8-feet long. Join in a circle by slip-stitching into the first chain (try not to twist the chain, but if you do, that's OK because it's just plarn and it isn't like you're creating something for the runway in Paris). Chain one and keep single crocheting into the chain until you've completed one completed circle. Slip stitch into the first stitch of the round. Chain one and turn and complete another row, slip stitching into the first stitch of that round. You can stop here or complete another round. When you're done, fasten off and weave in the end if you want.

     Fold the mat in half lengthwise and roll up like a sleeping bag. Use the strap to keep the mat rolled and you're ready to give the mat to someone who needs it!
     I have used the thinner strips of plarn to make the mat, but I've crocheted with four or five strips together at the same time to make something that's the same thickness as the thicker strips. You may be wondering if you can knit with plarn. I have tried knitting, but I don't think it works as well as it does with crocheting.
     And there you have a mat made with recycled plastic grocery sacks. So start keeping all those bags and ask your friends to keep theirs. You're going to need quite a few if you plan to make more than one mat!
     Now, back to the questions that people asked while I was sitting in the lodge at camp. Nearly everyone asked these same questions almost word-for-word:

Camper: What are you doing?
Me: Making plarn.
Camper: Plarn?
Me: Yeah. Plastic yarn from recycled grocery sacks.
Camper: How do you do it?
Me: I flatten the bags, fold them up, cut the bottom and the handles off and cut them into strips. Then
        I string the strips together until I've got a long strand and can roll it up into a ball.
Camper: Then what do you do.
Me: I use the plarn just like regular yarn and crochet mats for the homeless.
Camper: That's cool!

     Imagine answering the same questions from about 12 different people within a 30-minute period. It was comical! And fun. Until next time, keep on Knitting and Needling!