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Go green and crochet your own grocery tote out of reused plastic bags.
Click here for the crochet pattern. First collect around 80 plastic bags from your family and neighbors. I don’t recommend using thin produce bags. Recycle them or use them for something else. |
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Make plarn, yarn made out of reused plastic bags.
Click here for a detailed handout on how to make plarn. Recycle the bottom and handles cut from bag. |
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Keep it straight.
I find it’s best to only work with four or five loops at a time. For this project, we crochet with two separate yarns at one time so you have added strength. |
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Confetti
Cut up a variety of bags. Put the loops in a paper bag and mix for a random look. |
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Flat Bottom
Chain 22 stitches. Once the chain stitches are finished, go back into the second to last stitch and start a single crochet stitch. Continue down the row until you get to the end. Add a chain stitch to keep it flat and start the next row. Repeat these steps until you make the width of the bottom of the bag, approximately 4”. |
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Going up the sides
Once the bottom is finished, add an extra single crochet stitch in each corner and the start making the sides. |
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Add the handles.
A variety of handles are possible depending upon the size of the bag. Two handles worked best for this size but one handle works for an over the shoulder bag. |
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Finishing
Do the finishing stitches and you are ready to go shopping. |
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Variety is the spice of life.
Here are a few alternations of the pattern that MBG volunteers made to meet their individual style. To learn to crochet, take a class here at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Click here for details. |