Crochet guide
Crocheting with plastic bags (plarn)
Plarn is yarn made from plastic bags. A bag is cut into strips, the strips are joined into one long strand, and the strand is wound into a ball and crocheted the way yarn is. Used bags and scissors are all you need.
On this page 9 parts
What plarn is
The word joins "plastic" and "yarn". Plarn is cut from plastic shopping bags, and almost any bag will do.
A pattern written for yarn can be worked in plarn. Check the gauge first, because how thick plarn is depends on how the strips were cut. See how to measure gauge.
Getting a bag ready
- Lay the bag flat and smooth it out.
- Cut off the handles at the top.
- Cut off the seam at the bottom.
What is left is a tube of plastic, open at both ends.
Two ways to cut the strips
| Loops | One long strip | |
|---|---|---|
| The cut | Straight across the tube, into rings | Slits that stop short of one fold, then slanted cuts across the part left uncut |
| The join | Each ring is looped through the next | None: the strip is in one piece |
Loops. Cut the flattened tube straight across into strips. Each strip opens into a ring. Lay the end of one ring over the end of another. Take the ring that lies underneath, bring its far end up over the top ring and through its own loop, and pull gently until the two are knotted together. Keep adding rings until the strand is long enough to wind.
One long strip. Lay the tube flat with its folded edges at the top and bottom. Cut slits from the bottom fold up toward the top fold, and stop about 1 in (2.5 cm) short of it. Open the tube out so that the uncut band lies flat. Now cut across that band on a slant, so that each cut joins the top of a slit on one side to the top of the next slit along on the other side. The slanted cuts turn the rings into one long strip.
Either way, wind the plarn into a ball as you go.
How wide to cut
Strips about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide are common. A wider strip makes a thicker plarn and a narrower strip a finer one. Thin strips tear more easily, so pull gently when you join and wind them.
If a strip breaks, or the ball runs out, tie the new end to the old one.
Which hook, and which stitches
No one hook is right for plarn. The hook depends on how wide the strips are and how firm you want the fabric. Patterns for plarn name hooks from 4 mm (G-6) to 6 mm (J-10), and as large as 9 mm (M/N-13) for a tote bag. Some name a metal hook.
Try a hook on a small sample, look at the fabric and change the hook if you need to. What a bigger or smaller hook does explains the choice.
The stitches are the ordinary ones. Patterns for plarn use single crochet (double crochet in United Kingdom terms) and half double crochet (UK half treble crochet).
What plarn is like
Plarn does not handle the way yarn does, and it can take a while to get used to.
The fabric is strong and stands up to wear. It is used for things that get wet or stay outdoors.
What plarn is made into
- Tote bags and shopping bags.
- Baskets, bowls and storage pots.
- Small things for wet places, such as a soap dish or a dish scrubber.
Other things cut into yarn
An old T-shirt is cut into yarn in much the same way as a plastic bag. See crocheting with fabric strips.