How to Make a Plarn Bag
Screen grab from Plastic Bag Crafts
Plastic + Yarn = Plarn
PLARN is "yarn" made from plastic bags. It's yarn in the sense that it can be made into a continuous piece of usable thread which can be knitted or crocheted into a piece of fabric.
Plarn has a strength and durability which is useful when turned into items like reusable shopping bags. It's also lightweight and bug resistant, making it a good material to use for making sleeping mats.
Plastic bags have gone from a shopping convenience to a threat to animals and a burden on the environment.
If you'd like to repurpose thin, flimsy plastic bags into a super-strong shopping tote, carry all, or mat, the first step is to gather your bags and cut them into 1" wide strips.
Instructions for cutting the strips and creating a continuous thread can be found on Plastic Bag Crafts. It shows how to fold and cut plastic bags into loops, which are then attached one to another through simple pull-through knotting. Once you’ve got a few feet going, you can wind your plastic yarn into convenient balls.
To the right of the instructions on Plastic Bag Craft’s Make Plarn page you'll find several links to plarn projects under Recent Posts, including:
Plarn Market Bag Flat-bottom grocery tote bag Plarn amigurumi buddies
Plarn Rope
You can also make a rope out of plastic bags, and use it to make handles for bags. To create plarn rope, you'll need to make 3 balls of equal-length plarn, and braid the 3 strands together the same way you’d braid hair. You'll want to leave the strands on both ends loose - long enough to allow you to thread the ends through your crocheted bag and tie them together or knot them off.
· Don't miss: How to Make a Braid-In Rag Rug, How to Make a Rag Rug, and How to Knit Like the Vikings.
Below are two videos that walk you through making and using plarn - from GemFOX Food and Craft and CraftKnot. Check out their YouTube Channels for more plarn projects.
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