Sunday, January 25, 2009

Bag Crocheted from recycled grocery bags tutorial


I was picked to be the provider of stuff for February's Contest on behalf of my Street Team. So I put together this super cool bag of soapy goodness.

the bag is one I made from plastic grocery bags. I crocheted them all with a big fat "Q" hook. The bottom of the basket is tighter. I spun those plastic strips and then crocheted it. I wish I had got a picture of it, darn!








I have filled the basket with all kinds of wonderful things. 6 oz of laundry soap, and 4 bars of soap. 3 soaps are designer scents, and one Rose scent. Rose is a good one lots of people like it so I figured it would be a good pick.


You can still get in on this months contest featuring a gorgeous pair of earrings made by Kim Ries of Creative Eye Studios
Check her out! her work is incredible! The contest ends on January 31 so you better get your butt over there and enter to win now!


I wanted to tell you guys how I made this bag in hopes that you too can keep some of these things from getting on the sides of the street and stuff...they are everywhere like a plague! They can be so useful its really a shame to see them hit the trash. So now your gonna learn how to make them into reusable bags that will last ages to carry groceries in or just to put anything in!

First get you about 25 or 30 plastic grocery bags...lay them flat, this is the hard part. you have to fold in that side crease so that the bottom part lays flat, the handle part dont really matter its the body we are after, so get it as flat as you can.

You can pile 3 or 4 bags on top of each other just to cut your time down.

Cut the very bottoms off the bags, try real hard to not cut too high into the bag cause this is the part we want to preserve.

Once you get the ends cut off then you can cut your strips. Cut them 2 or 3 inches wide, try to stay the same width but its not necessary. you get a more interesting finished product if its not perfect.

Once you have processed all your bags like this you can start putting them together like in this tutorial here I am giving basically the same directions as in this tutorial just with no pictures cause I was too lazy to take any LOL She shows how to loop the pieces together better than I can ddescribe it.

Once you get a long striong of looped pieces you can get out your spindle and spin it to make a chunky yarn you can use with an "N" hook or you can leave it as is in the rough and get out your "Q" hook and go to town!

I made this bag by crocheting a circle using single crochets as big as I wanted the bottom and then I started making big triple crochets...I would chain 3 then count over 2 stitches and make a triple crochet..that gives this bag that netted look.

For making the handle I just did a chain as long as I wanted the handle to be and put in a row of single crochets in each chain space. you may have a different way you want to do the handle and thats great!

You can use this yarn to make more than bags too. i am thinking a whole line of "trash couture" fashion here. Skirts, headbands, hats, baby booties. All you would have to do is cut your yarn strips thinner to make a thinner plarn and you could even do a baby weight plarn!

So get out the crochet hook and make you some plarn! Have fun!

4 comments:

Welcome To Wilmoth Farms said...

You saw these at the Glendale festival didnt you!!!!! I loved em! Good for you for making them! I'm getting in on that giveway...who cares if I make soap too! LOL Yours are devine!!
Hugz
Rachel

Auroras_Garden said...

I must have missed those at glendale LOL. I had seen them online, and a friend on a yahoo group mentioned making them too so I thought I would try it!

I am excited about the contest. It will hopefully bring a lot of people to our blog and help out the team!

We need to go get some Indian food! I am ready for some, when are you available this week?? Mari needs to come too, we need to get together again I just love you guys!

Lana said...

Great job.. I love making these type of bags. I put the kids to work cutting strips and connecting them.. LOL Keeps them out of trouble.. Anyway. Great tutorial on it too.

Auroras_Garden said...

Thanks Lana! I have fun making these. I have enough bags to start another one too. I have to get the wool off my spindle first so I can spin the plastic LOL. It spins real nice and it holds the twist really good. i was surprised it held.

I make Tyler help me cut the strips too. Its good to get kids involved in stuff like this. It teaches them so much, and its good quality time together too.