Beanies & Weenies
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertising
  • Blog
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • DIY
    • Wedding
    • Crochet
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Instagram
  • Sign Up
Jennifer Hines

How to Make Plarn (Plastic Bag Yarn)

5/22/2019

1 Comment

 
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
I've been looking for more and more ways do my part in saving the planet lately. Besides using more reusable crocheted items that I would normally throw away (such as Swiffer duster covers, reusable cotton rounds, and more), I have also been composting and finding other fun ways to reuse what would otherwise be waste- like plastic grocery bags! My favorite way to reuse plastic bags is making plarn (or plastic bag yarn)!
Plarn is just a fancy word for cutting up plastic grocery bags and stringing them together to make a ball of yarn. You can use this yarn to crochet, or knit, most anything you would use regular yarn for! My favorites so far have been using plarn to make reusable shopping bags and a rug. (Stay tuned for patterns!)

While I try to use reusable shopping bags every chance that I get, I still find myself picking up plastic grocery bags when I'm in a pinch, or when I just need more trash bags for the cat litter. No matter the reason, my plastic bags started piling up and I know many other people have the same issue. And that's how I stumbled upon plarn!

Plarn isn't just for crocheters or knitters. You can use plarn for a variety of craft projects. The possibilities are virtually endless with plarn! So, if you're ready to start doing your part to save the planet and put all those plastic grocery bags to good use instead of throwing them away, keep reading!
Materials:
  • Plastic Bags
  • Scissors
Step 1: Take a plastic bag and flatten it out. Fold it lengthwise at least two times (see pictures a, b, and c).
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
a
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
b
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
c
Step 2: Cut off both ends of the bag- the end that's the bottom of the bag (picture d) and the end that's the handles (picture e). Throw these scraps away (or recycle ;)), or save them for some crafty purposes for later!
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
d
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
e
Step 3: Cut the remaining strip of folded plastic bag into 1-2 inch sections. You will get a whole bunch of squares (picture f). I aim to get 7-8 squares out of each plastic bag.
Step 4: Unfold each square until you have a pile of large circles (picture g).
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
f
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
g
Step 5: This is the trickiest step of making plarn so once you master this, making plarn will become a piece of cake! To form a continuous strand of plarn, we need to attach all of these circles together. Start by laying an open circle down and overlapping it slightly with another (see picture h). Then, take the bottom circle and start pulling it through the top circle. Before you pull it through all the way, begin pulling it through the center of itself (see picture i). Finish bu pulling it tight (see picture j). This is a simple lark's head knot. For a more detailed description and tutorial, visit this guide to lark's head knots.
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn) larks head knot
h
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn) larks head knot
i
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn) larks head knot
j
Step 6: Continue with step 5 until you have used up all your bags or you have a large enough ball of plarn to start making stuff!
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)
And viola! That's all you need to do to make plarn! It's super easy and so great for the planet! And make sure to stay tuned for some crochet patterns to use your plarn with.

Also, if you need more reusable crochet patterns and items in your life, check out my Etsy shop where I sell crochet patterns for reusable items and other fun items like washcloths, soap savers, and shower poufs.
how to make plarn (plastic bag yarn)

Related Posts:

mesh soap saver crochet pattern
crochet bralette pattern
crochet choker free pattern
1 Comment
Judy Kendall
12/19/2019 01:42:13 pm

Thanks your pics and notes were easiest plarn eXplanation

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    I'm Jennifer, a 21 year-old crochet, DIY, and marketing enthusiast who loves sharing my projects and travel and lifestyle posts with the world. I also help people start their own blogging journey through my business, JHB Communications.

    If you enjoy what you read, then let me know! Send me a message and sign up for my newsletter's below!


    ​Jennifer Hines is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    Archives

    August 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

Blog Posts

Blog
Crochet
DIY
Lifestyle
​
Travel

Wedding

Beanies & Weenies

About
​
Advertising
​Content Marketing
Catalog
Happy Customers
Sign Up

Support

Contact
Privacy Policy
Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertising
  • Blog
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • DIY
    • Wedding
    • Crochet
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Instagram
  • Sign Up