Why Do I Make Plastic Yarn?
There are so many reasons, I love to reuse plastic bags to make plarn projects and it’s one of my favorite upcycling projects. I have mentioned it quite a few times in various posts, so today I’m actually going to show to make plarn.
Plarn Definition
Plastic yarn, called plarn, is yarn made from plastic bags.
Plarn Projects
The beauty of plarn projects activity is that you can find the medium for these projects literally anywhere. If you talk to a crocheter, their eyes will light up when you talk about their yarn stash. Crocheting with reused plastic bags is the same way, but instead of going to the store, you can walk outside and see these little treasures. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve been having a bad day, took a walk and found a plastic bag just waiting to be turned into a beautiful bag for the homeless. It’s affordable, easy to find resource and it helps both humans and the environment.
Can You Recycle Plastic Bags
I also think reusing plastic bags to crochet with plarn is important for environmental reasons. Every year, Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags. The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year. These bags are considered the American flag because they are found everywhere, wreaking havoc on plant and animal life. The local landfill pays a hefty fee to keep them cleaned up around the landfill. Of the bags that make it to the recycling programs, only 1 percent are recycled. They often clog the machine because they are so light weight. Learn more about plastic bag recycling.
How to Reuse Plastic Bags
That being said, it’s important to do everything we can to reduce our consumption of plastic bags. Until policy or the rest of the population catches up with this knowledge, there are tons of plastic bags floating around. Finding ways to reuse plastic bags is the next best solution because they are fulfilling a purpose instead wreaking havoc.
Plarn Crafts
There are tons of way to reuse plastic bags, but my favorite is to make plarn.
With plarn you can make:
- throw rugs
- purses
- wristlets
- sandals
- basket
- tops
- hats
- costumes
- wall hangings and art
Plarn Crochet Patterns
If you’re looking for more ways to crochet with plarn, check out these awesome plarn crochet patterns.
How to Make Continuous Plarn
Also, we make plarn often as a family activity- our whole family gets together for a ‘plarn making factory’. Crocheting plarn is a win-win-win. It’s a win for the environment, it’s a win for you because it’s free and it’s a win for who ever you create the project for.
Materials Needed:
Plastic Bags
Scissors
Step 1: Prep
You can find inspiration for this project everywhere. Go on a walk, get your family involved on your treasure hunt. Once you’ve collected a few dozen plastic bags then lay them out flat, fold them in half and cut the seam at the bottom and the handles off the top.
Step 2: Fold
Once you have an open rectangle, you’re going to fold it almost in half, leaving about an inch uncovered at the top. Fold the bottom flap again in half, then once more, still leaving that inch at the top.
Step 3: Cut the Strips
Cut 1 inch strips up to the top of those bottom folds, leaving the 1 inch seam uncut.
Step 4: Cut the Spiral
Unfold the strips and you’ll find what looks like a rib cage with that 1 inch seam unfolding like a spine to hold the ribs together. Put your arm through with that spine going length wise across your arm. Start to cut the space between the first loop and the second loop at an angle, such that you’re cutting from the top edge of the first loop to the top edge of the second loop, as shown in the photo.
Step 5: Crochet and Enjoy!
Hopefully you see how easy it is to make plarn for plarn projects! It’s easy and fun, get your friends involved and share the joy. Here are some other posts where I talk about my love for plarn projects!
How to Find Your Beautiful Treasures
Don’t forget to pin these instructions for later!
[…] Once I discovered the beauty of mesh produce bag scrubbers, this was kind of the next step. This requires some crocheting and plarn making, which is why I prefer the mesh produce bag method, but in a mesh bagless bind, this looks perfectly fine. To learn how to make plarn (plastic yarn), check out my tutorial here. […]
[…] of my favorite repurposing project is to make plarn and crocheting new creations with it. I also make my own dish scrubbers with fruit nets and shopping bags with old t-shirts. Every year, […]
[…] For this tutorial, you’ll need 25 toilet paper rolls and assorted ribbons or other decorations. As I started this project, I started feeling guilty for using so much ribbon, so I decided to use some plarn (plastic yarn) to add a little extra color, but also use as an additional repurposed touch. You can see how it looks on number 8 and 9 in the picture above. Not too shabby right? Learn how to make plarn here. […]