(Roomier) Mesh Tote Bags From Single-Use Plastic Bags

Do you have "single-use" plastic bags piling up at home? What can you do with them besides take them in for recycling? You can turn the bags into "plarn" (plastic yarn) and crochet them into things. One particularly useful thing to make from them is reusable tote bags.

In addition to using bags you get at stores, you can cut up other plastic bags such as the colorful ones the Sunday paper comes in to use for accent coloring on the tote bags.

This is Version 2.0 of my mesh tote bag that adds a rounded rectangular bottom to the bag for more room.

You can tweak this basic pattern to make a tote bag in a range of sizes. I have found that 7, 8 or 9 cells wide along the sides by 10, 11 or 12 cells high on each side is good. This will require 25-35 of the standard grocery store sized single-use plastic bags cut up into plarn as per the instructions shown in the first step. Thirty bags worth is about a 5" ball of plarn.

Supplies

25-35 plastic shopping bags per finished tote bag.

Size J crochet hook

(opt.) colorful alternative plastic bags for highlights.

Step 1: Create the Plarn From Plastic Bags

Cut bags across into 1" strips and loop together to form continuous yarn. Do not bother to measure the 1" strips. Whatever your eye thinks is about 1" is fine, and it doesn't hurt anything if the widths vary a bit. The attached photos are of instructions I previously created, along with some hints.

Step 2: Create the First Round

Round 1: One starts by making two rows of Single Crochet (sc) stitches with rounded ends. The number of stitches should be three times the side mesh cell count (7, 8 or 9) plus one, i.e., 22, 25 or 28 sc stitches. You can achieve the first row of stitches either by (a) making chain (ch) stitches of the final stitch sc count plus one (e.g. 23, 26 or 29) and then working sc stitches starting with the second ch from the hook back to the beginning or (b) by just making a foundation single chain (fsc) row of the final stitch count. 

My preference is option (b) doing the chain row and sc row simultaneously using the Foundation Single Chain (fsc) technique. I learned the technique from The Spruce Crafts website (https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/what-is-foundation-single-crochet-4767004). 

In either case, you continue with the first round by adding an extra sc stitch to the end, then do sc stitches down the other side using the back loop of the chain stitches. And finally, do an extra stitch in the second end. 

Step 3: Create Round 2

Round 2: For the second round, do a sc in each sc of the first round's first side. Then, do an extra sc in the last sc of the side, 2 sc in the end sc and 2 sc in the fist sc of the second side. Then continue doing sc down the second side. At the second end, once again do an extra sc in the last sc of the side, 2 sc in the end stitch and two sc in the first stitch of the first side. What you've done is two half-circles of 6 stitches each on the ends of the two sides to create a rectangle with rounded ends.

Step 4: Create Round 3 (first Mesh Row)

For most of the remaining rounds the basic crocheting pattern is a treble crochet (trc) followed by 2 ch stitches, attaching the trc's every third stitch (i.e., into sc's in the first mesh row and into trc's of the previous row in subsequent rounds). Each round starts with a 5 ch section that stands in for the first trc and ch 2, and ends with a slip stitch (sl) into the middle of this chain 5 at the end of the round. 

Round 3 (first mesh row): Chain 5 and trc into the third sc of the first side. Chain 2 and trc into each of the the third sc's along the side, repeating 7, 8 or 9 times until the end of the side. Continue making triangular-like mesh cells around the end by doing a ch 2 and trc into each sc stitch around the end and onto the second side (total of 5 times). Then continue making mesh cells down the second side just like on the first side. Then make triangular-like mesh cells around the second end as in the first. The only difference being that there will be only 4 more trc's. After the last ch 2, attach to the original 5 chain of the round with a sl stitch in the middle of the chain.

Step 5: Create Round 4 (Finish Bottom)

Round 4 (complete the tote bottom): Chain 5 and trc into the next trc of the first side Round 3. Chain 2 and trc into the each trc along the side, repeating 7, 8 or 9 times until the end of the side. Chain 2 and make a second trc in the last trc of the side (first triangular mesh cell of the end). Chain 2 and do a trc in the next trc of the previous round. Repeat making two trc's and one trc in alternating trc's of the previous round to work around the end. You should end up with only one trc in the first trc of the second side. There should be 8 mesh cells total around the end.

Continue making mesh cells down the second side just like on the first side. Then make triangular-like mesh cells around the second end as in the first, alternating between 2 trc's and 1 trc in each previous round trc. Chain 2 and join to the middle of the 5 chain with a sl stitch. Again, you should end up with 8 mesh cells around the end. 

Step 6: Rounds for Tote Bag Sides

Rounds 5-N: Now, work each round by starting with a chain 5 and doing a trc in each previous round trc, followed by a chain 2. Join up the round as previously with sl stitch to the middle of the 5 chain. The number of rounds to do depends on one's preference for tote bag height. I have found 10 to 12 rows to be quite sufficient/roomy. 

One variation is to add extra sc rounds at places along the side. The example shown has an sc row of a contrasting color about halfway up the side.

Step 7: Add Hem to Top Edge

Rounds N+1 - N+3: After doing all the mesh rounds, I add either 2 or 3 sc rounds to the top edge of the bag. This is also a good time to mix in contrasting color Plarn if you have any. 

Step 8: Add Handles

(This is an alternate handle making approach to the one described in my original Mesh Tote Bag instructable.)

Handles: Plan on attaching the handles 6 or 7 cells apart working from the outside edges (i.e., right above the column of trc stitches). One can start a handle by chaining and then working sc stiches back or by using the foundation sc (fsc) technique. You can either attach the handles as you are working it or attach later. The length can be whatever you like. I've done handles in the 30 - 50 stitch range. 

I recommend adding two additional rows of sc to the handle for a total of 3 sc rows and the one row of chain stitches.