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How to Make Plarn (Plastic Yarn)

May 23, 2012

I live in Portland Oregon and for those of you who don’t know, this is pretty much the mecca of eco-friendliness. It’s a passion here, a way of life. And although I am admittedly not the most avid recycler, I try to do my best. So in order to become a little more “green,” I have recycled my plastic grocery bags in plastic yarn or “plarn.”

Making plarn is pretty simple but can be tedious. Although I actually found the repetitiveness of it kind of therapeutic. So here is how to make plarn. Hopefully you will get the gist of it from the pictures :o)

1. Flatten our your plastic bag. Smooth it out to be as flat as possible. Use the static electricity to your advantage as it will help to really get it to lay flat.

2. Fold the bag in half so the handles line up.
3. Now fold it one more time so its one long strip.
4. Cut the top (handles) and bottom off. Discard them.
6. Now cut the rest into approx. 1/2 inch strips. If they are too thick they will be harder to crochet. If they are too thin, they will break. 
7. Unfold the strips and you will see that they are loops. You will now connect the loops together the same way you would connect rubber bands. Lay right loop end over left loop end. Pull end of left loop up and over the right and then through itself.

8. Pull tight to make a knot (but not too tight or the plastic will break).
Keep connecting and roll into a ball when finished.

You now have plastic yarn! Check back tomorrow to see what I made with my plarn. Here is a sneak peak:

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Filed Under: Crocheting, Uncategorized 17 Comments

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Comments

  1. Shari says

    May 23, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Oh my goodness… I am so doing this today! Thank you for sharing… I will never throw away another plastic bag!!
    Shari 🙂

    Reply
  2. Hanni says

    May 23, 2012 at 5:19 pm

    What an excellent way to reuse those plastic bags!! I few weeks ago I made J-yarn (jeans-yarn) http://hannicraft.blogspot.com/2012/04/j-yarn-wip.html . Now I see there are other creative minds in the bloggy world, who would crochet with anything 🙂
    I love your craft,
    Hanni

    Reply
  3. Kara @ Simplistically Sassy says

    May 23, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    I've wondered exactly how to do that. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Steph @ Crafting in the Rain says

    May 23, 2012 at 7:50 pm

    Can't wait to see what you made!
    I saw someone once who made jumpropes out of plastic bags. That's your next project, mkay? 🙂

    Reply
  5. Earning My Cape says

    May 23, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    That is so cool! I want to do it!!!

    Reply
  6. Jessica R says

    May 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    Oh my gosh! I'll be checking back like a MILLION times today! I can't wait to see your bag and how you did it!!!!

    Reply
  7. Lelia B says

    September 29, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    How do you connect the loops? Please reply 🙂

    Reply
    • Lelia B says

      September 29, 2012 at 9:11 pm

      Actually I figured it out! Please ignore my other comment :). Thanks so much for this cool idea! I will be making something plastic soon 🙂

      Reply
  8. Cody says

    January 19, 2013 at 5:28 am

    I have been wanting to try this, thanks for posting!! -Your newest "follower"- http://cody-simplyhomemade.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    March 13, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    I live in Ottawa Canada and we get our milk in plastic bags, not jugs. My friend has been crocheting plarn milk bag sleeping mats to send to refugee camps. plus they make great indoor/outdoor doggie mats n mudroom mats too. they clean with a quick rinse. enjoy! oh. many church groups collect the mats to send to the refugee camps. happy crafting!

    Reply
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    Reply
  11. Ann says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:11 am

    So does this mean that you crochet with a double “ply” of the plastic?

    Reply
  12. DJ says

    January 2, 2016 at 9:10 am

    How does one make ‘plarn’?

    Reply
    • DJ says

      January 2, 2016 at 9:16 am

      Ops, thought I had posted this on the tote bag made with plarn. Was playing around and somehow found the page to make plarn. Didn’t realize it until after I asked how to make plarn.
      Boy, do I feel stupid!

      Reply
  13. Michelle says

    June 2, 2016 at 12:03 am

    Love it! How many bags do you need to make enough ‘yarn’ for the bag?

    Reply
  14. Susy says

    June 8, 2018 at 4:13 am

    Great things you describe here.

    Reply
  15. هزینه جراحی چاقی با بیمه says

    July 24, 2021 at 6:25 am

    Fantastic website. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending it to some friends are also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks to your effort!

    Reply

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Hi and thanks for stopping by! I'm Sarah, the crafter, crocheter and occasional crockpotter behind this blog. As a wife and mom of 3 my days are busy but I always find time to pick up my crochet hook or indulge in something crafty. I have a passion for crafting and crocheting and offer my patterns and tutorials for free! I hope you enjoy everything you find here and please feel free to repeat after me!

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