RECYCLED GROCERY BAG.....BAG

How many grocery bags do you come home with each time you go to the grocery store???  And how many of those bags do you reuse for household projects...and how many do you just throw away???  This is the project to help you reduce your stash of used grocery bags and keep them out of the landfills at the same time!!  I designed this particular bag to be used as a ministry project with our church group "Crochet One, Knit Too".  We will construct these bags and then hand them out at the farmers market this summer that is located in the parking lot behind our church.  You may think it will be too hard to make or too time consuming...maybe you will even think they will feel cheap!!  I had told some ladies at church about wanting to make these and they seemed skeptical.  I took a sample to show them this past Sunday and they were AMAZED at how soft, flexible and durable it was.  I even weight tested it by hanging it for four hours with two full bottles of 32 load laundry soap in them.  It did stretch...but not in an unsightly manner and was comfortable to carry with such a load in it!!  Please if you have any questions or need clarification do not hesitate to ask!!!  Thanks for checking out my design!!

RECYCLED GROCERY BAG…BAG  ©

Original Design by Amy Brewer

Materials:  30 plastic grocery bags (1” stripped and looped, instrucitons below), size N crochet hook

BAG

Chain 21

Rnd 1: hdc in 3^rd ch from hook and in next 17 ch.  5 hdc in last ch.  Working in free loops of other side of ch, hdc across, 3 hdc in last loop.  Join in top of beg ch. 

Rnd 2: ch 1, hdc in same st.  Hdc in each st around.  Sl st in top of first hdc to join.

Rnds 3-19: Repeat Rnd 2.  Do NOT finish off.

HANDLES

Rnd 1: ch 1, sc in first 3 sts, ch 30, skip 10 sts, sc in next 12 sts, ch 30, sk 10 sts, sc in next 9 sts, sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 2:  Ch 1, sc around.  Sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in first st, * sk 1, sc, sk 1, sc 28, sk 1, sc, sk 1, sc 7.  Repeat from * once.  Sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 4: sl st in each st around.  Finish off. 

HOW TO STRIP AND LOOP YOUR PLASTIC BAGS

MATERIALS NEEDED:  Self healing rotary cutting mat, rotary cutter, shape cut ruler 12", scissors, and 30 grocery bags per bag.



Lay grocery bags flat on self healing rotary mat.  I layer up to 10 bags at a time.

Place Shape Cut Ruler on top of grocery bags with cut lines running horizontally and the first cut line approx 1" from the bottom of bags.

Using a Rotary Cutter, cut the bag horizontally at 1" intervals.

After your bags are cut and the top and bottoms are removed it will look similar to this.

Hold two loops, one in each hand.

Insert 2nd loop (horizontal in pic)  inside of 1st loop (vertical in pic).  Place hand through one end of 2nd loop, grab opposite end of 2nd loop.

Pull through......

and slowly tighten down, making sure the loop is even.  Repeat.

As I loop the strips together I like to let them fall to the floor beside me and then wind them after I loop about 10 bags together.  It will be tempting to just put these looped strips into a bag and work from that....but be warned that they tangle VERY easily. 

Roll into a ball and secure end until ready to use.