How to Prepare Plastic Bags for Knitting or Crochet: 11 Steps (2024)

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1. 1

   Trim the bottom seam from the plastic bag.^[1]

2. 2

   Unfold as much of the bag as possible. Flatten it out.^[2]

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3. 3

   Fold the bag not quite in half width wise (with the fold perpendicular to the seam you cut off). Let one of the edges stick out about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Fold the part you already folded in half, repeating until the folded part is also about 1 inch/2.5 cm wide.

4. 4

   Cut off the handles.^[3]

5. 5

   About every inch or 2.5 cm, cut the folded part of the bag with vertical slits. Make sure you cut all the way through the folded part, but try not to cut into the unfolded part of the bag.^[4]

6. 6

   Grab the unfolded part of the bag, and shake gently. The folded part will unroll into a fringe.^[5]

7. 7

   Open up the unfolded part of the bag and spread flat. It helps to slide in a piece of cardboard or a cardboard tube under the unfolded part so that you don't accidentally cut through the fringe area.

8. 8

   See Also

   40 Grocery Bag Holder Crochet Patterns: Declutter Your Kitchen EasilyHow to Crochet a Tote Made from Plastic Bags (with Pictures)15 Stunning Plastic Bag Crochet ProjectsCrochet Basket with Plastic Bags, a Free Pattern • Banana Moon Studio

   Make a cut from the center (width wise) of the unfolded part to the nearest cut, diagonally.

9. 9

   Keep cutting across the unfolded part, diagonally, connecting the different cuts.

10. 10

    The last cut will be similar to the first, finishing in the center, width wise, of the unfolded part. You have just turned the plastic bag into a single long, thin, plastic ribbon.

11. 11

    Roll the plastic ribbon into a ball. Now you can knit something like a pencil holder.

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Community Q&A

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• Instead of folding in half, roll fold one side to the other leaving 2"/5 cm unrolled. Cut through the rolled part. Open the last uncut section and cut diagonally. This eliminates a cutting step.

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• Use the same procedure to recycle old T-shirts into "yarn" for soft crocheted chair pads, pet beds, and little rugs.

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• Try using different colored bags to make rainbow effects.

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• Keep plastic bags away from small children. They are a potential source of suffocation.

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• Cats are also notorious for swallowing things they shouldn't. Plastic yarn could mean an expensive trip to the vet.

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• Beware of the cat––claws and plastic bag yarn don't mix.

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• Plastic bags
• Scissors
• Pattern for knitting or crocheting bag

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Co-authors: 24

Updated: February 8, 2022

Views:360,030

Categories: Featured Articles | Knitting and Crochet

Italiano:Preparare le Borse di Plastica per il Lavoro a Maglia o all'Uncinetto

Русский:подготовить полиэтиленовые пакеты для вязания крючком или спицами