I need a new bag!

For the past couple of years, I've been using this plarn tote as my every day bag. Everywhere I go, it goes.


It's held up well, but at this point, I think I'm ready for a new bag. Something bigger, and with longer straps; and while I did add a lining with a pocket to this one, I need more pockets. Lots of pockets.

I have a few bags in progress right now, and I'm not sure yet which one will be my new every day bag. Maybe it will be this one. This one is quite a bit bigger than the one I'm using now.


I've finished the bag and handles since I took this picture, but I still need to add a lining. With pockets. Lots of pockets. I think I'm going to try doing a zippered pocket, too, for the first time.

Once it's done, I'll load my things into it and see how I feel about it. I might decide to go with something even bigger. If so, this one will go into my Etsy shop.

White Plarn in Progress, Part 3

Almost done! Just needs a lining, a magnetic snap, and a big black button. I've been putting off the lining because I anticipate that it will be tricky to get a nice fit. Maybe I'll get to it today. I also need to find the vintage black button that I'd picked out of my mother's button box--it seems to have vanished on me. Maybe I'll just have to order another vintage button from Etsy. I'm trying to stay away from Etsy, however, as I could spend hours "supply shopping"; yesterday I spent waaaayy too long browsing vintage zippers. Oops!

Plarn Coin Purse

I made this little coin purse the other day. Plarn is a very time-consuming material to work with, since you have to make the plarn before you can even get started--it's akin to carding and spinning your own wool, rather than picking up a skein at the local yarn shop. But this coin purse, being small, yielded quick gratification; though it did take me a while to make the lining, as I'd never made a zippered lining before. Now that I've figured out the logistics, I look forward to making more. :)

100 Bags Project

Usually, when I crochet with plarn, I cut up about 50 bags to get started, then cut more as I need them; so by the time I'm finished, I'm never quite sure how many bags I've used. This time I decided to make 100 bags into plarn up front, then see how much of a bag I could make with them.

This is what 100 bags looks like. These are mostly Kroger bags, with a few others thrown in. I collected these from friends, family, and recycling bins.

I sliced them into 1 1/4" strips with my rotary cutter, and filled this storage tub to overflowing. Sorry for the bad photo quality--my flash isn't working, and it was a cloudy day. I had to edit heavily just to get it to this point.

I meant to take a picture of the two balls of plarn I ended up with, but once again, no flash, cloudy skies. But I did have sunny skies on the day I reached the halfway point:

That's 50 bags' worth of plarn that I've crocheted, and 50 bags' worth still wound into a ball. This will be a messenger bag when completed. I'm thinking about using a thrifted woven belt as the strap, and lining it with recycled twill.

White Plarn in Progress, part 2

I'm going in a different direction with this bag...it will be more of a handbag, and less of a tote. I like the shape of it, so far. However, lining it is going to be loads of fun.

This is the second ball of plarn I've used to create the sides of this bag. I wish I'd kept track of how many plastic bags went into each ball. If I had to guess, I'd say I've salvaged at least 50 bags so far.

I just discovered that the recycling center here doesn't accept plastic bags. Which makes me wonder, what happens to the bags that go into the recycling bins at Kroger and Walmart? Are they just getting thrown away? It wouldn't surprise me...