Every time I take it shopping I get so many requests for the pattern for the plarn market bag I free-form crocheted that I tried to recreate it. Instead I ended up with a nice tote. I will try to adjust this pattern into the stand-up shopping bag later. I liked the tote so much that I wanted to get the instructions written down for it.
Plarn is made by cutting plastic bags into loops and then knotting them together. You can find instructions on the internet. I used mostly the sacks that bread comes in and cut the strips about the width of my thumbnail – approximately half an inch. I just eyeballed it. I cut plastic that felt less sturdy into slightly wider strips and plastic that felt stiffer into slightly less wide strips. I cut the strips as I emptied the bags and mixed them together for a more homogenous look and feel.
I had a lot of trouble crocheting the plarn string with my usual metal hooks, and discovered the large plastic hooks I had bought for another project slide much better. There is still quite a bit of wrestling with the material, though, and a wood or bone hook would probably be better. I used a plastic size K hook because that’s what I had.
Ch 3, join with sl st to form circle. I insert the hook into the end of the loop, pinch together the loop behind the hook to act like the knot, then work the chain. That eliminates an end to work in. I sl into the pinched part to join. I do not recommend using a magic circle start as the plastic will not want to slide into place.
Rnd 1: 12 dc in circle. I use ch, sc over ch, ch as a starting dc, but use your favorite method. Do not join. I use a spiral technique to avoid the gap at the beginning of the round look.
Note: All stitches from this point on are worked between the dc posts in the round below.
Rnd 2: 2 dc in same space around. Rep from around. 24 sts.
I marked rounds when writing out this pattern, but it is just as easy to simply make sure each 2 dc in same space around is in the 2 dc in same space below for rounds 3-5.
Rnd 3: 2 dc in same space around, dc. Rep from around. 36 sts.
Rnd 4: 2 dc in same space around, 2 dc. Rep from around. 48 sts.
Rnd 5: 2 dc in same space around, 3 dc. Rep from around. 60 sts.
At this point the diameter of my circle is 9.” I start working even at this point to make it go up, but it actually still continues to lie mostly flat for the next two rounds.
Rnds 6-10: dc in each space around.
Rnd 11: 2 dc in same space around, 4 dc. Rep from around. 72 sts.
Rnds 12-16: dc in each space around.
Make handles:
Rnd 17: ch 20, skip 16, dc 20. Rep from. 80 sts.
Rnd 18: dc in each ch and in each dc space. 80 sts. The change from chain stitch to dc counts as a dc space, so a dc will be worked below the chain in front of the resumed double crochet.
Rnd 19: dc in each dc space around. 80 sts.
Rnd 20: sc around. 80 sts. Sl st into first sc and fasten off. Try to have a loop with more clear area at the end of your plarn thread here so that the end will disappear better. It’s easier if you use the looped end to drag the tail under, rather than cutting.

Just discovered that the * symbol i used to show repeats is not showing up except in edit mode. Sorry about that, but i think it is clear where to repeat from.