I’m excited to share a little project that I have been experimenting with. You know those little green netting sleeves you get your lettuce in? Well, I’ve been trying to think of a good craft recycling project that I could do using the netting. Here is my result.
It is an eco-friendly greenie that you can scrub your dishes with. The cotton with the recycled green netting is very scratching and works well as a scrubbie. It measures 4-1/2″ by 4″.
Here is a mini tutorial on the prep for the green netting bags.
Lay out the green netting bag and I used a paper clip to hold the end closed.
Next cut the bag in strips across about 1 inch wide. Cut all the way down to the end and discard the hard end piece.
Take the loops you have created and interlink them using the same method for making plastic bag yarn or plarn. In the picture below, the top two loops aren’t pulled tight yet so you can see how to loop them together. Then the bottom ones show how it looks once you pull the loops tight. Just pull on the ends gently to tighten your knot between the two joined pieces. Continue to add loops to create a long strip of netting that you can crochet with.
I used about an ounce of white cotton yarn and combined it with the netting strips I created. Hold it together and crochet with a larger hook. The crocheting is a bit harder with the netting but just keep your work loose and it goes easier. Also I would recommend handwashing this pot scrubber for longer life.
Well that’s the project and here’s the free crochet pattern. I hope you enjoy this eco-friendly project and happy green crafting to all!
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Free Greenie Plarn Pot Scrubber Pattern
Scrubber measures: 4-1/2 inches x 4 inches
Hook: Metal J (6 mm) sized crochet hook
Materials:
1 oz – Sugar & Cream cotton yarn (white used)
3 – green plastic netting bags (cut and looped together)
Holding cotton and netting together, Ch 4, Sl St to form ring.
Rnd 1
Ch 2, (counts as 1 Hdc) in ring work 2 Hdc,
Ch 1, 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, Ch1, 3 Hdc, Ch 1, Sl St to top of Ch 2.
(4 corners & 4 shells made)
Rnd 2
Sl St over to corner space.
Ch 2, 2 Hdc, Ch1, 3 Hdc, all in the same ch 1 corner space.
*Sk next 3 Hdc (shell), 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the next Ch 1 corner space.*
Repeat between * 2 more times, Sl St to top of the beginning Ch 2.
Rnd 3
Sl St across remaining Hdc’s to corner.
Ch 2 (counts as 1 Hdc) 2 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc, all in the corner space.
*Sk 3 Hdc, make 3 Hdc in between shells, Sk next shell, make 3 Hdc, Ch 1,
3 Hdc in corner.* Repeat 2 more times then Sl St to top of first Hdc.
Rnd 4
Sl St across remaining Hdc’s to corner. Ch 2, 2 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc all in the same
corner space. *Sk next shell, 3 Hdc in ea sp between shells. At corners work 3 Hdc, Ch 1, 3 Hdc in corner space *. Repeat between * around and join with a Sl St to top of Ch 2. FO netting but leave the white cotton attached.
Rnd 5
Working with white cotton yarn only, work 3 Sc in corner. Then Sc in each st around, and at corners work 3 Sc to end of rnd. Join with Sl St to top of beginning Sc. FO.
Option for a scalloped edge:
The scalloped edging is accomplished by working *Ch 3 in corner st, Dc in same st, skip 2 sts and Sl St in next st* and repeating between * around to beginning Ch 3.
Reminder: Hand wash or machine wash gentle. DO NOT dry in a machine dryer. Only hang to dry as the plastic will melt in your dryer.
If you have any questions or find discrepancies in this pattern, please email me using contact tab above.
Abbreviations:
Beg – Beginning
Ch – Chain
FO – Finish Off
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Rnd – Round
Sc – Single Crochet
Sl St – Slip Stitch
Sm – Same
St – Stitch
Sk – Skip
This pattern is copyrighted by Cindy of My Recycled Bags {dot com} and may only be used for private individual use. No commercial sales or use is permitted. Links to this pattern are acceptable. ©2008-2016
****Please do not copy my patterns on your blog site or post my patterns on Internet sites. I do not allow my patterns to be republished without expressed written permission. Posting of my patterns, without written permission is in violation of my copyrights and is content theft.
You are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing such fantastic, green ideas.
This project is so cute and looks really useful! I have a quandary, though. Maybe someone can help me out. My cotton dishcloths are great, but they get a really bad smell after just a day or two. I have several, so I can swap them out and throw them in the wash, but is there a way to keep them smelling fresh longer? I try to lay them out flat on the side of the sink or over the faucet when I’m not using them, so they can dry out as much as possible. But that doesn’t seem to help all that much.
Anybody else noticing this? Any good solutions? Thanks in advance!
Cute! I wish I was more handy with the crafting, but I may have to commission a crafty friend for one.
That is ingenious! I’m jealous of your creativity. It’s great that you kinda find uses for otherwise useless trash.
very creative idea!
🙂
@Meredyth,
I researched around on the net and found these tips for keeping dishcloths smelling fresh. Try them out and see if it helps.
Pop the wet cloth in the microwave to 1 minute and let dry. It kills any bacteria and the cloths never smell.
Rinse in hot water after use and then rinse it in cold water. Then hang to dry and it doesn’t smell in the morning.
Dip in a weak solution of bleach after use. Hang to dry overnight.
Rinse in vinegar or baking soda to keep clean smelling.
Wow! Thanks for the suggestions and for the research — I’m definitely going to try your suggestions out. Happy crafting!
I just found your site through a link from somewhere else, and all the ideas here are just fabulous – thank you for sharing (and the patterns too)! I may have to try making some plarn to crochet with myself….I’m sure I can find someone with plastic bags to get rid of (I’ve pretty much gotten rid of them at our house). But this is a great way to “repurpose” them into something very lasting & more durable than when they began. I’ll add a link to this site from mine, if that’s okay with you…
I wish you all the best in your cancer treatments…stay positive! 🙂
Great blog, Cindy! Very practical, and well presented. People love tips and crafty ideas.
Thanks for stopping by La Marguerite and dropping a comment.
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
As always, your posts are a pleasure. Hoping all is well with you.
(MIFS)
Clever, clever, clever! I just love visiting your blog. I wish I had a net bag to start on one of these right away – I guess I’ll just have to go buy some oranges. Or maybe some lemons – there was a really good lemon cake recipe back down the line a bit….
Just a note from my experience. If you want to make these for “free”, unravel an old 100% cotton sweater and reuse the yarn. When reworked, it is easy to forget the yarn is faded to begin with.
Wow, thanks for the tutorial! Love it!
Great idea, Cindy. We don’t have green netbags for lettuce in Holland, but I do get tomatoes and mandarins in red net bags. So I’ll have red srubbies instead 😀
Come to think of it, we do get brussels sprouts in green ones and lemons in yellow, but I don’t buy those often… Hope to remember to keep the nets for some nice colour combinations.
xxx
Astrid
Hope you are doing well 😛
Really creative and so sweet…..I was wondering if you have got anything up your sleeves which could teach me to make something for my craft class based on topic “Beaches” or “funky!”
Please give it a thought and kindly let me know as I am horrible in that subject and your blog is a great help 😛
What a great idea.
I’ve been scrubbing with netting from an orange bag. Just bunched up and held together with a rubber band. It works well for it’s purpose, but sure isn’t very attractive! 🙂
Love this idea! I can’t crochet, sadly, but do love reusing those net bags (we just bring them back for more produce).
I am going to try it with nylon net, I don’t get net bags.
this is the best website i’ve seen in awhile. i have a huge stash of plastic bags that i feel guilty throwing away. i’m so glad to know there is a way to combine my love of crochet and recycling into something beneficial. thanks for all the great ideas!
Do you have a pattern that you can make pot scrubbers out of the netted bags that oranges and grapefruit come in?
@Theresa,
I have used those bags to make this scrubber too. Just cut the nets in strips and crochet with them along with your yarn. You hold the netting strips and the yarn together and follow this pattern.
Cindy
Very clever idea — thanks for the useful tip for reusing something so commonly thrown away!
Clever. clever, clever! I always hate throwing away that netting but making scrubbies out of them seemed so awkward. Now I can use them! Thanks.
Sue’s last blog post..Buttercups
This is an awesome idea! I cannot wait to try it with the orange bag I have! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you!! I will be trying this TODAY!! LOL
Thanks for the pattern and for the instructions. I will share this with my crafty friends. So far, they are just busy making fabric shopping bags. It’s so nice to be crafty and incorporate green ideas into our craft projects.
Per Meredith’s post about dish cloths smelling in just a couple of days –
I currently use cotton washcloths, and this is my little routine: After each use I rinse the cloth in water with a small amount of bleach, then place it over the faucet to air dry. When it’s no longer “fresh”, I wash
it in the washing machine then hang it outside to dry. The UV in sunlight is great for killing the germs which are responsible for the smell.
I’m not sure how well this cleaning routine will work for plastic
scrubbers, since the same UV that sterilizes washcloths also photodegrades plastic, plus bleach will also cause many plastics to begin degrading.
Monica,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving some advice about cotton washcloths. I too wash with a dab of bleach and it helps with staying fresh. As for the plastic, I am careful and use hot water rinse and then cold rinse. The cold rinse is key as it doesn’t leave your pot scrubber or dishcloth warm for germs and odors to grow.
What an ingenious idea! I love it!
Erica,
Sierra Pelona Crochet
.-= Sierra Pelona Crochet´s last blog ..Heart of the Sunset Strand =-.
Lovely patterns Have been looking for a pretty towel pattern besides the ones I make up. Nothing no where near as pretty as these patterns Thanks
Have you tried soaking the cloth in a baking soda solution? Or, scrub the last pot with some baking soda then rinse in hot water. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) should not degrade the plastic yet will help control the bacteria & smell. It is a nice non-abrasive cleaner as well. Since this pattern is so easy and materials so available, tossing it shouldn’t cause too much guilt.
Has anyone used worn t-shirts with the pastic bags or nylon net to used for the dishcloths….cut the shirts across like you do the bags….I am going to try it to see how it works….
@Ruth, I have seen t-shirt yarn (tarn) used to knit some dishcloths and for washcloths. I haven’t tried the netting together with tarn yet but I’m sure it would be a nice scrubbie too.
it’s a beautiful green mind , i Can’t wait to try it
I think that this would be neat to combine the netting with recycled bags or maybe even all netting if you had enough.
What if instead of cutting strips of the mesh you cut in a spiral to have on continuous length then tied to another spiral cut mesh?
Would save A LOT of time only having to connect.
Dionna: That idea probably would work too for cutting the produce netting but it’s not that hard to cut the net in strips and then just assemble it like I do with plastic retail bags using the looping method. I will have to try your idea and report back here on the outcome. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your ideas.
I’ve just shared it in my f/b page https://www.facebook.com/Aleka-Craftaholic-173430056201654/
Very good post. I absolutely love this site. Stick with it!