I found this great tutorial from craftycrafty.tv for a unique way to recycle your ever growing pile of plastic bags (unless you have switched to reusable totes.)  If so, then pass this tip along to your friends that still choose to leave the store with plastic!

I get a lot of emails from people wondering what to do with their pile of plastic bags, so I have found the basic instructions, from cutting up and preparing your plastic strips to turn it into 'yarn', to knitting your plastic bags into a funky tote shape.

Follow the jump for both tutorials. You'll need: numerous white, blue and yellow plastic grocery bags, M hook. Let's get going!

To make your plastic bag "yarn":

Take a plastic carrier bag:

Cut the handles and bottom seam off the bag:

Fold the bag into a strip:

Cut the bag into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces:

connecting the rings place - one ring over the other:

Take one end of the white bag and insert it into the other end:

Pull tightly but not to tight or it will tear, this forms a knot which will not be seen when you crochet. Keep repeating the above and roll up your strips into your new ball of "yarn":

To make stripey tote bag:

with white bags

ch 28

Round 1 - hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch, working around the backside of the ch hdc in each st, join with a sl st to 1st hdc (54 total)

Round 2-5 - ch 1, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc at the end of round 5 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags

Round 6-7 ch 1, with yellow bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 7 pick up the dropped white bags

Round 8-10 - ch 1, with white, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 10 change to blue bags, do not cut white bags

Round 11- 13 - ch 1, with blue bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut blue bags, at end of round 13, pick up the dropped white bags

Round 14-20 - ch 1, with white, dc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 20 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags

Round 21 - ch 1, with yellow, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 21 change to white bags

Round 22- ch 1, with white hdc in next 7 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in the next 19 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in next 12, join with a sl st to 1st hdc

Round 23 - ch 1, sc in next 6sts, work 28 sc around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 19 sts, work 28 scs around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 13 sps, join with a sl st in beg sc (94 total)

Round 24 - ch 1, sc in each st around (94 total)

Good Luck, let me know how it goes if you try it!