Bags, bags, bags...

This week, I got the cutest little bag from here on etsy. She let me customize the photo, so my bag is my house... FUN!

So for a while I have been thinking about market bags. I have been arranging and sorting my studio, organizing my stash - only about half is listed on ravelry, so I need to work on that - and thinking about holiday gifts. There are two see through yarn cabinets in the studio - one holds all my cottons/flax/hemp, one all my felting wool. So as I am looking at all this hemp - and quick, easy projects are appealing, since there is more time dedicated to moving then knitting still - so I have been back into market bags...

The first market bag I knit is this green one. I love the bag, but the pattern (which came with the yarn) was a disaster - the strap was so long and the bag so large, the first time I used it, it was hitting my ankle as I walked to my car... That cured me of knitting bags for a while... I did finally take the handles apart, tie a knot for the join in the straps and it is now getting a lot of use.

The next one, the small green hemp bag, was an experiment to see if I could knit a small but functional bag, for when I walk to my garden and harvest just a few veggies... The hemp that I used was pretty scratchie - but with the hempathy bag pattern (not their yarn, though), it came out quite well. This yarn is weird though, the bag has been washed several times and seems to be felting a little... Since the knitting is far from perfect on it, I am not worried.

So as I have been staring at my cotton - I picked up this tan cotton that was already rolled and made a produce bag off the top of my head. It is knit from the bottom up and I used an alternate stitch pattern from my green bag - k1, k2tog, yo - the bottom and the handles are garter stitch. I haven't used it, as I think I am going to give it as a christmas gift....

Since the produce bag turned out so well, I decided to do a
compagnion market bag off the top of my head. I changed the bottom to stockingette, straps as well. I changed the stitch pattern slightly - p1, k2tog, yo. I would have like to have made it deeper, but it actually works quite well. I ran out of yarn for the strap, however, the length appears to be perfect. I have not used this one either - although I have stuffed it and walked it around the house a bit. I don't want to give away a bad bag... It could used to be blocked, as well.

I bought some hemp from my LYS a while ago, and they gave away a free pattern, I think it was for earth day. I found the pattern a couple days ago and have started that bag in a dark brown cotton - so far, I love it, but it is still only about 4" tall.

Finally, yesterday, while cleaning out some knitting from my nightstand, I found a strap that I made with the remainder of the first hemp bag and decided that I should used my last skein of the green wierd hemp (200 yards) and some pink
flax that I bought for $0.50 a 65 yard skein and make a bag. I found an old pattern from knitty for the stitch pattern - easiest one yet - yo, k2tog - and was off to town while watching the debates... I have one more skein of flax, the bottom will be the green hemp - should make a good bag.

I am teaching a market bag class for our staff knitting group on Wednesday - probably the next few. By the time class is done, there should be a whole arsenal of knitted bags for my grocery use, and some for gifts.... And I will feel really good about getting rid of this cotton (and flax) that I have been holding onto for at least 3 years!

Happy KNitting!!