by
Moira Ravenscroft
Linen bags are great for carrying bottles and heavy items home from the supermarket, but, if you’re anything like me, you never seem to have enough of them when you arrive at the check-out. Despite best intentions to be more environmentally conscious, you still end up coming home with countless numbers of plastic bags.
Well, now you can be seriously green and look cool at the same time. Carry one or more of these bags when you head to the shops and feel the pleasure of using your very own bags instead of yet more plastic ones. Keep a set of 3 bags in your car and another set by the back door ready to grab on your way out and you will always have them ready to use.
The bags have a wide shaped base which makes it easy to load items at the check-out, and the lower striped Seed Stitch section ensures that small items will not drop out. The central area features an openwork design which is strong but also flexible enough to accommodate bulky, awkwardly shaped items. An upper handle worked in Seed Stitch with a separately worked hand grip is soft to hold and has extra reinforced stitches at the edges for strength.
An added bonus is that you often will be given a discount for taking your own bags to the supermarket, so not only is this good for the environment but the more you use them the better it is for your purse as well!
model: Moira
Ravenscroft photos:Tim
Ravenscroft
One
Height: 16 inches
Circumference: 31 inches
Lion Brand Cotton Ease [50% cotton
/ 50% acrylic; 207yd/188m per 100 g ball]
[MC]
#194 Lime; 2 balls
[CC1]
#191 Violet; 1 ball
[CC2]
#110 Lake; 1 ball
Alternate colorway:
[MC]
#191 Violet; 2 balls
[CC1]
#110 Lake; 1 ball
[CC2]
#194 Lime; 1 ball
If you wish to make a set of 3 bags, only 2 balls each of
CC1 and CC2 are needed. 6 balls of MC are needed.
Recommended needle size:
1
24 inch US #7/4.5mm circular needle
1
24 inch US #10/6mm circular needle
1
spare circular or double-point needle,
US #7/4.5mm or smaller
[always use a needle size that
gives you the gauge listed below
-- every knitter's gauge is unique]
Waste
yarn
Crochet
hook
Stitch
markers
2
stich holders
Tapestry
needle
21 sts/34 rows = 4 inches in Seed
Stitch using smaller needles
Note: Because a firm fabric is
necessary for this project, the yarn
is worked at a tighter gauge than recommended
on the ball band. If substituting another
yarn, use one with a recommended ball
band gauge of 17 sts = 4 inches.
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here]
Ssp: Slip next 2 sts knitwise, one at a time, to right needle. Slip these 2 sts, purlwise, back to left needle. Purl them together through their back loops.
Crochet
Cast On
Using waste yarn, work a crochet chain several sts longer than
the number of sts to be cast on. Starting 1 or 2 sts in from
end of chain and using working yarn, pick up and k 1 st in the
back loop of each ch until the required number of sts have been
picked up. Later, the chain will be unraveled and the resulting
live sts picked up.
Seed Stitch (Worked back and forth
over an odd number of sts):
Row 1: [K1, p1] to last st,
k1.
Every row is the same.
Seed Stitch (Worked in the round over
an odd number of sts):
Round 1: [K1, p1] to last
st, k1.
Round 2: [P1, k1] to last
st, p1.
Repeat these 2 rounds for Seed Stitch.
Openwork Pattern (Worked in the round
over a multiple of 5 sts):
Round 1: [K2tog, yo, k1, yo,
ssk] to end.
Round 2: K all sts.
Repeat these 2 rounds for Openwork Pattern.
HAND
GRIPS (Make 2)
With smaller circular needle, waste yarn and MC, CO 25 sts using
Crochet Cast On. Leave a long tail of MC.
Work 4 rows stockinette st, ending with a WS row.
Remove waste yarn from CO edge and place resulting live sts
on spare needle. Fold CO edge of work to WS, so that spare needle
is directly behind working needle.
Next Row [RS]: [Insert right
needle into first st on left needle
and first st on spare needle, k these
2 sts together] until all sts have
been worked. This will form a narrow,
tubular hem.
Break yarn, leaving a long tail. Place all sts on st holder.
BASE
Using smaller circular needle and MC, CO 41 sts. Work base back
and forth in Seed Stitch, working selvedge sts in stockinette
st as follows:
Row 1 [RS]: K2, p1, [k1, p1] to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2 [WS]: P1, [k1, p1]
to end.
Rows 3-4: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 5 (Increase Row) [RS]:
K2, p1, k1, [kfb] twice, work in
pattern to last 6 sts, [kfb] twice,
k1, p1, k2. 45 sts.
Rows 6-8: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 9 [RS]: Work as for
Row 5. 49 sts.
Rows 10-14: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 15 [RS]: Work as for
Row 5. 53 sts.
Rows 16-44: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 45 (Decrease Row) [RS]:
K2, p1, k1, p2tog, k2tog, work in
pattern to last 8 sts, ssk, ssp,
k1, p1, k2. 49 sts.
Rows 46-50: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 51 [RS]: Work as for
Row 45. 45 sts.
Rows 52-54: Work in pattern
as set.
Row 55 [RS]: Work as for
Row 45. 41 sts.
Rows 56-58: Work in pattern
as set.
BO all sts.
BAG BODY
Lower Seed Stitch Panel:
Using smaller circular needle and MC, beginning at center of CO
edge, pick up and k 165 sts around edge of base; this will be approx.
1 st in each CO st and BO st, and 2 sts in every 3 rows along side
edges. Place marker to indicate beginning of round.
Work in Seed Stitch as follows, beginning with Round 1 of pattern:
Rounds 1-8: Work in pattern
using MC.
Round 9: [K1 using CC1,
p1 using MC] to last st, k1 using
CC1.
Rounds 10-13: Work in pattern
using CC1.
Round 14: [P1 using CC1,
k1 using CC2] to last st, p1 using
CC1.
Rounds 15-20: Work in pattern
using CC2.
Round 21: [K1 using CC1,
p1 using CC2] to last st, k1 using
CC1.
Rounds 22-25: Work in pattern
using CC1.
Round 26: [P1 using CC1,
k1 using MC] to last st, p1 using
CC1.
Work 9 rows in pattern using MC.
Openwork Panel:
Using larger circular needle, work 32 rounds in Openwork Pattern.
Upper Seed Stitch Panel:
Using smaller needles, work in Seed Stitch as follows, beginning
with Round 1 of pattern:
Rounds 1-6: Work in pattern using MC.
Round 7: [K1 using CC1, p1 using MC] to last st, k1 using CC1.
Rounds 8-9: Work in pattern using CC1.
Round 10: [P1 using CC1, k1 using CC2] to last st, p1 using CC1.
Rounds 11-14: Work in pattern using CC2.
Round 15: [K1 using CC1, p1 using CC2] to last st, k1 using CC1.
Rounds 16-17: Work in pattern using CC1.
Round 18: [P1 using CC1, k1 using MC] to last st, p1 using CC1.
Work 8 rows in pattern using MC.
HANDLES
Before working handles, place held sts of both hand
grips on spare needle.
Continue in Seed Stitch using MC as follows:
Set-up Round: Work 4 sts, place marker, work 75 sts,
place marker, work 8 sts, place marker, work 75 sts, place marker,
work last 3 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: Work to first
marker, work 28 sts, BO 19 sts, work
to 5 sts before next marker, W&T.
Row 2 [WS]: Work 23 sts
(to bound-off sts), work sts of one
hand grip in Seed Stitch as set,
work to 5 sts before marker, W&T.
Rows 3 & 4: Work to
10 sts before marker, W&T.
Rows 5 & 6: Work to
14 sts before marker, W&T.
Rows 7 & 8: Work to
17 sts before marker, W&T.
Row 9 [RS]: Work to marker,
working wraps together with wrapped
sts; work to next marker, work 28
sts, BO 19 sts, work to 5 sts before
next marker, W&T.
Rows 10-16: Work as for
Rows 2-8.
Row 17 [RS]: Work to marker,
working wraps together with wrapped
sts; work to end-of-round marker.
BO all sts, working remaining wraps together with wrapped sts.
Where does pic below belong?
Use yarn tails to sew handgrip edges to inside of bag at a slight angle, sewing firmly through all layers and neatening any loose sts at corners. Weave in any remaining ends.
Weave in ends.
Tip: With cotton yarns, ends have a tendency to work free
after being woven in. When weaving in each end, leave a tail
approx. 2 inches long. Divide tail into two strands, weave
one strand under a st, and tie strands in a neat square knot
(reef knot). Trim ends close to knot.
Moi
lives, knits, spins, weaves & drinks tea in the beautiful New
England town of Carlisle, MA. She also spends a lot of time
traveling to the UK, Japan and up and down the East coast of the
USA and loves to find people to knit with at every stop.