handmade bag

The Yellow Bag

June 10th, 2010

A few months ago, I started going to a knitting group with my soon to be mother-in-law that was held at the local library. I’m new to knitting and am at the point where I still find crochet much easier to do. I like the challenge though and enjoy learning how to do new things.

What I wanted to make was a blanket but decided starting with a scarf would be more my speed. I went about making the scarf using number 7 needles and recycled yarn.

I didn’t like the scarf at all. Enjoyed knitting but wanted to make something more useful since it’s summer and my family has no use for scarves right now. So, I flipped the scarf and knitted along the side of it trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up making a bag.

This bag has been super useful and surprisingly has held the weight of 12 library books, various grocery items and even three full two liter bottles without ripping. That’s not something that any crochet bags I’ve ever made have been able to pull off. This bag stretches to accommodate the weight but doesn’t rip. I even stuck the 12 library books in it and hung it from a door handle for three days waiting to see if it would break and it didn’t.

Now, it’s not a shoulder bag. You stick your hand through the bag strap on the side and then wrap your hand down, which oddly enough doesn’t hurt the wrist at all in the way a plastic grocery bag would when carrying heavy items.

All in all, I love this bag. It’s pretty, useful and saves my wrists when carrying heavy items. When I take it out people have asked if I made it and am always proud to say that I have.

I’ve had some requests to make the bag for others who have seen it in action. Haven’t gotten around to making another one yet but do have two started using size 6 circular needles and size 1 straight needles. Only problem is that I just make it up as I go using the knit stitch with some purling for part of the bag handle. There is no pattern. I don’t even know what the stitch number is for casting on. When I figure it out and finish the other two, I’ll let you know how they went.

~Laura~

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