Market Bag Mania

I have stated in my previous entry that I started a Ravelry swap group, the Going Green Swap. The requirements are one knitted/crocheted market bag in a natural fiber (cotton, hemp, linen, etc. NO ACRYLIC!!) with a few other eco-friendly goods thrown in. So I went on a weekend quest to come up with the best Market Bag pattern. I did 3 Market bags in 2 days, which goes to show how fast they really are to knit up.

This is my own design, kind of. I took elements of other bags I saw, and cobbled them all together. I don't think I like the double crochet mesh, however.  This was the first one I did. I do like the handles. They form a "strap" that goes over the wrist so you can  carry this bag like a plastic grocery bag and it closes in on itself. Here's a pic of the handles. 

This bag is kind of small too. It fits a nice size box of cereal in it, maybe not much more. My oldest daughter claimed it for herself, which is good. She is using it as a bag of all trades. I think right now she has a few books and maybe an outfit or two in there (7 yr olds!)

This is the next crocheted bag. I like the mesh better since it's a chain 5 loop single crocheted into the previous chain 5 loop, makes for a nicer, more open bag. This one is kind of wide at the top, but I do like it a lot. The whole bag just kind of grows and grows outward. I used about 1.5 balls of cotton. It's on the small side too.

This is the knitted version. It went amazingly quick, a lot faster then I thought. I like how the handles were formed, pretty much a cable cast on, then knitted around. It has a small base, but it's pretty strong. I used exactly 1 ball of  cotton, with just enough to bind off and weave in the ends. There was no more left. I think this bag would be slightly better with another ball to make  a few more rounds, but it works just fine as it is.

So the outcome so far: I haven't actually tried any of the bags in the store yet. I kind of prefer the bags with the base as opposed to open mesh. If you don't have small items, it won't matter anyway. But I do plan on using these, even for just storing yarn, books, or whatever. They are strong, they stretch, and the are better looking than plastic bags. I think they might be good for packing stuff for a day at the beach or park.

I have been doing a lot less knitting these past few days. I have a few deadlines to meet with all my exchanges. Seems like they kind of sneak up on me, so I decided to join SP12! I signed up today, and am waiting for my invoice of $2.50 to cover angels. Not much of a price to pay, since it covers only 12 $60 flakers. Hopefully not 12 people flake out, but I do know that I tend to take on more than I can swallow sometimes. It will be a nice so no one gets the shaft this time around.

I hope to make a few friends on this exchange. My last round went pretty good, but I decided to wait until the end to send the whole shebang at once. I will not do that again. Sure, it gives me more time to come up with stuff, but I think it kind of leaves your pal hanging, waiting, wondering....and it's more fun to string them along, and looking forward to that monthly package.

Here's a final pic that shows when and how I do my crafting.

This guy is spoiled! Not that I mind, since he's my little love bug, but sometimes I feel like I need to grow a few more arms to get done what I want to get done.