We seem to be on a bit of a home decor sort of rampage this week so I'll just carry on with a post about my carrier bags.
Now, some may call them string bags for granny. That's fine. Laugh all you want because I can fit a truck load of groceries in each of these things.
I like the idea of only possessing items that bring beauty into your world. So the hideous but practical bags I used for my grocery shopping became increasingly irritating for their ugliness. I looked around for some lovely natural bags, nothing really appealed.
I first thought to sew several rectangles of my Sanderson fabric stash together, and I still like this idea, then I saw string {polyester} bags and wondered could I knit a bag? A search online and ta-da! zillions of free patterns for knitted and crochet market bags.
My favourite, and the one I based my bags on, is Laura Spradling's Grrlfriend Market Bag which is knitted, not crocheted, and absolutely addictive. Laura's free pattern design is super-easy, knits up fast and uses a pleasingly rhythmic lace stitch to work.
I cheated and used knitted swatches I already had for the bottoms {hence the fancy knotwork panel on one of them}. I picked up stitches on all sides using DPS needles and then switched to a circular needle as soon as I could. I think I also fudged to the tops.
One of the most satisfying things about making Laura's completely adaptable bag design - any wool, any size needles, any size - was the wool I used. I can't believe how strong these bags are, how much they expand and how much weight they can take.
They are knitted in Uist Wool - the creamy ones are pure Black Face wool which is a traditional sheep of the Hebrides, very hardy and the wool is too. The one in the middle is the gorgeous {I love ombre} Reothart. {I also knitted someone who benefited from a bit of comforting a pair of slippers in Reothart recently - absolutely gorgeous.}
Carry on.
With baskets overflowing with all kinds of gorgeous Uist Wool skeins and fantastic company the workshop I led as part of Grimsay Week with Uist Wool was a very good time. One lady said it was the best Saturday morning she'd had for years. Sweet!
Skilled knitters {looking at you Matt} and eager newbies together made for a wonderful sharing and caring experience. And we made some snuggly woollens for our feet!
I'd put together a Woollen Slippers / Boot Socks / Adult Bootees knitting pattern so that everyone could quickly {thank you 5mm needles} make something practical and lovely no matter their skill level.
This pattern allows for great scope of stitches and techniques so you can individualise to your heart's content or just knit the basic pattern and end up with gorgeous slippers / boot socks. Using a pair of 5mm needles you just knit a rectangle, pick up 42 stitches and knit the top, these bootees are very satisfying and easy to make and are so comforting to slip on when its cold - I wear mine on top of cotton socks.
To get your free Inner Wild Winter Woollen Slippers pattern, just click here to print or download the PDF.
Working with knitted patches, making patchwork cowls with leather thonging and deer antler tips and big buttons.
I made the knitted patchwork throw shown top in neutral shades back in 2012 and have been using up scraps of wool and sewing them together ever since. Knitting little squares and rectangles and at some point in the future sewing them together is very relaxing, and very slow - knitted patchwork is a wonderful long-term project.
I'm heading into 'ornate patchwork' territory using bigger stitches, sashiko techniques and feeling more adventurous with texture and colour.
