Knitting

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Do You Knit Gift Bags?

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Knit gift bags to make Christmas a little greener.There’s a lot of waste involved in the holiday season, not the least of which is all the wrapping paper and gift bags that might just get thrown away after being used once.

Now I usually used paper gift bags and I reuse them as often as I can, but there are other options. My sister-in-law uses a lot of sewn fabric gift bags, and we pass them back and forth among the family.

But Pam Mackenzie notes that you can also knit gift bags, which she has done for years. The article includes a basic pattern for drawstring bags knit in three sizes. She uses cotton, which makes the bags both durable and inexpensive.

It doesn’t take long to knit simple bags like these, and they can be used over and over for any gift-giving occasion. They also make a purchased gift — even a gift card — a little more special (speaking of gift cards, I did a pattern last year for knit gift card holders shaped like stockings, which you can use to decorate the tree before you hand them out).

Do you knit gift bags or otherwise try to be eco-friendly with your wrapping? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via My Central New Jersey.]

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

Comments

  2. I haven’t knit gift bags, but I have been sewing gift bags for years. I really hate gift wrap because it’s so wasteful both money and trash.

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]