Knit a Market Bag for Summer

I love the idea of knit market bags and string bags (and crocheted bags, for that matter) but I’m not sure I had ever really knit one before. I have knit tote bags and purses, but never a lacy bag to hold my produce.

That ends now with the introduction of my East Ave. Market Bag knitting pattern.

It’s named for one of the streets that borders the square where the farmer’s market takes place in my town (I also used to work on that street, but at the newspaper, not the farmers market).

This easy to knit bag is worked from the bottom up, using cotton yarn, starting at the center of the base. You start with double pointed needles and increase regularly until you move to a circular needle.

Once the base is worked you change to a larger circular needle (which is good for the lace knitting as it tends to open up the eyelets a bit more) and work a simple four round repeat to your desired length for your bag.

Mine is 8 inches/20cm tall, and the base is about the same width across.

When I say this lace is easy, I mean it: two rows are just knit and the other rows alternate yarn overs and decreases (either knit 2 together or slip slip knit). This could easily be a first lace project if you’re wanting to learn the basics.

The strap is I-cord, and it’s woven into the top round of eyelets to make a drawstring. You can make your cord as long as you want depending if you want to hold the bag in your hand or sling it over your shoulder.

This bag and strap will stretch quite a bit when you put stuff in your bag, so it holds more than it might look like. I’m excited to try it out at the farmers market soon!

You can find this free pattern over at Our Daily Craft.

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There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background.

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design.

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs.

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs.

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28.

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