Learn to #StitchAwayStress with the Craft Yarn Council

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and the Craft Yarn Council is celebrating by spreading the word about the therapeutic benefits of yarn crafts.

Knitting and crocheting are perfect for busting stress, giving you something to focus on other that whatever is bothering you. It’s meditative to form stitch after stitch, and it’s one thing you can control when the whole rest of the world is out of your hands.

I wrote a little more about the health benefits of knitting over at About if you want to check that out, and the Craft Yarn Council has some great information about yarn craft being good for you. While you’re there, check out the “When Life Gives You Lemons” stress ball pattern, designed by Twinkie Chan and available in knit and crochet.

There’s also a form there you can fill out to share how knitting or crochet has affected your life and health; responses are posted on the page.

You can also take part in the #StitchAwayStress campaign by sharing what you’re working on and how knitting allows you to stress less on social media.

I’d love to hear your stories, too, so let me know how knitting has affected your life in a positive way, whether through stress reduction or in some other way.

[Photo via Craft Yarn Council.]

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There are certain things that just make sense to knit at this time of year, and market bags are one of them. We tend to use our canvas bags more often in the summer with trips to the farmer’s market and the library, but string bags and market bags are great to use all year.

I love the Three Oranges Bag by Hana Cho, which looks just like a knit version of a plastic shopping bag, but with three cute oranges stitched on. The bag uses intarsia to make the oranges, but you could use duplicate stitch or intarsia to add a different design if you like. It calls for fingering weight yarn and you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Sharyn Anhalt’s Market Square bag (also on Ravelry) uses worsted weight yarn and a mosaic pattern to make a pretty bag you’ll want to use every time you go shopping. The bag comes in two sizes and is worked in two colors of the same yarn for a fun mixed up effect that’s almost like weaving.

Speaking of fun colors, the Market Bag from Hubbabubbie Art uses a multicolored cake yarn (specifically Lion Brand Mandala) to produce fun color changes without any extra work. This bag is worked from the bottom up with a crocheted bottom and knit mesh sides. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry.

The Pike Place Market Bag from Blue Bird Pine Shop looks like a massive bag to hold all your market goodies (that is a child holding it, but still). The bag calls for worsted weight cotton yarn and the mesh is worked on extra large needles to help it open up to hold everything you want held.

The Knit Farmer’s Market Bag form Design BCB is another good one, made mostly of mes with a little stockinette for extra stability. The base is also worked in stockinette so items you put in it will sit flat.

This mesh bag from Sheep and Stitch doesn’t have a base, and the body is worked flat before being joined in the round to make the top and handles. That makes it easy to make the bag just the size you want because you can stop knitting whenever you feel it’s big enough. The pattern includes a step-by-step video if you need extra assistance.

And the Eco Market String Bag from Mama in a Stitch has a solid knit base worked in a contrasting color from the mesh body. It’s an easy project that comes out a great size for your market needs without being too huge.

Do you have a favorite knit market bag pattern? I’d love to hear about it!

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