Treat Yourself to a New Bag in the New Year

I have a lot of bags, and a good number of knitting bags, but it seems like I’m always throwing my knitting into any old shopping bag that is handy when I leave the house.

But when the thing inside is so nice, shouldn’t it be carried in a nice bag, too?

Maybe we should all resolve to use real knitting bags when we carry our projects, to give them the respect they deserve.

I was recently sent a Knit Hobo Bag from Great Useful Stuff, and its a nice basic starter bag if you’re looking for something to try. It looks like a mom purse, and is big enough to hold your project if it’s not too big and all your other stuff, too.

It has a large interior and an outside pocket that has a sort of rubbery mesh panel that’s intended to help keep your yarn from getting tangled if you knit with your ball in the bag.

There’s a small interior pocket with a zipper for holding your phone and keys, or knitting tools if it’s a knitting-exclusive bag. It has a single short strap and a removable, adjustable shoulder strap so you can carry it however you like. The full dimensions are 13.5″ x 12″ x 3.75″ (main body). The fastened handle has a 7″ drop, and the removable and adjustable shoulder strap drops up to 21″.

I love the little yarn cutter charm that’s attached to the loop that holds the straps but is also removable so you can add it to your keychain or wherever else you’d like to keep it handy.

The Knit Hobo bag retails for $20 and is a good investment in keeping your knitting in good order in the new year. Thanks to Great Useful Stuff for sending a bag for review.

We’re a big Studio Ghibli household, and while they are sometimes very protective of their copyrights (as evidenced by the number of patterns on Ravelry that were removed from the service when it received a takedown notice back in 2021), there are still a fair number of Totoro knitting patterns (as well as other designs I’m sure we’ll get to someday). Let’s check them out!

Yaya Labs has a cute plush Totoro that looks like it might stand up on its own. The pattern is available on LoveCrafts, and it calls for DK or light worsted weight yarn in four colors. The pattern is considered advanced but it does include a photo tutorial. It stands 10.6 inches or 27 cm tall.

A similar pattern can be found a Shino Craft, which doesn’t have the leaf hat but does include little hands, and the legs aren’t as separate from the body. This one calls for sport weight yarn and is knit flat on two needles.

All Made Here has a Totoro pouch that is super cute and looks pretty easy to knit. It measures 14 by 18 cm and is rated for advanced beginners. You can get the pattern when you subscribe to updates or follow the designer on Instagram.

Stitch Totoro on a sweater with the Totorogenseren sweater from Anna-Sofia Vintersol. This free download on Ravelry uses worsted/aran weight yarn in two or three colors. The pattern comes in nine sizes, with a chest measurement ranging from 77 to 149 cm.

The Forest Spirit Fair Isle Jumper from Kraft with Kindrex features a row of Totoros on the circular yoke, along with other little colorwork designs. The design includes three sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 91 to 101 cm. It calls for 4 ply (that’s fingering/sock weight in other parts of the world).

Or you can stitch Totoro as part of a project with more Ghibli characters, as on the Magical Anime Knit Sweater (a longtime bucket list item for me) from The Bearded Sewist. This on has a circular yoke and rows of different characters including Totoro, Ponyo, soot sprites, Calcifer and more. The pattern comes in four sizes and is rated intermediate/advanced. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can grab a copy on Ravelry.

Or try Katharina Kuntz’s Anime Scarf, also on Ravelry. This one is a double knit scarf worked in fingering weight yarn in two colors, with allover designs from Studio Ghibli movies. She started by knitting the movies in chronological order but gave that up after she realized all her favorites would be in the middle and therefore not visible when worn. You can probably rearrange the motifs further somewhat if you want to showcase your favorites.

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