I have been meaning to get a little bit better with bringing my own shopping bags to the market with me-- you know... just doin' my part to save the planet. :) So far I have been a big fat failure at that. And although I'm very good at recycling my lovely plastic grocery bags, I'd really like to have some nice, sturdy reusable bags.For awhile now, I've been coveting these amazing graphic lines from Envirosax, but honestly now-- I just can't justify spending that much on grocery bags. To help soften the blow, I decided to try my hand at making some-- that way I could still have the all of the awesomeness factor with funky colors and none of the ouch factor to the pocketbook.
Using this pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's website (they have loads of wonderful free knit & crochet patterns-- check them out!) I made the tote you see in the picture. It is really sturdy and capable of holding a ton of stuff! Unfortunately, this one is not remaining in my custody-- I decided to give it to my fabulous sister-in-law Angel for her (much-belated) birthday present. The earth-toned colors are très Angel. :)
Upping the eco-chic factor is this great yarn made by Caron that is actually partially made with polyester created from recycled plastic-- I used it for the brown stripes & handle.
The only thing that I changed from the original pattern was to create the stripes. Mine are 6 rnds thick, but I think narrower stripes could be really fun too. I may just try that next time. I limited the strap to only one color.
The pattern was very easy to follow, and would be a great beginner project.
Now I just need to find the time to make a bunch for myself...
Very cool, Tiffany!
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