Little knitted bags

Little Knitted Bags
Another kind of "needlin' around" I do is knitting, especially when it is hot out and handling wool and wool felt does not seem like a fun idea. Here are some simple knitted bags I made, using less than a skein of Clover "Peaches and Cream" 100% cotton yarn. You need some very basic knitting skills and need to be able to use a crochet hook (casting on and off, knitting with some nice stitch that you like)(and I know about basic skills- I am no knitting expert, just a dabbler).

These bags are easy and are sort of free form. Decide the depth of the bag you want and double the number of rows- these are small- I am going to fill them with little homemade soaps or candies for Christmas gifts this year. I used a half-linen stitch- it makes a lovely pattern and is fun and easy to do (I do not like the "Dummies" books because of their titles, but "Knitting for Dummies" is pretty good for beginners). I knitted rows that were between 33 and 51 stitches wide (half-linen stitch requires an odd number of stitches). When it was done and I cast off, I crocheted a simple chain-stitch ruffle around the edges in a contrasting color. I folded the knitting in half and used a tapestry needle to stitch each side together with the Clover yarn. I made some sort of handle or clasp, using a ribbon, a knitted swatch or a macrame rope- a braid will do too. Find a cool button for a closure, sew it on and voila, you are done! Quick and fun and you can use up odd bits of yarn that we all have laying around! (note- do not use a stretchy yarn-that's why I used the Clover cotton. Regarding the needle to yarn ratio- use smaller needles than you might otherwise, so that the knitting is a little tight-I used Takumi 10 bamboo circulars, though even smaller might work better).
Till next time, I'll be needlin' around!