As good, environmentally people we try to remember our reusable totes when we head to the grocery store, but I would bet the majority of you also forget them in the car and just proceed at checkout using the paper or plastic options at hand.
Well in our neck of the woods there was recent legislation passed that would put a fee on plastic bags in retail settings. So now if you forget those totes in the car, you can pay .10 per bag at checkout.
Now .10 isn't went forgetfulness takes over, but goodness does that add up.
Don't we work hard for the shoppers gasoline discount at our markets? Doesn't that usually equal .10 off per gallon?
Right. So stop leaving those bag in the car!
To help me remember I wanted to make a few at home. Pride would drive me to carry them and show them off in the store. Clearly handmade.
I searched the internet for a free pattern of a crochet market bag. Crochet works up pretty quick and I wouldn't need to refresh on any knitting techniques. I also had a little bit of lavender cotton cake yarn laying around. I had recently knit a shirt with this yarn and wasn't keen with how it behaved in that form. A market bag seemed perfect for an easily washable cotton.
I settled on __two woof wands market bag pattern. It is free and written very nicely. Beginners should feel confident to try this one out.
After reviewing the patter, I decided I didn't wan't to use the suggested triple crochet to build the netting. I wanted a little smaller netting square in the final product.
I opted for a double crochet, and adjusted the chain requirements to make the netting build square. Now, I have been crocheting for a about 20 years now, this adjustment makes sense in my brain given my crochet knowledge. If you are a beginner I would advise:
- Following the original pattern first to get a good understanding of the build.
- Reaching out to a friend or me for a little advise on how to adjust
- Using a heavier weight yarn our doubling your strand.