Travelling Light I
Soft-sided bags pack well into a car for touring or camping - or simply excursions to the beach. So these can make a good alternative as light weight overnight bags, or to contain all those little essentials for trips to the washrooms.
Instructions.Size could be modified by adding stitches or rows, or using a thicker yarn to change the tension - see "a Word on the Wool". Main sectionUsing tan beige colour (G) make 80 chain, plus one chain to turn. Work in dc inserting hook into the back of the loop only. Work in stripes as follows; 6 rows in B (tan) Now reverse the sequence: 1 row in C (red) Fasten off Side GussetsUsing dark blue or purple colour (D) make 30 chain, plus one chain to
turn. Work 8 rows in dc, inserting hook into the back loop only. Work a second gusset in the same way. HandleUsing tan beige colour (B) make 200 chain, plus one chain to turn. Work
4 rows in dc, inserting hook into the back loop only. To Make UpFold under a hem of 5 dc at each end of the bag. A Word on the WoolThe original yarn was a dense 100% acrylic carpet wool, with only 25m
to a 50g ball. It appears to be a chunky yarn designed for use with a
6mm hook - so this bag, using a 4mm hook, is designed to be made very
tight and firm to keep the shape of the bag. (Possibly hard work on the
fingers). I have seen Herdwick used to good effect for this type of bag. You may
have to buy it as an aran weight and use it double for this pattern; of
course you would be fairly limited in colour scheme. Finally, this could be a good way to use up remnants - always provided you can achieve the required tension, or make your own calculations to compensate. The bag is simply a mirror image of one set of stripes, so divide your remnants into 2 equal parts, either by weight or length before you begin - or alternatively - go wild and make an asymmetric pattern! |
Materials
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