Bags & Totes

Bag patterns for every use, from open mesh market bags that fold into a pocket to structured granny square totes and raffia shoppers that hold their shape on their own.

Bags are a good second project. The shaping is simple, the gauge is forgiving, and a bag that comes out slightly larger than the pattern is still a perfectly good bag — which is not true of a cardigan.

The one choice that matters is yarn. A soft, drapey yarn makes a soft, drapey bag, which collapses the moment you put something in it. Cotton, raffia or t-shirt yarn gives you a bag with body. Every pattern lists the yarn it was made in, and most will take a substitute happily as long as you keep the stiffness similar.

Want something that stands up on a shelf instead? See home decor.