Loch Tote
Two knitted panels, sewn round three sides, with sturdy garter strap handles. A practical market bag in five textures.
- Finished size
- 14 in / 36 cm wide × 15 in / 38 cm tall, before handles
- Yarn
- About 505 yd / 460 m of worsted weight (category 4) cotton or cotton blend yarn. Buy 3 skeins of 200 yd (this includes 10% extra).
- Needles
- US 7 (4.5 mm) straight needles
- Notions
- Tapestry needle; Pins or clips
- Gauge
- 18 sts and 36 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in garter stitch. Swatch first and change needle size if needed: more stitches than this means go up a size, fewer means go down.
Notes
- Cotton stretches when the bag is full. For heavy shopping, sew in a fabric lining.
- Reversible and lies flat. Every two rows make one ridge.
Stitch pattern: Garter stitch
- Every row: Knit.
Panels (make 2)
- Cast on 63 sts.
- Work in garter stitch (see “Stitch pattern” above), repeating its rows.
- Continue until the panel measures 15 in / 38 cm from the cast-on edge.
- Bind off loosely in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches as they face you.
Handles (make 2)
- Cast on 7 sts. Knit every row until the handle measures 24 in / 61 cm. Bind off, leaving a 12 in / 30 cm tail.
Making up
- Bag: Place the panels together with the right sides facing out and the cast-on edges at the bottom. Sew the two sides and the bottom with mattress stitch, leaving the bound-off edges open as the top.
- Handles: Sew both ends of one handle to the inside of the front, 1½ in / 4 cm below the top edge and 3 in / 7.5 cm in from each side seam. Sew the second handle to the back to match.
- Weave in the ends.
Abbreviations
- k = knit
- p = purl
- rep = repeat
- RS = right side
- WS = wrong side
- st(s) = stitch(es)
See all knitting abbreviations.