Make your own Turkish stitch string bag
Fancy a craft project for the weekend? Over at our sister-site Crafty Crafty, I've spotted an very simple bag pattern that would make a good alternative to plastic. With the move away from plastic bags, reusable cloth and string bags are becoming more and more popular, and while there are many approaches you can take for making these bags, a great method is to first knit or crochet a square or circular base, and then pick up stitches and knit in the round with a repetitive "yarn over, knit two together" pattern. According to Judy Gibson's directions this stitch combination is called Turkish Stitch.
If you'd like to try making one of these bags, Crafty Crafty recommend her pattern. It's very simple and straightforward, and will make a nice stretchy bag. My version is quite similar, but I use smaller needles (4 or 5 mm instead of 9 mm) and a heavier yarn (a worsted weight cotton). The bag easily holds a heavy load such as a full bag of groceries, and stretches to accommodate large items, while the holes remain small enough that small things like cloves of garlic will not fall out. Have fun knitting bags for yourself and friends -- besides groceries, they're handy for carrying laundry, gym gear, and more, and you'll feel great knowing you're cutting down on consumption of plastic bags.
