Knit And Crochet Like A Pro: Waxberg's Grocery Bag

The Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag is a free pattern designed by Haley Waxberg and available on Ravelry. The bag is described as a sturdy, medium-sized mesh bag, ideal for grocery shopping or visiting a farmer's market. It is designed to be large enough to replace a regular plastic bag from the grocery store and hold heavy items without falling apart. The pattern is suitable for novices and can be customised with different colours and edging.

Knit-O-Matic's free crochet grocery bag pattern

Knit-O-Matics Free Crochet Grocery Bag Pattern

The Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag pattern by Haley Waxberg is a free design available on Ravelry. It is a sturdy, medium-sized mesh bag intended to replace a regular plastic bag from the grocery store. The bag is designed to hold heavy groceries, such as four heavy cans, without being too big and uncomfortable to carry.

Materials

The bag pattern calls for DK/Light (3) cotton yarn. Waxberg used Cascade Yarns ® Ultra Pima for her design, but other suitable yarns include:

• El. D. Mouzakis Butterfly Super 10
• Cascade Yarns ® Ultra Pima
• Cascade Ultra Pima
• Kelbourne Mojave
• Quince & Co Sparrow (use a 3.75mm or 3.5mm hook)

You will also need a crochet hook. The white sample bag used a 5mm hook, and the grey bag used a 3.75mm hook.

Pattern

The bag pattern is worked in round by round, and it is important to keep track of the beginning of each round. The pattern recommends placing three or four big cans of food in the bag to help stretch it out.

The bag can be customised by changing the colour, adding charms or lace, or even adding a lining. The pattern also includes suggestions for making the bag bigger.

Similar Patterns

Other free crochet market bag patterns include:

• Crochet Mesh Grocery Tote Pattern by Brittany from Just Be Crafty
• Farmer’s Market Bag Pattern by Saritha from Rainbow Bunting
• Fancy Market Bag Pattern by Lorene from Cre8tion Crochet
• Market Tote Crochet Pattern by Lauren from Daisy Cottage Designs

Haley Waxberg's design and purpose

The Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag is a design by Haley Waxberg. The pattern for this bag is available for free on Ravelry. Waxberg designed the bag for utilitarian purposes, intending it to be used by herself, her friends, and her family. The bag is described as a sturdy, medium-sized mesh bag, designed to replace a regular-sized plastic bag from the grocery store. It is meant to hold heavy groceries, such as four heavy cans, without hitting the ground or having items fall out. It is not a large shoulder bag-sized tote, but Waxberg provides suggestions for alterations to make the bag bigger.

The bag is a simple project, suitable for novices to crocheting. It can be made with a 5mm crochet hook or a 3.75mm hook, and the pattern calls for DK weight cotton yarn. The bag is designed to be portable and can be scrunched up to fit into a regular bag or a car, making it convenient for grocery shopping or visiting a farmer's market. It can also be used as a summer bag for the beach, as it can hold items such as a swimsuit and sunscreen, and sand will not get stuck in it.

The bag's design allows for modifications, and users can add their own personal touches, such as charms, lace, or beads. It can also be lined if desired, which will prevent the bag from stretching too much and make it less open. The pattern for the bag has received positive ratings for clarity and overall design, and it has been rated as having an average level of difficulty.

Yarn and hook size

The yarn and hook size you use for the Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag by Haley Waxberg will depend on the size bag you want to end up with. The designer notes that the bag is designed to be a sturdy, medium-sized mesh bag that can replace a regular plastic bag from the grocery store. It is not a large shoulder bag-sized tote.

The designer recommends using 420m DK weight cotton yarn (2 skeins of Cascade Ultra Pima) and a 5mm crochet hook for a white bag, or a 3.75mm hook for a grey bag. The pattern can also be made with Kelbourne Mojave or Quince & Co Sparrow, using a 3.75mm or 3.5mm hook.

If you want to make a bigger bag, you can use a worsted weight yarn and go up a crochet hook size or two. This will result in a slightly larger bag, but you can follow the same stitch pattern. You could also use a fingering weight yarn with a matching hook, such as the Knit Picks Lindy Chain Yarn, which is a linen and cotton blend.

The designer also notes that the pattern is very forgiving, and anything from fingering weight to worsted weight yarn will work. If you want to make the bag wider, you can continue to crochet a wider base by adding 12 stitches to each round, while ending with a multiple of three. To make the bag longer, simply crochet for more rounds, keeping yarn needs in mind.

Modification suggestions

The Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag by Haley Waxberg is a sturdy, medium-sized mesh bag designed to replace a regular plastic bag from the grocery store. The bag is intended to be utilitarian, and Waxberg notes that it is "not a large shoulder bag-sized tote". However, she also provides suggestions for modifications in the pattern's prologue if users wish to make a larger bag for an all-day shop or to hold big leafy plants.

One user who made the bag, Stephanie, who blogs at All About Ami, noted that she wanted to make her bag larger, and so made some adjustments to the original pattern. She used a thinner yarn and repeated the "Increase Round" with 36 spaces an additional four times (for a total of 12 times). She also added another Increase Round, which she details on her blog. She followed the decrease rounds as stated but had 54 spaces instead of 36.

Stephanie also made some aesthetic modifications to the bag. She decided to make the last rounds and straps a contrasting colour, opting for pink and grey. She also modified the edging to make it thicker and more decorative, with some spacing between the stitches. She made the straps wider and thicker by chaining 60 instead of 38 and making four rows of single crochets.

Other modifications that could be made to the bag include adding charms, lace, beads, or a lining. Waxberg also notes that the bag can be made bigger to hold large, leafy plants.

Similar patterns

The Knit-O-Matic crochet grocery bag pattern by Haley Waxberg is a simple, sturdy, and medium-sized bag designed to replace regular plastic bags from the grocery store. The bag is available for free and suitable for crocheting novices.

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