Sunday, July 13, 2008

Knitted fabric strip/rag tote bag




Someone said to me at a baby shower it was too hot to be carrying a felted tote, so I decided to knit something bright and summery. Wow, it really is an explosion of colour!!!
This tote bag is knitted with fabric strips I bought on sale at Jo~Ann's last year. The strips were on sale for $2.97 and were 1/2"x50yds. Altogether I used about 5 and 1/2 or approx 275 yds.. If I use strips again I'll buy a rotary cutter and make my own strips and machine sew the ends of the strips together to make a continuous length and then roll it all into a ball.
Working with fabric was hard on my hands, probably because there is not the same give with fabric as yarn...but the finished product is unusual. My daughter thought I had used raffia.

Rag bag tote... 11"x11"x3"
Needles Sz 9 (straight) for the bottom and strap handles.
Bottom, 20 rows of garter stitch approx. 11"x3" Handles approx 30" long.
Sz 10 circs. for body of the bag. (58 rows, approx 11"x11")
I then lined the bag. and added a magnetic snap to the inner lining.
Since it is 100% cotton I can pitch the bag in the washer and dryer.
Happy knitting.
Mags.

P.S.Thank-you William for holding the bag for the pix....what the heck is in that bag...a brick...look at your wee muscles bulging!! (HeeHee)