Knitty Couture

Buying locally and at the farmers’ markets are all the rage right now.   And frankly, I hope it becomes more than just a linger, as most rages tend to be.

When I was a child, there were always small fruit and vegetable stands along the roadsides in our town, as I’m sure there are all across the country.  Farmers with the back of their trucks and makeshift tables stocked fulled of freshly picked produce.  It was quite a bounty!

I grew up in a small town in northern Arkansas and remember my parents stopping to visit with the local farmers and buy strawberries, bags of pecans and walnuts, lots of fresh corn which we’d rush home to cook so as to not lose its sweetness, and even watermelon.  The tiny town of Cave City nearby was especially known for their incredibly sweet watermelons.

In addition to buying from the local produce stands, my mom also provided the family with lots of home-grown goodness.  She was, and still is, an avid gardener.  She would spend hours in the garden, tending to her tomatoes, hot peppers (there were so many varieties!), melons, squash, green beans, herbs, and much more.  Not only were there vegetables, my mom also grew fruit trees, all of which (and she still very much advocates this) were planted from seed.  Every summer, we’d picked apples, pears, and peaches from the backyard orchards.  When my parents moved into another house, my mom right away planted her garden, as well as cherry, persimmon, pear, asian pear, and apple trees.

My husband says my mom has passed her green thumb onto me.  I’ve kept a vegetable garden for several years now, and this past week, finally laid down the seeds for spinach, several varieties of greens, radishes, carrots, beets, snap peas and green beans.  I’m also carefully tending to my key lime tree - perhaps there will be key lime pie this summer.

Tending to a garden is so rewarding, but I also very much love enjoying the bounties of others.  As preparation for Saturday mornings at the Farmers’ Market, I’ve finally sat down to design and finish my market bag.

Yarn: Berroco NaturLin
Needles: 24″ US5 circular
Size: 17″L x 5.5″W x 13″H

This bag is much larger than I had expected.  If I were to do it again, I would certainly cut the size at least by a third.  The stretch of the linen allows quite an expansion which fortunately, means the bag could hold quite a bit, but still much too large for my small frame.

I chose to use linen for the simple reason that it is a very strong fiber and washes up nicely should a stain appear.

The bottom and top border were knitted in seed stitch for sturdiness, and the body was knitted in a simple, lace pattern.

I settled on a beltloop option for the bag closure.  The advantage of having the beltloop is that it is worked directly into the bag for added durability, and the straps cinch the bag closed when it is carried.

I hope to have the pattern available soon.  Per the insistence of my staff, I’ve been more diligent in documenting my work.  Would anyone like to volunteer as a test-knitter?