Springtime Market Bag Pattern

Happy New Year! I'm excited about 2014 and I hope you are too. I thought this big bag would be the perfect way to start off the new year. It's bright and springy, and big enough to hold enough yarn to make a whole afghan. Or groceries, if you are so inclined. I always think of yarn first.

Things are pretty quiet around here this New Year's Day. My husband, my daughter Whitney, my mother and I are all busy working on plans for the year and starting new projects. 

Someone wonderful sent me an e-card this morning, and this is what it said:
Wishing you health so you may enjoy each day in comfort.
Wishing you the love of friends and family and peace within your heart.
Wishing you wisdom to choose priorities for those things that really matter in life.
Wishing you generosity so you may share all good things that come to you.
Wishing you the blessings of happiness and joy in the New Year.
Wishing you the best of everything that you so well deserve.

It's the best New Year's greeting I've ever received--thank you, Victoria! I passed the sentiment along to all my Facebook friends and would wish the same for everyone reading this. Thank you, thank you for your support of my crochet--it seems all my dreams are crochet dreams :)

Enjoy the bag pattern!

Springtime Market Bag

Size

About 21” across and 17” tall plus handles

Materials

Worsted-weight yarn:

            About 250 yards each soft white and spring green

            Small amounts purple and lavender

G hook

Four 1” buttons

Sewing needle and sewing thread

Gauge

Gauge is not critical with this bag; fabric should be fairly firm.

My gauge is 14 dc = 4”; 8 rows dc = 4”

Instructions

Rnd 1: With green, ch 5, join with sl st in first ch to form ring, ch 3 (counts as dc), 13 dc in ring, join with sl st with white in top of ch 3. Do not turn any rnds. (14)

Rnd 2: With white, ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, join with sl st with green. (28)

Rnd 3: With green, ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st, (2 dc in next st, dc in next st) around, join with sl st with white. (42)

Rnd 4: With white, ch 3, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, (dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st) around, join with sl st with green. (56)

Rnd 5: With green, ch 3, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts, (dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts) around, join with sl st with white. (70)

Rnd 6: With white, ch 3, dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, (dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st) around, join with sl st with green. (84)

Rnd 7: With green, ch 3, dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts, (dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts) around, join with sl st with white. (98)

Rnd 8: With white, ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next 6 sts, (2 dc in next st, dc in next 6 sts) around, join with sl st with green. (112)

Rnd 9: With green, ch 3, dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts, (dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts) around, join with sl st with white. (126)

Rnd 10: With white, ch 3, dc in next 7 sts, 2 dc in next st, (dc in next 8 sts, 2 dc in next st) around, join with sl st with green. (140)

Rnd 11: With green, ch 3, dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 4 sts, (dc in next 5 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 4 sts) around, join with sl st with white. (154)

Rnd 12: With white, ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each st to about halfway around bag, 2 dc in next st, dc in remaining sts, join with sl st with green. (156)

Rnds 13-35: Changing colors on each row as established, ch 3, dc in each st around, join. On last rnd, continue with green.

Rnd 36: With green, ch 1, sc in same st, skip next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st—shell made; skip next 2 sts, (sc in next st, skip next 2 sts, shell in next st, skip next 2 sts) around, join with sl st in first sc. Fasten off. (26 shells)

Rnd 37: Join white with sc in center dc of any shell, shell in next sc, (sc in center dc of next shell, shell in next sc) around, join. Fasten off.

Rnd 38: Repeat rnd 37 with green.

Handle (make 2 with green)

Row 1: Ch 101, sc in second ch from hook, sc in each ch across, turn. (100)

Rows 2-6: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn.

Fasten off.

To sew handles to bag, locate and mark center 6 shells at front and back of bag (using seam as center back of bag). Center handle end over each marker and sew one handle to front and one handle to back of bag.

Flowers (make 4)

Bottom layer

Rnd 1: With lavender, ch 5 join with sl st in first h to form ring, ch 1, 7 sc in ring, join. (7)

Rnd 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, 3 dc in each st around, join. (21)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in same st, (3 dc in next st) 2 times, (sc in next st, 3 dc in each of next 2 sts) around, join. Fasten off. (7 petals)

Top layer

Rnd 1: With purple, ch 5, join with sl st in first ch to form ring, ch 3 (counts as dc), 14 dc in ring, join. (15)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, (3 dc in next st) 2 times, (sc in next st, 3 dc in each of next 2 sts) around, join. Fasten off. (5 petals)

Finishing

Stack bottom and top layer of flowers with button on top, forming 4 flowers. Sewing through all layers, sew button in place. Sew flower over each place where handle is attached to bag.

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http://www.mooglyblog.com