Rae's New Wave Market Bag

At first glance, WATG’s New Wave yarn seems like a bit of an anomaly for Fancy Tiger Crafts, as it has synthetic content (recycled polyester, to be exact). This is what initially caught my eye. A closer look revealed that the source of the polyester was the three recycled plastic bottles that go into every ball. Now THAT had my attention! Continuing the trend of re-use and recycle with this yarn seemed the way to go, and I knew immediately that I wanted to use it to make a reusable shopping bag.

Pattern: Grrlfriend Market Bag by Laura Spradlin (free on Ravelry!)
Yarn: WATG New Wave in Bronzed Olive and Seashell Beige, one ball of each
Needles: US 8 & 9, 24”
Alterations: Used a smaller needle (US 8) for the bottom of the bag and the top/strap to get a denser fabric in those places.

We take a lot of little steps in our house to try to cut down on our plastic and paper waste. We use washable water bottles, reusable straws, cloth napkins and I’ve been trying to get everyone in the habit of always having a reusable shopping bag with them at all times. To me, a really useful shopping bag has to have a handle long enough to fit over my shoulder. It must also expand for all of my purchases while simultaneously not taking up much space in my purse or pocket. This delightfully quick and simple pattern ticks all of those boxes perfectly!

The netting stitch pattern makes this market bag deceptively small, but BOY does it expand! We were able to fit a full load of produce and a few boxes in it during a trial run!

However, the true star of this show is the yarn. I did not expect to like this yarn as much as I did. I liked it so much, in fact, that I immediately went out and bought more to make a second bag as soon as I finished the first! It has incredible stitch definition with glorious drape and is ideally suited for showing off textured stitches and cables. Word of advice to those, like me, who like super sharp knitting needles: this yarn is similar to a chainette and has a very thin fiber cabled around an inner core. Duller needle tips will allow you to knit without accidentally splitting or getting caught in these fibers.

I know that after you try this yarn, you’ll find you have a new addiction, too! (And it makes a great project bag too!)