Problem Child

I have decided on and started my next short term project while still working on the Afghan. The project I chose is a market bag. I purchased this kit while on a trip to Tennessee last year to meet a very special on-line knitting friend. The pattern is from Lanaknits Designs and the kit came with the pattern, 2 skeins of Hemp for Knitting hemp yarn and a cute little project tote to hold it all in for knitting on the go. I have always wanted to knit a market bag and I’ve never worked with hemp before so I thought I would give it try. However now, I wish I hadn’t.

My trouble with this project began when I had to wind the skein into a ball. Normally this process is not a problem but this time it was as the skein kept getting tangled as I was winding it. I had to enlist the help of two of my sons; one held the skein and the other tried unsuccessfully to keep the skein from tangling while I wound the ball. The whole process that should have taken only a few minutes took nearly 30 to complete.

The next sign of trouble appeared while I was casting on the called for 100 stitches. KNOTS! And I’m not talking small knots (see picture below). I took out the CO and cut off the first few knots and CO again. I got about an inch up the bag and more knots began to appear. I did manage to put them on the inside of the bag so they won’t be noticed and kept knitting. By the time I reached 7” on the bag I had a total of 8 knots knit into the bag.

I also had problems with the pattern for the first few inches of the lace part of the pattern till I figured out what the problem was, I didn’t rip it out and do over I just kept going after correcting it. I figured it is just a market bag and no one will really notice anyway right? Anyway the problem was in this section of the pattern (K2tog, yo, rep to last 3 sts; sl1, k2tog, ppso). Well every time I knit the next round I was always coming out one stitch short of finishing the pattern for the next row. So I figured I was in need of a yo before the (sl1). Once I added this, the pattern worked out fine. I wasn’t taking the yo from before (;) and placing it in the instruction after the (;), my mistake I guess.

The second problem with the pattern is the last 3 stitches on the other row of the pattern that sais (yo, p1, yo). This is creating a line of stitches that pops out on the outside of the work and the way the rest of the lace pattern is working up is all flat, so I don’t like that very much.

The pattern also claims that one skein makes one bag so I thought I was going to be able to make two bags from the two skeins that came with the kit but nope! The pattern sais to knit 11” of the lace pattern before starting the top and straps, well….. I am currently only 10” up the lace pattern and just ran out of skein #1. I didn’t cut that much when I removed the knots.

Who knows what other surprises await me on this project I now call my problem child. I think is certain, I will not be making another market bag using this pattern or yarn. I don’t know how many of you have ever worked with hemp but I can tell you that this stuff is hard on the hands. After working a few rows with this stuff and then going to the Afghan project where I’m using an acrylic yarn, it make the acrylic feel like Alpaca!