Hooked on Crocheted String Bags

Ever since my cousin gave me a pretty & compact reusable shopping tote from the States (a nylon Enviro-sack, I think), I've been obsessed with making a crocheted version.

The first I made is of a thread locally available in Manila called Raylon #8/3-ply. It's based on a free pattern by Deborah Erbach Burger of Crochet: The Extraordinary Realm.

This bag is so roomy, I was once able to fit a king-sized cotton blanket in it while shopping at an Earth Day bazaar. This feature I love: when turned inside out, the bottom of the bag serves as a pouch for the expandable mesh portion.

Recently at Tru Value I saw the Envirosack and other similar products; the lowest-priced ones go for P199 (about USD5.50). My mesh bag, which holds twice as much, costs about P75 (about USD 1.50) for materials.

Currently I'm trying out other patterns with different locally available materials like Monaco cotton twine, which is cheaper & probably sturdier, but also just a bit bulkier than Raylon, which has a soft drape, silky sheen and folds away smaller.

(Cross-posted from Making Time for Joy blog)