I’ve had some interesting experiences with bees this spring - most recently I had the privilege to see a bee swarm, my first, up close and personal! Bees “swarm” in the spring when a new queen is born and part of the hive leaves to find a new home. A small group of scout bees first finds a suitable place, then they return to the hive to convince the others what a great location it is. Once the bees agree, they fly in a dense cloud to the new site and start building the hive. This particular swarm chose one end of the old travel trailer I had just moved into for the summer, when they found they could get into an empty space in the wall at that end. They have been very polite and non-aggressive, and after some consultations with local beekeepers I decided to let them stay. So far we haven’t discussed whether they will share their honey with me!

This simple drawstring bag is an easy, fun summer knit and makes a great project bag! It is knit in stockinette in the round and begins at the top, with eyelets added for the drawstring. The colorwork is fully charted, and the flat, round bottom is shaped with double decreases, much like the top of a tam. Suggestions for creative blocking are given, as well as a photo tutorial for sewing a simple fabric lining (optional) that will give your bag stability and make it more durable. My Bag of Bees is made with worsted weight yarn and measures 25” in circumference with an 8” diameter base - the perfect size for small to medium sized projects - but you could easily knit it in other sizes. Gauge is not important, so you could knit it in sport or fingering weight (with appropriate sized needles) to make a cute purse or small project bag for socks, or in bulky weight to make a large tote. And if you knit it with worsted weight at a different gauge from mine, that’s fine too – the instructions for the lining show you how to make one to fit your bag, no matter the size!

Skills required:
• Knit and purl stitches
• Knitting in the round
• Stranded color stockinette knitting
• Yarn overs and K2tog (knit 2 together)
• Centered double decreases
• Basic sewing skills (optional)