Same day edit: and… done! Very little time and work needed and now it is finished and I love it. I figured out an even better way to join the last linked stitch to the beginning. Work the bars until all of your loops are on the hook from the last stitch, then start inserting into the beginning stitches, one at a time, starting at the bottom. Enter those stitches from the right side, or front to back, pull up a loop, yo and pull through 3 loops (NOT 2), then insert into the next beginning stitch up, again from front to back, yo and pull through 3 loops. Keep doing this until done. This links the beginning to the end very cleanly and easily. Follow up by working on the wrong side, pull up loops through the bars of the row just made and into that same final stitch, then yo and pull through 2 loops repeatedly until done. This fills in the “blank space” and looks completely integrated. Used Susan Bates 4.00mm size G hook for the handle.

I’m going to finish this market bag! Why have I left this unfinished for so long?! It’s been holding all of my hibernating projects and frogged yarn.

Hook size is assumed since it wasn’t kept with the WIP.

Based on what came before and after it in my notebook and what I remember the weather being like when I was originally working on this, I think I started this in July of 2012. I’ve since learned that the first thing I should do when I start writing down my harebrained ideas in notebooks is to date them.

It’s kind of difficult to go back and decipher what I meant in the notes I wrote down after so much time had passed but, in addition to some random numbers and a very rough stitch diagram, this is what I wrote down: beginning chain might be a multiple of 16 + 9 because of dc in 4th ch from hook when working linearly, but an even # of dcs is required for proper pattern repeat. Hence when working pattern in the “round” whether round or square (rectangular) base, pattern multiple will be 16 + 8 in order to ensure an even # of dcs with which to begin pattern repeat.

For the main body of this bag, I used a stitch called Spider Stitch, the pattern for which is a multiple of 16 + 9. I don’t care for spiders, so I decided that it looked like a flower instead, thus the reason I called this Flower Market Bag.

I’m going to inspect carefully to determine what I did to make this bag and then, hopefully, write it down properly as a pattern.

What I can easily see is that I started with a magic adjustable ring, did 9 rounds of dc then 2 rounds of sc for base, then did the body pattern, then did 10 rounds of sc for the collar, then did one foundation sc chain to create a single, wide handle done with linked stitched to minimize give and stretch.

Hopefully more details will follow, but I may just finish it and call it a day. There’s so little left to do, I still can’t believe I’ve let this sit for so long. Weird. And why did I never create a project for it in the first place? That would have helped.