Knitted market bag in mosaic colorwork "Melons and Pineapples and more"

"Melons and Pineapples and more" - a knitting pattern for a market bag made out of cotton yarn. It is a colorwork pattern using mosaic stitches. Basically that's stripes that create a somewhat "stranded" look by slipping stitches and don't require you to work with two colors in the same round. It looks way more complicated than it is. There are two versions of the pattern, both are included. One (shown in blue and green) only uses the mosaic pattern, while the other one (shown in white and yellow) has a more stripy look, but also incorporates mosaic stitch.

It is not a pattern for absolute beginners. You should be familiar with working in the round and working in two colors. The handles can be knitted or crocheted, both is explained in the pattern.

There are two samples shown in the pictures. The one in blue and green was made out of Steinbach Nizza (home advantage here, Austrian yarn), which is a sport weight 100% cotton yarn. The sample in white and yellow was made out of Lana Grossa Basics Cotton, a cotton/acrylic blend that is labeled as an aran weight. I have my doubts about the aran weight, it has nearly the same yardage as the Steinbach cotton and feels more like a sport weight. The pattern has been tested by several people who used a variety of yarns, from sport weight up to bulky, all of them showed good results. Whatever you decide to use, it should be something that is easy to wash.

If you purchase the pattern, start knitting and (which I don't hope) get to a point where you don't know how to go on, my contact info is in the pattern. I am always happy to help. Please bear in mind that I sometimes need to sleep and don't spend all day on the internet. But I check my mails every day.

Please read below for more pattern details.

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Summertime is the time of overwhelming plenty of everything at the market. Whether it is melons and pineapples that you want to carry home, or fresh peas, cherries, strawberries, you will need a bag. Here you are.

The bag is made out of cotton and provides space for all those summery goodies. There are two versions: One only uses an easy mosaic pattern and is then worked in stockinette stitch. The other one is stripy and incorporates the same mosaic pattern. Another detail is the picot edge on top. Finally there are instructions for knitted or crocheted handles.

Difficulty level: intermediate (knitting in the round on circular needles, picking up stitches, slipped stitches). When working crochet handles, you need to know how to work basic crochet stitches.

Yarn: Steinbach Nizza (100% cotton, 140m/50g; 153yds/1.76oz), 2 balls in main color, 1 ball in contrast color.
Sample in blue with one handle used 271m (297yds) of main color and 98m (107yds) of contrast color.
Sample in yellow with two handles is made out of Lana Grossa Basic Cotton Plus (50% cotton, 50% acrylic, 130m/50g; 142yds/1.76oz) and used 260m (284yds) of main color and 122m (133yds) of contrast color.

Needles: 4mm (US 6) circular needle. When working crochet handles, you also need a hook in size 3.75mm (F).

Notions: yarn needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 21 stitches/27 rows in stockinette stitch = 10cm/4in.

Size: 60cm/24in circumference unstretched, 35cm/14in in height. The handles are 55cm/22in in length.