Pattern Description from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines: “Ann Buechner is our friend who is most likely to knit patterns upside down just to see what they look like. She discovered that the Bleeding Hearts lace pattern from Barbara Walker’s Third Treasure of Knitting Patterns, when oriented upside down, looks like leaves. The main purpose of this vaguely Victorian reticule is to give you an excuse to buy a pair of the cool handles that are for sale at what the English call haberdasheries and we Americans, in our plodding way, call ‘shops that sell buttons and bag hardware.’”

Materials:

• light/DK
• 1 skein Lanaknits allhemp6, 100% hemp, 3.5 oz (100g), 165 yd (150m), in avocado
• Size 10 (6mm) 20” (50cm) circular needle
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle
• 7.5” (19cm) handles (Lucite Purse Handles from Lacis.com), or knit a garter stitch strap as for the Monteagle Bag.

Difficulty: A tasty first lace project.

Note: “Because of the stretchiness of this pattern stitch, the gauge is a fluid thing. It is not necessary to get the exact gauge if you like the fabric of your lace. The bag will grow if filled with hefty items.”