A bag in which to carry a bathing dress, towels, and odds and ends to and from the beach or the swimming-bath saves a great deal of trouble to the bather, and need not be unornamental in appearance. It is an advantage if it is so made that water can drip through it. Macintosh bags are apt to spoil the garments they contain by keeping them continually damp, and so liable to rot. The open-work holder here figured is convenient in every respect, and can, if desired, be used to hold a waterproof when the owner of it is travelling, and uncertain whether or not she will need such a cover.
--“Weldon’s Practical Knitter, 31st Series”

This is a Victorian pattern, but it makes a practical, fun beach bag for today. At approximately 19 x 13.5 inches in size, it’s big enough to hold a towel, swimsuit coverup, flip-flops, sunscreen, and a book for a day at the beach or swimming pool.

The original pattern calls for a certain macrame twine. I used modern jute macrame twine in approximately worsted weight (Hobby Lobby’s Natural Jute #20 specifically), and I recommend it: it’s not too rough or stiff to knit with, it is very sturdy, and it gives the bag a wonderful rustic beachy look. I needed three skeins of Natural Jute #20.

Because this is a pattern for a tote, gauge is less important. Actually, no gauge is given in the original pattern anyway; I just used the size of knitting needles it called for, and the size of the finished bag turned out to be to my liking. Use any needles which, combined with the yarn or twine you choose, make the openwork pattern look the way you want it (not too tight to see the openwork, and not so loose as to be floppy and limp). Also, this bag has no shaping at all, so adding or subtracting width is easy; just be sure to add or subtract stitches in three-stitch increments, so they will divide evenly for the three-stitch pattern. The bag can be made deeper or more shallow simply by adding or subtracting more pattern rows.

Some notes.

1. The crochet edging does not pull in the mouth of the bag, as the pattern suggests that it should. If you want it to do so, I would suggest placing a few decreases in the double crochet row.

2. The picot edging as written in the pattern has a loose, almost ruffle-like appearance. To make the bag look more like the woodcut, I used this pattern instead of the published one for the second row of crochet: ch 2, #sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, skip next dc##, repeat between # and ## around, join with sl st.

3. The pattern describes how to make the handle, and then instructs to double it, sewing both ends to one side of the bag and the middle to the other side. I found, however, that this created too short a handle, so I simply sewed one end of the handle to each side of the bag without doubling.