Net Handles for Bags

I first came across the idea for netting bags in Charles Holdgate's book Net Making.  For handles he suggested making several long strands and then tying a series of half-hitches in the center of those strands.  It worked, but not well.  I would arrive home after carrying groceries in the bags, with welts on my arms or cramped hands where the handle had rested.

No matter what I tried, thick cord, rope, or padded cloth, the handles dug into my skin.  I kept looking for an idea that would work.  Eventually someone graciously informed me that I could net the handle.  What an eye-opening concept!  Since then, most of my net bags have net handles.  The netting seems to spread the weight of the bag over a larger surface area and my hands, and arms no longer have problems carrying net bags.

This week, as I photographed the bags for my circular netting class,  I realized that I had taken a bag pattern and changed the look by changing just the handle.

One example is the medium-size circular bag.

The bag in each photo is the same size; the handle on the left is a draw-string, and on the right is a tied net handle.















I had a similar situation with the large size circular net bag.





The bag on the left holding five pounds of potatoes has a single net handle.


The bag on the right, holding a mixture of fresh vegetables, uses the same pattern for the bag and the start of the handle as the one on the left.  The center of this bag's handle is tied together rather than net together.

I like the tied handles for grocery shopping because I can tie the handles so the contents of the bag won't come out.