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Crochet! I actually learned to crochet as a child, long before I learned to knit. No one in my family knitted, but my mother and grandmother both crocheted. I crocheted some hats and scarves while still in grade school. Once I started knitting in earnest in about 1981, I pretty much abandoned crochet, except for finishing details. So it's high time I revisited this lovely art. A bag is perfect for crochet. Knitting's fine for a felted bag, but otherwise knitted fabric can be too stretchy and loose for a bag, unless worked very firmly indeed. I have a bunch of superwash fiber in my stash. Obviously, it won't felt, so it's ideal for a crochet bag. Some of what I have is already dyed, some not. I had some cornflower blue and some deep eggplant that looked kind of cool together, and decided to add three more colors. I grabbed a few handfuls of natural white and cooked up three dyepots, using food coloring from Smart'n'Final, plus some vinegar, of course: Red, green with some lemon yellow added, and caramel. I arranged the colors in a sequence and spun them in that sequence. I aimed for two identical plies, but of course I didn't get that. So my colors mixed when I plied them. Okay by me! I think they look cool. This pattern starts with single crochet at the bottom with increasing rounds. All stitches are worked in the back loops only, except in the few places where the work is turned and worked from the wrong side; in those places, the stitches are worked in the front loop only, which of course looks like the back loop when viewed from the right side. I also worked all wrong-side rows "crab stitch style," that is, entering the loop from behind so that the hook comes toward me. That way all stitches that are worked back and forth in rows look the same as those worked in the round. The pattern stitch is a smaller version of the familiar shell stitch: scb, miss 1, dcb 3 in next st, miss 1; on the next row/round, the scb is worked in the middle stitch of the 3 dcb of the previous row, and vice versa. Tutti Frutti
Needles:
Bottom of Bag: Ch 23. Round 1: Miss 1, scb 2 in the next ch, PM1 in the first of these two sts; scb 20, scb 2 in last ch, PM2 in the second of these two sts; ch 1, sc 2 in bottom bump of same ch, PM3 in the first of these 2 sts; sc 20 in bottom bumps, sc 2 in bottom bump of last ch, PM4 in the second these two sts. PM after last st to mark beginning of round. Rounds 2-7: Scb to st before Marker 1, scb 2, move Marker 1 to the first of these 2 sts; scb to st before Marker 2, scb 2, move Marker 2 to the second of these 2 sts; scb to st before Marker 3, scb 2, move Marker 3 to the first these two sts; scb to st before Marker 4, scb 2, move Marker 4 to the second of these two sts. 72 sts. Remove all corner markers, keeping only the beginning-of-round marker. Body: Round 8: Begin small shell st: *scb 1, miss 1, dcb 3 in next st, miss 1,* repeat around. Round 9: *dcb 3 in next st, miss 1, scb 1, miss 1,* repeat around. Rounds 10-23: Repeat Rounds 8 and 9 seven times more. Begin working in rows for buttonhole flap: Row 1: (Scb 1, miss 1, dcb 3 in next st, miss 1) 6 times, dcb 2 (yes, 2, not 3) in next st, ch 1, turn. Row 2 (WS): Miss the dcb 2, (dcf 3, miss 1, scf 1, miss 1) twice, dcf 3, miss 1, scf 1, dcf 2, ch 1, turn. Row 3: Miss the dcf 2, (dcb 3, miss 1, scb 1, miss 1) twice, dcb 3, miss 1, scb 1, dcb 2, ch 1, turn. Rows 4-7: Repeats Rows 2 and 3 twice more. Row 8 (buttonhole): Miss the dcb2, dcf 3, miss 1, scf 1, ch 4, miss 5, dcf 3, miss 1, scf 1, dcf 2, ch 1, turn. Row 9: Miss the dcf 2, dcb 3, miss 1, scb 1, miss 1, dcb 3 in first ch, miss 1 ch, scb in third ch, miss 1 ch, dcb 3 in next st, miss 1, scb 1, dcb 2, ch 1, turn. Rows 10-11: Works Rows 2 and 3 once more, except slip stitch in the last stitch and break yarn. Handle: PM at the st at the fold line at each side of the bag. Attaching yarn 3 sts to the right of the marked st, begin handle as follows: Row 1: Scb 7, ch 1. Row 2: Scf 7, ch 1. Rows 3-6: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 twice more. Join into rounds: scb7, then fold handle lengthwise and scb into the first st. Work 7 sts around for about 65 rounds, or to desired length, turn. Rows 72-78: (Work Row 2, then Row 1) three times. Slip-stitch to the other side of bag, centering over foldline stitch. Lining and finishing: Weave in ends. Cut two layers of plastic canvas into oval shape to fit into bottom of bag; whip-stitch the two layers together. Trace around the plastic canvas oval onto the wrong side of lining fabric, leaving a .5" seam allowance. Cut out oval shape from fabric. Cut a width of lining fabric sufficient to go around the inner circumference of bag, plus .5" seam allowance at each end. With right sides together, sew lining body to lining bottom, then sew up side seam of lining body. Do not turn. Tack plastic canvas oval to inside bottom of bag. Fit lining into bag, tack around bottom. Turn down top edge of lining to inside about 3/8" below top edge of bag, slip stitch into place, pleating or easing as necessary. Sew button to center front of bag to fit under buttonhole, leaving about 3/8" between edge of button and top edge of bag. |
