bag for sale – click here for details

how did I make it???

40 plastic bags

plus…

2 audio cassette tapes

plus…

a macrame belt

plus…

some kitchen string

plus…

some fabric remnants

and…

a length of scrap wool

… and there’s even a pocket inside

Thanks for all your responses to my last post. I do love to hear feedback from you… it’s always of interest to me to hear what your experiences are… and also the ideas that you have

I especially love the idea of fusing the woven plastic (thanks frill.friend)

Also… I hadn’t ever thought of adding beads into the plarn as I ply it… another fabulous idea! (thanks echo)

Well, the body of the plarn bag is finished…

but what to do for a strap???

Experience has taught me that as a general rule, crochet straps s-t-r-e-t-c-h.

I wish it wasn’t the case, but they do.

Or maybe I just put far too much STUFF into my bags???

Anything is possible…

Now that I think about it though… I’ve only ever worked crochet straps widthways. I’ve chained say 6 sts, and then worked short rows of sc until I reached the length that I wanted.

I usually work a row of sc down each side of the strap for extra stability, but I’m wondering if I would get a better result if I worked the entire strap sideways… like I chained 80sts, and then worked 6 rows???

Well… that’s something to try another day… because today I’ve decided to use a belt.

Sometimes I like to make a feature of the buckle… like I did with this bag

But there’s nothing that I find terribly interesting about this one. So the plan is to remove the D-rings (which I’m sure will come in useful for another project at some point) and just use the fabric for the strap.

Now… off to find something for the lining…

Does anyone remember this bag… I barely remember making it, but obviously I did!

I had to do some searching to find the original blog post…

and eventually found it here

nearly two years back!!!

Now for the really embarrassing part – I DIDN’T FINISH IT….

sure, it looks nicely finished in the photo – but open it up, and you’ll soon discover that there is no lining…

I think I got all stressed out about how I was going to line it, whether I was going to line the flap as well… just trying to get my head around the logistics of it all. Plus – I LOST INTEREST in the bag, because… well… it’s just too girly!!!

Honestly don’t think that this original photo does the colour of the bag justice. In real life it is a much more intense looking pink. Then when you add those flowers ( which seemed like a good idea at the time) it’s all just way too much…

Might need to rethink the embellishment while I am working on the lining.

Or else leave the flowers just the way they are, and pass it on to someone way GIRLIER than moi.

Actually…

I just went and had another look at the bag

Even if I keep those flowers… I need to ADD something… another colour perhaps… just to take the nasty EDGE off all that pink.

Not that I mind pink in general – but too much of a good thing can be SCARY!!!

Ugh! I think I hate the flowers.

YES.
I DO.
I feel so much better now that I have that off my chest…

What would you make from a video cassette, or part thereof?

You may have seen the lastest issue of Inside Crochet magazine, which features a bag I designed using magenetic tape from a VHS. Well, it’s time now for YOU to show ME what you can do with an old video cassette.

It doesn’t have to be the tape itself that you choose to recycle – you might like to use the case instead. Click here and you can join in, or just lurk and see what the others are up to!

So this bag is one that I would have made a few years back. Definitely before I started blogging, anyway.

Yes. There was life before blogging!

So it’s been in hibernation for quite some time. Again, all it really needs is ‘finishing off’… a lining and some embellishment should work nicely.

I’m not all that jazzed about the stripey lines going across the middle. They obviously seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m not so sure. Hopefully I will be able to add something to the bag, to draw your eye away from the lines. And how about that colour??? Bit bland for me, isn’t it?

Make sure you pop back next friday… for FINISHED OBJECT FRIDAY… to see how it turns out.

And if you don’t see it next friday, BOMBARD me with messages demanding to know why it isn’t done yet!!!

This time, it is part of a challenge with the Oddballs Group on Ravelry. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the others come up with… there’s certainly some fascinating creations which come from that group.

As for mine, this time I’m just working it in regular granny squares… which I will join as a haekelbeutel. This one will be much smaller than my first one, which you may recall I had to felt when it turned out ginormous. Click here to stroll down memory lane.

Instead of yarn, this time I’m using plastic garden twine… and I’m planning to also incorporate some audio cassette tape!

Here’s my progress so far…

pattern used -

• Kitty’s Treasure by Lisa Gentry
• found in Hooked For 30 Days e-book

yarn used -

• 8ply/DK acrylic

hook used -

• 3.5mm aluminium hook

comments -

• this is a really easy pattern… and very simple to embellish
• my daughter ADORES it, even though she is not a huge fan of ‘Hello Kitty’
• I pretty much stuck with the pattern as written… although I did use a larger hook for the flower, and added the button at the centre
• around the opening of the bag, I used a contrast colour for the sc… but that was only because I had misplaced the white yarn, and was too lazy to look for it!

pattern used -

• Beaded Embrace by Lisa Gentry
• found in Hooked For 30 Days e-book

hook used -

• 3.0mm steel

yarn used -

• 8ply/DK acrylic

comments -

• decided not to add any beads to my bag

• it’s not quite finished yet, but the body of the bag is fully crocheted
• I am planning to line it in a deeper colour, which willl accentuate the shell patterns
• once I decide on the lining colour, I will choose my strap and embellishments for the bag

pattern used -

• Beautiful Saver by Lisa Gentry
• found in Hooked For 30 Days e-book

yarn used -

• 10ply/worsted weight reclaimed wool, in pink
• grey and black sewing thread

hook used -

• 4.0mm aluminium hook

comments -

• the pattern calls for the flap to be made using a different colour of yarn from the body of the bag
• but I didn’t want a harsh contrast, so instead… I used the same yarn, PLUS two strands of sewing thread… one grey and one black… all worked together

pattern used -

• Save The Humans Market Bag by Lisa Gentry
• found in Hooked For 30 Days e-book

yarn used -

• 8ply/DK weight recycled cotton in an emerald green
• very fine purple variegated yarn
• purple ostritch yarn

hook used -

• 5.0mm hook

thoughts -

• important note to self – IF IN DOUBT, CHECK YOUR GAUGE… and LISTEN TO YOUR INSTNCTS
• the body of the bag is worked sideways, then folded in half so that you can stitch up the side seams… then the band is added, gathering the bag in at the centre
• I like the style and appearance of this bag… but mine is WAY too BIG!!!
• now a big bag isn’t usually a problem for me, as I like to carry a lot of stuff with me… but this bag s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s like you wouldn’t believe
• it is so big, and has so much stretch in it, that I would not be able to use it as a market bag… once I start putting my shopping it, it will be dragging on the ground
• the REALLY SILLY part… is that I knew right from the beginning that it was working up too large… I know that my tension is loose, but for some reason I chose not to go with a smaller hook size… other crocheters knew just by watching me work on it, that it was going to be far too big… they called it a HAMMOCK and made a point of checking my gauge for me (thanks Daphne)… and it was clear to everyone that it would be too big… but I just kept going!!!
• so now I have a uselessly big bag, and no one to blame but myself
• I’m not suggesting that there is anything wrong with this pattern… just that it might be worthwhile to check your gauge early on, so that you don’t make the same mistake as me
• but it looks nice!