A Circular handbag

I've had this bag finished for awhile, but I haven't posted it. It is made from two circles in 2 colors. The circles are concentric- and closed at the end of each round. The ch stitches at beginning of each round do not count as a stitch. Then the circles are stitched together starting with just a single crochet seam, and increasing to about 5 stitches wide for the sides and handle and then decreasing back to the single crochet seam. To do the side seams, just sc into the side of the circle, and turn. Don't do a turning chain. Here's the recipe/pattern for this bag.

Gauge: not really important since it doesn't have to fit. But the first 4 rounds of this bag measured about 2.5 " in diameter.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn in 2 colors about 100 yds each will be sufficient.

Hook to match yarn used. I used an H hook for this.

Stitch markers- 4.

Needle for weaving in ends.

Circles- Make 2. Make them any size you'd like. Just make them the same size! Do the increases evenly so that the circle stays flat.

Round 1: With green, chain 3, dc 10 in 3rd chain from hook. Close w/ slip stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 2: Join black w/ sl stitch. Ch1, make 2 sc in each dc around. Close w/ sl stitch, and change to green.

Round 3: (green) Ch 2, Dc in same stitch as sl st; 2 dc in next stitch. *(1dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch) repeat from * around. Close with sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 4: With black, ch 1, sc in same st, 1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 2 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.

Round 5: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 3 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 6: With black, ch 1, sc in same stitch. 1 sc in next 3 st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 4 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.
Round 7: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 4 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 5 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 8: With black, ch 1, sc in same stitch. 1 sc in next 5 st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 6 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.

Round 9: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 6 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 7 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 10: With black, ch 1, sc in same st. Sc in each stitch around, close w/ sl stitch.

Fasten off black and green yarns. Make 2nd circle as the first. Fasten off green only.

Joining and Handle

With wrong sides together, line up circles. Place markers symmetrically about bag at 10 st on either side of center bottom, where yarn is still attached, and at 15 stitches past each marker 1st placed. Put another way, the markers should be placed at 2, 4, 8, and 10 o'clock. (Note you can adjust where the markers are placed to suit the opening you want for the top of the bag. Just be sure to place them symmetrically about the vertical axis (12-6 o'clock) of the bag.

Row 1: Ch1. Sc through both circles in each stitch up to 1st marker.

Row 2: Sc in stitch on front circle, sc in corresponding stitch on 2nd circle. Turn.

Row 3: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next stitch. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 4: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 2 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 5: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 3 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 6: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 4 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 7: Sc in next 5 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Repeat row 7 until you reach marker at 10 o'clock position.

Row 8: Ch1 and sc in each stitch across. Turn.

Repeat Row 8 until handle is approximately 2" longer than arc of bag if you were to hold handle snug against bag to measure.

Row 9: At next marker (2 o'clock position) Sc in next stitch on bag, sc in each stitch across. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn

Row 10: Sc in next 5 stitches, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Repeat row 10 until you reach 5 stitches before next marker (4 o'clock position).

Row 11: Sc in next 2 stitches, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 12: Sc in next stitch, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 13: Sc in next stitch, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 14: Sc 2 together, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 15: Sc in next stitch on bag on each side of bag.

Row 16: Through both sides, sc in next stitch on bag until you reach center bottom, close w/ sl stitch in 1st sc. Fasten off and weave in ends.

copyright 2008 Karla McCalmont.

Birthday fun

I recently celebrated my birthday and had lots of fun with family and friends. I have to tell you though that I received the best birthday cake ever from my son. He made this cake, with frosting and candles all by himself. He came out of his room and gave me the cake. We had so much fun eating it and eating it and eating it. Then the next day, it was so sweet, he came out of his room singing "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." and handed me the cake again. I wish I could have recorded it because it was so sweet and precious.

I also received some llama yarn from a local farm. I am excited to work with it, but I am not sure yet what I will make. The yarn is minimally processed, so it still has bits of hay in it. So I'll need to pick them out as I go.

I almost forgot- I also received some wonderful handmade crochet stitch markers from my niece. I haven't done much crocheting since my birthday, but I am excited to use them. I'll have to use them on projects I keep in my bedroom away from curious little hands though. Otherwise they'll pull them out to play with, and I won't know where they were marking.

Update on Infinite runner

I titled this post Infinite Runner, because it goes on and on and on... I started the Infinity Runner using size 30 thread for a couple of reasons. I have alot of thread in many different colors; I wanted the challenge and I thought the San Diego County Fair had a specific entry for work done in thread smaller than size 20. (Size 30 is smaller than 20. The higher the number, the tinier the thread.) The hardest part of working with tiny thread is that my left hand holding the thread cramps up because I have to hold it so tightly to get any tension. So while the pattern itself is easy to do, it is time consuming working at this small scale. Well the Premium Book for the Fair came out and that lot isn't listed this year. I had 3 motifs done before the Premium Book was released. It was hard to finish the last 2 motifs in the tiny thread. I can still enter it, just not in the separate lot for tiny delicate threadwork. I now have all 5 motifs done, and 2 of them are seamed together. The seaming takes quite a bit of work when I am working with such small thread and so many colors. I have lots of threads to weave in, and I don't have any smaller hooks or needles to use to help the work go faster.

Here are my motifs, 5 of them with 4 colors each. I was probably a bit too ordered and maybe should have been random in the color choices, but hopefully adding the borders will bring some of that flow back. They measure about 3 inches long by 2 inches high.

I haven't been posting as often because I have set goals of how far I want to get on a project before I post about it. I thought this would allow me to have more regular posts, but it seems like everything is getting finished about the same time. We'll see how this goes. Maybe I'll just have to save things for a bit later when I'm working on getting other projects ready for posting.

Thread work

So it's been awhile since I've done any thread work. This week I've started two thread projects- and even finished one of them. I made this doily "Hearts and Diamonds" by Cylinda Mathews as a bridal shower gift for a friend of mine, Dr. Cookie. Her shower is on Saturday. I started it on Monday and finished it, except for blocking, on Wednesday. I love the pattern, it was fast and easy. I made another one of Cylinda Mathews' designs for another friend as a wedding gift a couple of years ago, but this pattern was easier to find. If I do it again, I might add a couple of rounds of mesh in between the diamonds and the hearts so that I can do it in more than one color. This was made using size 10 cotton with a size 5 steel hook.

My other thread project is "Infinity Wrap" from Interweave Crochet Winter 07. It is supposed to be a huge wrap/throw, but I don't really need a big blanket/wrap out here. I do need a project for the fair, I have lots of thread, and would like to make a table runner/doily for us to keep. All the other ones keep getting given away as gifts. (All except for the first 2 that are so bad I don't want anybody to see.) I worked on this for about 3 hours last night. I am about 60 % done with the first motif. There are 5 motifs and then they are joined and rows are worked on either side of them. The other two colors I'll be using are natural, and garnet. This is being done in size 30 thread. I am using a super tiny size 11 hook that is much shorter than normal hooks. I have some other ideas, maybe a 2 color infinity runner with size 10 thread. I think I might do a motif with that and then decide which one to pursue first.

On another note, my blog now shows 2 counters, and my clustrmap shows over 1000 views! So exciting. Thanks for reading!

Very Versatile Vertical Striped Hat

I know I haven't posted a lot lately, but that is because I have been busy crocheting and writing up a pattern. One of my friends is testing it for me. I plan to submit it to a book the Crochet Liberation Front group on Ravelry is developing. Since we retain our own copyright on our patterns, I can show you a photo of it, and not keep it in super secret. I am also super excited about the new pattern store features on Ravelry that are being tested by others. Soon I will be able to host my patterns for free or sale on Ravelry, and you will be able to access them even if you don't have a Ravelry account.

OK back to the pattern, I made this using the leftover yarn from the spiral felted bag. Hence the Chocolate Raspberry Delight.

Then I tested the pattern in toddler size and had to come up with a new name, so Very Versatile Vertical Striped Hat it is, or VVV or (Ver)^3 for short.

Tag again

So my friend Lisa at http://neuroticneedles.blogspot.com/ tagged me for 7 random things. The rules are very similar to the 8 random things I got tagged for last October. This time it is post 7 random facts about yourself and then tag 7 others. The difference is this time, I know more people who have fiber blogs. Here are the official rules:

1. link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



Here are my 7 factoids:

1) I just watched "No Reservations" last night. A very cute movie. The main character, a chef at a fancy restaurant, had one of Alton Brown's cookbooks on her shelf.

2) I had fun spotting lots of fun crocheted and knitted hats and scarves that the characters sported in that movie. Even some cute crocheted doll clothes.

3) I'll probably get interrupted 15 times writing this post. Changing diapers, dealing with toy teasing, nappers not staying in bed during naptime, fun stuff.

4) I went to a delightful tea party on Saturday that my sister-in-law had. She made delicious scones, pumpkin bread, and hot cereal. Afterwards we went to a yarn shop and I got some fun yarn to make a bag, plus some for a top for myself.

5) The yarn I bought was all in hanks, and I needed to wind it into a ball myself, we couldn't stay and use the one at the shop. The first hank, 90 meters, took 3 h or so because I didn't put it around my knees or a chair or anything. I thought I could just be careful. It got knotted up pretty quickly.

6) Last night I did about 1500 yards in 3 hours while watching the movie. It sure does go faster when it doesn't get all tangled up.

7) I haven't been posting too much recently because I've been busy typing up and formatting some of my patterns. I'm super excited about the new pattern features coming out on Ravelry, and hope to have some of my patterns available there soon. You'll see some of my designs in an upcoming post.



The people I have tagged are: Pam, UmmeYusuf, Lana, MinglingYarn, HobbyZu

I know it's not 7 yet, but if I don't post it now, I doubt it will ever get posted. =)

New look

I was having a bit of trouble recently with my blog. Like none of the posts would show up at all. However, changing the template allowed my blog to magically reappear, so we'll see how this goes. My counter may have been lost, though. It was so close to 1000 too. Oh well.

Treasures

For Valentine's Day I thought I would share with you some recently acquired treasures which were made by my Great-Grandmothers. These items were made with love for their daughters. The first is a beautiful guest towel and washcloth that my Grandma received as a wedding gift 62 years ago. She told me she doesn't think she ever used it, but often had it out. I just think it is a clever and creative way to put the towel and washcloth together. I'm also curious about how the edging was done. Did she just force her steel hook through the bottom of the towel and cloth or did she use a needle somehow?

The second was made by my other Great-Grandma, whose crochet thread I now have, for my Great-Aunt. It's a little potholder, with the same pattern on both sides, seamed together with the white picot edging. Inside is a pad of cotton flannel. It has been used with love to serve many meals.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Circular Labyrinth

I've finally started making some progress on the circular labyrinth. I've wanted to work on it since I first did the square labyrinth last summer. I didn't see any patterns that matched what I wanted to do, and I knew it would take some time, so I set it aside until after Christmas. This is actually the second one I've started, as I didn't like how the first one was turning out. Some of the rows I have done several times because I get distracted and miss a color change, and don't notice until 2 rounds later.... I've completed about half of the circuits. The nice thing about this circular labyrinth as opposed to the square one, is that there are far fewer color changes- so the yarns don't get as tangled. A lot of my time on the square one was spent untangling the yarns so that I could continue stitching.

I think I'll make at least two more versions of this before I'm satisfied, because as I am going along, I keep coming up with ideas to make it better. Ultimately I want to convert this into a hat. It won't be hard to do, I just need to finish making it flat first.

even more hats

So I've been busy making a few more hats and even got them sent off to MN. I really like the plain simple dc beanie. It goes so fast. I also made an adult size spiral hat. I made them for my brother and sister-in-law as a thank you for letting us stay with them while we were in MN. Since they have received the hats now, I can post about them.

The blue one is for a former neighbor who is expecting a baby boy this spring.

I've also been working on a circular labyrinth. no pattern, just following a sketch of one. It is taking me awhile, and sometimes have to rip out a couple rounds when I discover an error. I'll talk more about this and show a photo in a later post.

I'd have more to show, but I've been spending too much time on Ravelry lately.