Crochet Tote

I wanted a tote to store my crochet supplies in, and take my projects with me places.

Lots of room!  Finished size is roughly 10-in wide by 9-in high.  You could make it higher by adding more stripes.

This was really easy.  I'm just a beginner, and I made this up.  I find I don't do very well with the traditional crochet patterns, my attention span only holds for so long, and I end up just veering off of the pattern.  I'm a visual person, so I do like those patterns that are represented visually with symbols.  All that being said, I will tell you how I made this tote, without all the crochet abbreviations and jargon.

I first made a chain 40 stitches long.  Then I wanted to make an oval base.  I followed these instructions for that - http://www.unique-homemade-gifts.com/crochet-circles.html  She says to do 3 extra stitches at the end of the rows to make the oval.  I used double crochet stitches for almost the entire bag.  After my 40 stitch chain, I double crocheted to the end, then stitched 3 times in one stitch at the end of the row.  Then stitched down the other side.  At the end of that row, I stitched again, 3 stitches in 1 stitch.  It now looks like a long skinny oval.  I repeated this two more times, so now my oval is getting a bit fatter.  At this point the ends wanted to curl a bit, so when I got to the end of the next row, near the rounded edge, I did this: 2-in-1, 1-in-1, 2-in-1, 1-in-1, 2-in-1, 2-in-1, 1-in-1, 2-in-1, 1-in-1, 2-in-1, then back to the 1 stitch in every stitch till I got to the other rounded edge, and repeated the above pattern.  At this point my oval was 6 rows wide, so did a half-double-crochet, and a slip stitch to close it off.  Oh, also, for my oval, I was inserting my hook into the back loop for every stitch.

To make this pattern easier, you could do it all in one color, but I wanted stripes.  I added in a new color, and inserted my hook under both loops the rest of the way up the bag.  I chained twice (I know now you're supposed to chain 3 times, oh well), and then double crocheted all the way around--EXCEPT, adding a couple stitches at each "corner"--because I wanted my width to increase a bit.  Basically at each of the four corners I just double-crocheted twice in one stitch, so I had increased my number by four.  I did this on all three of my yellow rows, and all three of my red rows.  Once I got to the purple stripe, I just did one stitch in each stitch.  You can see in the top picture how the bag flares from the bottom until it reaches the purple stripe and then it just goes straight up.  At the end of each row I did a slip stitch to connect, and then chained two to start building the next row.  

Hope that makes sense.  So it would be ch 2, dc in ea st, 2 dc in st at corner, dc in ea st, 2 dc in st at corner, dc in ea st, 2 dc in st at corner, dc in ea st, 2 dc in st at corner, dc in ea stitch until you get back to beginning, sl st to connect - for the bottom yellow strip and red strip.  Each strip after that is just ch 2, dc in ea st, sl st to connect.

I did three rows of double crochet in each color.

Then for the straps I wanted them to be the same width as my stripes, and about as wide as the bag when lying flat.  I achieved this by chaining 8, then double-crocheting 6 times in each stitch, starting at the second chain from hook.  I repeated this 25 times.  You could instead do a long chain of about 50 stitched, and then double crochet three rows.  My chains are always pretty tight, so that didn't work for me.

I then hand stitched the handles to the bag.  And also wanted an embellishment.  I went for this flower - http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/chs-rosettes.html - but I added a couple shells of yellow to the end of the row before coiling it up, to have a yellow-centered flower.  I was surprised by how much yarn this flower took, but I am very happy with the results.  I wanted a big flower, and that's what I got.  Then I hand-stitched the flower to the bag.

Other specs -

 I used all cotton 4-ply yarn in these colors:

--Peaches & Cream Orchid

--Peaches & Cream Sunshine

--Lily Sugar 'n Cream Country Red

Each roll was 2.5-oz. and I didn't need any more than the three rolls.

I used a size 6 (4mm) hook.

Very Clever--Just Too Late

Lydia quipped, "I want to change the song, 'Beat It' to 'Eat It.'"

I said, "Somebody already did."

"Who?"

"Weird Al Yankovic," says Dad.

Sorry!

Merry Christmas

More Christmas Crafting!

In high school art class we did batik.  I always wanted to do it again.  But using hot melted wax to draw designs on fabric is not so easy.  A couple years ago, I ran across instructions for a batik project using Elmer's Glue and Acrylic Paint, in my Family Fun magazine.  I made the fall banner and it was a lot of fun.  I thought it would make a good Christmas decoration.  I decided to make a couple of pillows, backed with fleece, and using the batik prints for the front.

I first had to come up with designs.  I used sheets of freezer wrap paper.  I drew 16-inch squares, and also drew two midlines to properly center my designs.  I tried to just randomly place designs, but that didn't work out.  I didn't trust my free-hand, so I traced various cookie cutter images.

I then went back and traced over with a Sharpie marker.  I needed the images to really stand out as I was going to put them under a sheet of plastic, with my cloth on top of that.

Then, seeing my drawn images through the fabric (I used muslin), I traced each item with Elmer's Glue.  You have to let it dry for 24 hours.  Then take a paint brush and wet the fabric all over.  Then I started dabbing various paint colors where I wanted them.  Where ever the glue is, no paint will flow.

Then let that dry--mine took many hours.  Then you soak the cloth in warm water for 30 minutes and rub off all the glue.  I then ironed each piece and sewed to my fleece.  Stuffed, stitched, and voila!

As you can see, where ever the Elmer's Glue was, the fabric stayed its original color--which was off-white.

Here are side shots, so that you can see the fleece on the back.

This was a fun project.  And I don't even sew!

You can find better instructions here - http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/glue-batik-banner-785331/

Vocabulary

Communicaplation - n - the ability to speak every language of the world.  Source:  Lydia's Expanded Dictionary of the English Language.  Etymology:  It was formed by the merging of the words communication and multiplication.  Your communication is multiplied, thus you can speak every language of the world.

Rhema Lights

Philbrook

We went to the Festival of Trees at the Philbrook Art Museum for the first time this year.  It was really great.  I would like to make it a holiday tradition.  We saw Christmas trees ranging from the Tri-Force from the Legend of Zelda games, to an evergreen covered in pink flamingos, to a tree made out of cedar shingles (oval slices of cedar trunk).  I wish I had taken more pictures.  All the trees and Christmas items are for sale to support the museum.  Besides trees they had a massive display of very elaborate gingerbread houses.  Then we toured the garden out behind the Philbrook mansion.  It was done up in pretty lights.  See for yourself...

The Legend of Zelda tree.

A framed, quilled paper tree (I think it was about 10" tall).

And all the gingerbread houses.

 Hogwarts

Gingerbread house landed on the wicked witch in Oz.  Notice the yellow brick road.

Out in the garden.

View of the back of the mansion.

The gazebo under the moon.

In the gazebo.