Art How-Tos Crochet

How To Crochet A Purse

Thursday, May 14th, 2009 by Alyice

One day last year my daughter and I ran across yarn that reminded her of the military but with one unique twist, the purple matched her school colors. She asked that I buy it and make her something out of the yarn. My original intention was to crochet a vest, however, that attempt didn’t go over too well and so I asked what she wanted me to create. She replied, “a purse and a strap to carry my drumsticks”. “Seems easy enough,” I said. And so my venture in creating purses began. I started small by creating a few hand purses, then moved onto a bigger purse. To my surprise it turned out rather cute and it was so darn simple to make!

To create your own purse, you’ll need 1 skein of yarn (approximately 364 yards), one K-10.5 crochet hook, and about 2.5 hours—less if you’re fast.

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The yarn I used was 100% acrylic. It was manufactured by Red Heart® and is worsted. It’s a “no dye” lot so you don’t have to worry about running out and not being able to match colors later. I chose a yarn that was dyed multiple colors. The one thing I don’t like about this yarn is that it’s got a squeaky feel to it and reminds me of nails going across a chalkboard but when it comes to projects like this, it’s the perfect choice because it’s very durable and great for beginners

To start your purse, grab a skein of yarn and tie a loop onto your crochet hook.

Next, crochet a chain of 40-60 single crochet stitches, depending on the length you want. The longer the stitches, the taller the purse.
Create 16 rows of double crochet stitches; depending on the width you want. The more stitches you make, the wider your purse will be. When turning the corner to come back around and start the next row, single crochet one stitch before beginning the next double crochet row. Make sure to start with the very first loop of each row and end with the very last loop of each row.
When you are done, you should have a crocheted rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half, then join the sides together by single crocheting through both sides to form a seal. Crochet around the bottom and both sides of the rectangle, leaving the top open. When turning the corner, single crochet two extra stitches to keep the corners from turning in.
Once you crochet the last side, you should be at the top. Single crochet each side of the top of the purse, leaving an opening.
Choose one side of the top of the purse to continue crocheting. This will be the fold of the purse. Double crochet 6 rows. This time however, don’t start at the first loop of each row. Instead, go in one or two loops so that as you crochet each row you develop a slight angle on both sides of the fold—sort of like what you see on the fold of an envelope.

Once the body of the purse is complete, create the strap.

Crochet a chain of 100-120 single crochet stitches, depending on the length of the shoulder strap you want. The longer the stitches, the farther down the purse will hang off your shoulder.
Create 1 row of double crochet stitches.
Go back around and single stitch the other side so that the shape holds. When you are done, your strap should have two single stitch sides and a double crochet middle.
Line one end of your strap to the back of the right side of the purse and stitch it onto the purse using a single crochet stitch. Once secure, tie it off with a knot.
Line the other end of your strap to the back of the left side of the purse and stitch it onto the purse using a single crochet stitch. Once secure, tie it off with a knot.

Congratulations, you’ve just created your very own purse!

Now, if you want to prevent things from falling out of your purse, you may want to invest in a thin liner. Turn the purse inside out, and sew the liner to the purse using quilting thread that matches the color of the yarn. The key here is to make sure that you thread halfway through the yarn so that the seams do not show on the outside of the purse. To complete the look, sew a button on purse so that the flap secures and prevents your personal items from flying out. You could also use some of the liner to create a fringe around the flap.

Oh, and as for that drum strap, I simply created a version of the purse above making sure that the width was just wide enough to hold the drumsticks and the length was just long enough to hold them. The problem, however came when I inserted the drumsticks. They kept falling through the bottom so I had to turn the strap/carrier inside out and single stitch the bottom until it created a seal, then I had to continue up the sides for about an inch so that the drum sticks would stop falling out.

Keep Creating

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How To Make A Choker Scarf

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 by Alyice

Over the past month, I’ve had the privilege of conversing with Allison Berman, via email. During one of our conversations, she said that her mom makes mini-scarves for her every year. The scarves are only 25 inches in length and 4 inches wide, with no fringes. She said the scarves are perfect for warming her neck and they tuck nicely into the front part of her coat while remaining small enough to tote around in her pocket or purse.

“Hmmm,” I thought to myself. “Why not take that a step further and create a scarf that could actually button up and stay put without being tucked into a coat.” And so, without a single pattern, I created my very first choker scarf.

The following week, I created more. Now, I’m working on figuring out how to add embellishments and designs. I know I could purchase a pattern, but I like the challenge of trying to figure it out by myself—it kind of makes me feel like a designer, though I’m a far cry from being one.

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To create your own choker scarf, you’ll need 100 yards of yarn (or a ball of scraps if you have it), 1 button, 6 inches of quilting thread, one K-10.5 crochet hook, and about 1.5 hours—less if you’re fast.

The yarn I used was 100% acrylic. It was manufactured by Caron International and is called: Simply Soft. I chose three colors of yarn: a beautiful sea green, a chocolate brown, and a light cream. What I like about this specific brand is that it’s very soft and easy to work with; it glides across the crochet hook with ease. You can machine wash this yarn on the gentle cycle and dry it using low heat on the delicate cycle. And it’s a “no dye” lot so you don’t have to worry about running out and not being able to match colors later.

To start your scarf, grab two skeins of yarn, preferably two different colors. Tie a loop onto your crochet hook with both strands.

Next, crochet a chain of 40-60 single crochet stitches; depending on the radius of your neck. (I used 55 stitches in the chocker scarves shown.)
Create 4 rows of single crochet stitches. When turning the corner to come back around and start the next row, single crochet one stitch before beginning the next row. Make sure to start with the very first loop of each row and end with the very last loop of each row.
Now here’s the tricky part. On your 4th row, you need to single crochet stitch two loops, then you need to chain stitch two chains, skip one loop, and then single crochet the rest of the row. What this does is leave a gap for the button. (If you chose to use a larger button, you’ll need to chain stitch 3-4 chains and skip 2-3 loops.)
Create the next 4 rows of single crochet stitches.
Now here’s the best part. Because the rows are so tight, you don’t need to finish it off by crocheting an edge. When you reach the end of the 8th row, tie off the end by making a knot. If, however, you find that your ends are not as neat as you’d prefer, go ahead and single crochet around the entire scarf to finish it off. Just remember to single crochet one chain stitch, on each corner, to keep the corners from turning in.
Hand-stitch a button so that it goes through the button hole you created.

Once the choker scarf is complete, it’s ready to wear. If, however, you’re like me, and you like fringe, you can create the fringe on the side with the button hole so that it’ll show when you clasp the scarf around your neck.

Cut 18 three inch pieces of yarn.
Use the crochet hook to bring a single piece of yarn through a loop at the end of the scarf.
Make sure both ends of the yarn are equal in length, then tie a double knot.
Use both colors of yarn per loop.

To “set” the scarf, wash on the delicate or “hand wash” cycle, then let air dry. If you do put your scarf in the dryer, tumble dry on low heat.

As to wearing the choker scarf, you can wear it with the button in the back of your neck or in the front. If you’ve chosen a decorative button, you’ll probably want to show it off, right?

Keep Creating

Posted in Art How-Tos Crochet | 4 Comments »

How To Crochet A Scarf

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 by Alyice

The other night, as I sat on the couch watching my husband and son compete against each other via a Wii video game, I decided to pull out some scrap yarn and create a scarf. I wondered if I could create a scarf without a pattern—especially having never made one before. And to my amazement, I could.

The next day, as my husband and I watched the second season of Angel, I pulled out more scrap yarn. This yarn, however, was different than the yarn from the day before. It was strips of yarn that had been tied together, via knots, to form one large ball. I wondered if I could use this yarn to create a scarf without it looking “too tacky” and guess what, I could!

Here are the three scarves I’ve created to date.

To create your own scarves, you’ll need 200 yards of yarn (or a ball of scraps if you have it), K-10 ½ crochet hook, and about three hours—less if you’re fast. The yarn I preferred to use was an acrylic, nylon, polyester blend. It was manufactured by Yarn Bee for Hobby Lobby® and is called: Soft Delight Pale Pink (or Green).

To start your scarf, tie a loop onto your crochet hook.

Next, crochet a chain of 150 to 240 single crochet stitches; depending on the length you want.
Create 12 to 15 rows of double crochet stitches; depending on the width you want. When turning the corner to come back around and start the next row, single crochet one stitch before beginning the next double crochet row. Make sure to start with the very first loop of each row and end with the very last loop of each row.
Single crochet around the entire scarf to finish it off—this helps keep the shape once it goes into the wash. When turning the corner, single crochet two extra stitches to keep the corners from turning in. (I do this with all the blankets I make.)
Tie off the end by making a knot.

Once the scarf is complete, create the fringe.

Cut 160 to 200 four inch pieces of yarn; half for each end of the scarf.
Use the crochet hook to bring a single piece of yarn through a loop at the end of the scarf.
Make sure both ends of the yarn are equal in length, then tie a double knot.
Use two to three pieces of yarn per loop and don’t be afraid to alternate the colors.

To “set” the scarf, wash on the delicate or “hand wash” cycle, then let air dry. If you do put your scarf in the dryer, tumble dry on low heat.

Keep Creating.

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