Cottony things...

I was inspired recently to make some drawstring bags, and this simple Round-base Goody Bag caught my eye.  I made this first bag in Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton yarn. The colors are Antique Gold, Old Leaf (which is no longer available), and Red.  This yarn makes a very soft fabric. And the bag would be a nice thing to hold something that needs some projection from getting scratch, scuffed or otherwise damaged.  What that would be, I haven't figured out yet, but it makes me smile to imagine it holding or storing something that it's dedicated to.

While I was making this first one, I wondered how I could make it taller or bigger around.  Turns out it's really simple.

Made according to the pattern with worsted weight yarn and an I hook, the bag should measure approximately 8-9 inches tall if completed as written.  If I want a bag larger in circumference I simply need to make a larger circle base.   It can be any size as long as the number of stitches in the beginning round is a multiple of 3.   And if I want a taller bag I simple add more "granny stitch" rows, or hdc rows until the bag is as tall as I want it to be.  Where the drawstring threads around the bag I did a row of double crochet stitches (instead of hdcs).  I just thought that would work better with the size drawstring I knew I wanted to create.   And I added some height by adding some extra rows of trim color yarn at the top.  I have a total of 34 rounds (from the center of the base to the top of the bag. With the changes I made, mine measures 11.5 inches tall and approximately 21 inches in circumference.

Then I was curious what the same bag would look like made with crochet thread.  So I made a smaller bag using a size E crochet hook, and a combination of Aunt Lydia, Artiste, and Red Heart threads - size 3 crochet thread for the pink and purple rounds, and two strands together of size 10 crochet thread for the salmon colored center.   This bag measures 7 inches tall and approximately 16 inches in circumference.  There's a 3 oz (or so) size ball of yarn in this bag - just to give you an idea of what could fit inside.

The cords on both bags are made with a simple chain (I didn't measure them, but trust me when I say you'll need a cord longer than you think you'll need) and then slip stitched back to the beginning of the chain.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with these bags, but they are cute.  So cute, I'm having to resist the urge to make more.  If I had a really good purpose for these bags, I'd make oodles more.

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And this week I also crocheted my first (and possibly last) hand towel.  

I'm not unhappy with it, but it's significantly limper than I expected it to be.  I guess I've grown too accustomed to my thick store-bought terry towels.    I know from my experience with knitted and crocheted dishcloths (which I use exclusively) that once washed, they begin to look worn fairly quickly.  The nice thing about a dishcloth, though, is that when you get it wet it looks all pretty again (the colors brighten up and the shrunken cloth stretches out to its original size).  A washed  & dried crocheted (or knitted) dishcloth may not be the prettiest thing in the drawer, but my favorite ones are a delight to actually wash dishes with.  A towel, on the other hand,  is only useful if it's dry, and I just don't see this looking all that nice after it's washed & dried.  We'll see, I guess.  Glad I made one (I've been curious how much I'd like a crocheted towel), but let's just say I'm not picturing giving up store bought towels any time soon.

To see what other Yoppers are up to this week, visit our thread on Ravelry.