Sunday, July 17, 2016

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.






22 comments:

  1. Love the bags!!! Love how you did it up in different fibers. They would make excellent gifts with some nice crocheted washcloths and some soap in them.
    Very nice color choices on your towel. That turned out great!!

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    1. That's a great idea, Dianna. I'd love to give a gift using a bag like this.

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  2. The bags are really cute. They remind me of the bags ladies carried in the south during civil war days. Never made a dish towel before, but I can understand your misgivings about it's usefulness vs it's beauty after washing. Love knitted dishrags too.

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    1. Yes! They definitely remind me of Victorian ladies' wrist bags.

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  3. I really like those bags, so colourful and pretty. I would use them to hold my perfume if I had one:) I also like the hand towel but can understand where you are coming from with that versus shop bought fluffy hand towels. I often have a mind to knit up some scrubbies or dish cloths, I really should add one or two to my list. Leah x

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  4. Love, love your bags. Perfect project bags.

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    1. That's a good idea, Lucy. I think I'd need to line them to use them for project bags, but I have been considering it.

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  5. Fun drawstring bags. The first is my favorite; it's like an upside-down strawberry!

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    1. (chuckling) I'm wanting to make one reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream. I could get a food them going with these little bags. :)

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  6. Your drawstring bags are just precious! The towel I am anxious to hear more as I have been curious to make one too. I know I knitted some when I first started knitting and didn't care for them but like you, washcloths are fine. I saw a sewn bag that Little Bobbins makes that looks like Christmas Pudding...brown, cream and then red? and there were holly leaves....I can't remember exactly but it was cute. You get a lot done...I think I am just naturally slow...especially after all those years I had to rush around before retirement! LOL!

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    1. I think YOU get a lot done, Sam. I actually had the bags done last week, but I saved them since I felt like my post was long enough without them. I'm now working on my Spice of Life Blankets and while they are going relatively fast, there's nothing all that new to show on those, so I may be slowing down here for a couple of weeks, I'm sure. Until something else interests me. :)

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  7. Love, love, love the bags. So cute, and can have many uses. I like the idea of gifting them with bathroom smellies in them and perhaps a crocheted face cloth or two to match the bag.
    Your towel project and thoughts are interesting. I've made towel toppers (just like the green part on yours) to attach to terry toweling bottoms.

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  8. Love the bags, Dianna' idea is great. Love the towel , I am still working on mine, I used sc as in the pattern and it is coming up quite thick.

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  9. Those bags are so darn cute and would make great project bags! I love the idea of hand towels and as someone who exclusively uses crocheted dishcloth I completely agree, not the most handsome in the drawer but purpose wise the best and when wet so pretty!

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  10. Pretty towel - the colours certainly will brighten up your kitchen.

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  11. the bags are adorable. I made my mom a silk purse one time and made a really really long cord so she could tuck $ and id into it and wear it around her neck, tucked into her shirt, while traveling. So much cooler than fanny packs. Tho I own a fanny pack so not trying to say those are uncool. Just the pouch was cooler :-)

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  12. Great idea to make the bags. They are awesome and the colors are perfect. My mind is already thinking of Christmas gift ideas, so many possibilities. I like the hand towel. I can see what you mean about the difference with a terry towel. Your color choices are pretty.

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  13. love these bags. they would be a great stash busting project.

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  14. omghosh your bags are so cute. I love it that you made it bigger and then smaller etc I love changing patterns to see how I can make it different. Maybe you could make an even smaller bag to hold a small gift at Christmas time and hang it on the tree like an ornament! Oh and have you thought about making just a towel topper that you connect to a terry dishtowel?

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  15. Well, I think your bags are adorable and could totally be used as gift bags instead of store bought paper ones-and then the bag becomes part of the gift! I really like my hand knit kitchen dishcloths-especially the ones out of Hobby Lobby's cotton--it is so much softer than Sugar and Cream.
    xoxox

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