Aspen Bag - free Tunisian bag pattern!

So, remember how I sold out? Well, I bought back in. LOL I decided to offer the Aspen Bag pattern for free. I felt like it was too simplistic to charge for and felt bad about it.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Aspen Bag















Materials:
6.5mm afghan hook
appx 500 yards heavy ww yarn for large bag (shown here in rust)
appx 130 yards heavy ww accent color and appx 300 yards heavy ww main color for small bag (shown here in fuchsia and black)
5 - 1.5" decorative rings for large bag
8" handles for small bag
tapestry needle

Finished measurements:
Small bag - 9" X 9.5"
Large bag - 9" X 11.5"

Special stitches:
Tss - Tunisian simple stitch. Slide hook through the front vertical bar to the left of stitch being worked. Yarn over and pull up loop.
Txs - Tunisian cross stitch. Skip next vertical bar. Tss next stitch, then tss stitch just skipped.
Tks - Tunisian knit stitch. Slide hook through vertical bar to the left of the stitch being worked and push the hook through to the back of your work. Yarn over and pull up loop.
Trs - Tunisian reverse stitch. Slide hook through the back vertical bar to the left of the stitch being worked. Yarn over and pull up loop.
Tfs - Tunisian full stitch. Push hook to the back of your work, through space between the vertical bars. Yarn over and pull up loop.

Special notes:
(1) All return rows are standard. Ch 1 for first stitch. For all other stitches, yarn over and pull through two loops.
(2) Remember that the loop on your hook at the beginning of each row counts as a stitch!

Lining your bags:
If you don't sew, don't worry! You, too, can line your bag for almost no money and without using a needle. Cut a few pieces of craft store felt (or make your own from that bottomless pit of scrap yarn you know you've been dying to use!) to the dimensions of your bag, plus about .25" for seam allowance along the sides and bottom. Glue them together with a strong epoxy along the .25" seam allowance (sides and bottom only). Once dry, turn inside out and then glue them to the inside of your bag. Yes, I said glue them. A strong enough epoxy that is approved for fabric will hold. Don't be ashamed. Glue can be your best friend!

This pattern was designed to create more possibilities than just one bag. Here are some suggestions for the interchangeability of patterns:
(1) Put wooden or acrylic handles on the larger bag or put straps on the smaller bag.
(2) Change the opening of the larger bag by not securing the two txs pieces together or stiffen the opening to the smaller bag by securing the two accent pieces together.
(3) Put an accent color on the larger bag or make the smaller bag all one color.
(4) And, as always, large flowers, buttons or rings make great decorative statements!

Now, on to the good stuff...

Large Aspen Bag














Body (make 2)
Ch 34
Row 1: Trs each st across to last st. Tss last st.
Row 2 - 8: *Txs next 2 st* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st. (16 x stitches)
Row 9: Repeat Row 1.
Row 10: *Tks next st, tfs next st* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st. This effectively doubles the number of stitches, giving the bag it's pleated appearance and full bottom.
Row 11 - 33: *Tks each st across* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st.
Bind off with sc across each st. Cut yarn and fasten off.

Construction
Turn pieces right sides together. Join yarn in corner of a Row 1 and sl st or sc seam down one side, across the bottom and up the other side. The bag will now have a distinctly triangular shape. If you prefer it to be like this, just leave it! If you want a boxier shape, box the corners. Never even heard of such a thing? Well then it's a good thing you got this pattern! (you can also see the photo guide page) Turn the bag right side out. Reach one hand in the bag, and make an indentation with the other hand...as deep or shallow as you want. The deeper the indentation, the boxier the shape. And, yes, you guessed it! A more shallow indentation will result in a more triangular shaped bag. For me, I have about a 1.25" indentation. Grab the indentation with the hand that's in the bag and pull it inside out. Take a tapestry needle and stitch across the piece you brought out. Looking directly at it, it should look like a candy corn shape. Repeat on the other side. Push the pieces back inside the bag and voila! You made an easy task look difficult. Take a little bow. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Handles
You can get up from your bow now. Seriously! You are going to get lightheaded. Let's move on to the handles. Join yarn in a Row 1 corner and sl st around entire opening of purse, securing 4 of the decorative rings with 3 sc in equidistant positions. Oh yes, I said equidistant. For the straps, ch 4, turn, sc across row (3 sc), ch 1, turn, sc 3. Continue in this pattern until strap reaches 10". Make 4. You could make more, but that might look silly. Whipstitch one strap to each of the 4 rings on the bag. Then, whipstitch all 4 straps to one ring in the center.

Weave in your ends and admire your work!

Small Aspen Bag












Body (make 2)
Ch 34
Row 1: Trs each st across to last st. Tss last st.
Row 2 - 8: *Txs next 2 st* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st. (16 x stitches)
At this point, you will change color.
Row 9: Repeat Row 1.
Row 10: Tks next st, tfs next st. *Tks next st, tks next st, tfs next st.* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st. You will be increasing the number of stitches, but only about 30% more.
Row 11 - 33: *Tks each st across* Repeat from * to last st. Tss last st.
Bind off with sc across each st. Cut yarn and fasten off.

Construction
Turn pieces right sides together. Join main body color yarn in corner of a Row 9 and sl st or sc seam down one side, across the bottom and up the other side (to the corner of Row 9). Box the corners, if desired, as previously directed.

Handles
Join accent color yarn in corner of Row 8. Sl st up the side and across the top, securing the handles with sc as you go along. Repeat for other side. Make sure you do not secure the two accent color pieces together. This will allow for a wider, more flexible opening.

Whoa - went from one pattern to three!

I guess they are coming fast and furious now. LOL I just posted For Sale patterns two and three today. I am really getting interested in the design behind the design. Have no idea how it will all work out, or what sort of stuff I will be making 6 months or 6 years from now, but I am really looking forward to the journey!

Next stop - wearable crochet! (don't know how that will go over, because I am SOOOO impatient!)

What do you think of my pics?

Tunisian in the round video tutorial

I hope you find this tutorial helpful. It's a pretty large file, so be patient while it loads. If you have a slow speed internet, or dialup, you may not be able to see it here. If that's the case, click on this link, and I have posted the video on photobucket.

The Aspen Bag (a.k.a. - I am a huge sellout)

Oh my gosh. I did it. I can't believe it! I just posted my first ever "for sale" pattern!

Now, if you've followed a bit of my blog you will see that I am a HUGE fan of the free pattern. So why sell one? Two words: My Husband. He is so sweet and considerate. He really is. But, he casually suggested (LOL) that I start selling some, ahem, stuff, in order to support my habit. With that said, I figured I would give a pattern a go. Wish me luck! If the pattern goes well, maybe my hunny won't be as begrudgingly supportive of my yarn habit. Instead, maybe he will welcome it with open arms, saying "Honey, you simply don't have enough yarn! Get thee to the yarn store!"

Ahh...I can only dream...

Deeply Textured Hat free pattern, and other mutterings

Hello fellow bloggers! Anyone miss me? It's been 2.5 looooong months since I've posted here. Lots has happened, but of course, the biggest change has been moving into our new house. I just love it! And I really love this town. I have been working so hard on this house; painting, painting and more painting. All 1851 square feet of this house has been painted by me...14 ft ceilings and all! Quite proud of myself actually. I've only smudged paint onto the ceiling once or twice (per room)...

But let's not think it's been all work and no play for this lady. Oh no. I've been crocheting up a STORM! I promised my sweet hubby that I would blow through my stash before buying any more yarn, and until today, I've stuck to that promise. Do you know how hard it's been to refrain from random yarn purchases? I mean, really, the ads come out every Sunday and Wednesday, taunting me with the deals of the week. But I've resisted. Until today that is. However, I only bought one ball of yarn and I really NEEEEEEEEEDED it (for a project to be named at a further date). So that's not really breaking a promise, is it? LOL

I am still super into Tunisian crochet. In fact, I am putting the finishing touches on my very first "for sale" pattern! Just thought I would try my hand at it. Worst that can happen is no one likes it! LOL Anyway, it's a bag, well, two bags actually, and I am hoping to post it in the next day or two.

But for now, as a welcome back to me present (from the land of painters tape, rollers, and ah...crap, I spilled paint on the floor debacles) I am pleased to give everyone a free pattern! This is regular crochet, so no fear, ok?!












Deeply Textured Hat
heavy ww yarn (aran yarn)/ J hook
**Gauge is not particularly important as I think it should fit just about any adult. However, my gauge on this hat was 2 row heights = 1" **

Stitches to know - dc (double crochet), fptc (front post triple crochet). Click on the link if you are unsure about the fptc.

NOTE: sl st to join each round

Round 1: Ch 4, 11 dc into 4th ch from hook (12 dc)
R2: Ch 3 (counts as dc from here out), dc into same st, 2 dc into next st and each st around. (24 dc)
R3: Repeat R2 (48 dc)
R4: Ch 3, dc into same st, dc next 3 st. *2 dc next st, dc next 3 st* Repeat from * to end. (60 dc)
R5: Ch 3, fptc around same st, *dc next st, fptc next st* Repeat from * to end. (30 dc, 30 fptc). After joining the round, sl st to the next st.
R6: Ch 3, fptc around first dc from previous round, *dc into fptc from previous round, fptc next* Repeat from * to end.
R7: Repeat R6 until you reach your desired length. Finish with one round sc in each st.

FYI: I have a total of 14 rows = 7".

Feel free to destash some of your scrap yarn by adding a stripe or two. On the gray version I created a whole round in the green, and one row sc. On the brown version, I just did the sc round in blue. I only had the tiniest bit of that blue in my stash, and now it's gone!

Another note - if you choose to use a lighter weight worsted yarn, you may want to increase your crown stitch count to 72, depending on how tightly you crochet.

Well, hope you enjoy! Can't wait to see how it turns out for everyone!

Ribbed Brim Tunisian Hat

Front and top views of two colorways of my latest creation...

I can't stop myself with this Tunisian thing...I just love it. I only have a few days before Moving Day, but who cares? I am lovin' my crochet. Anyway, here is another hat pattern. Reminder: I am no pro at writing patterns, so don't shoot me if there's something wrong! LOL!

OK - here goes...

Materials: two colors ww yarn, double-ended J (6.00mm) hook, tapestry needle

Chain 60 (small hat), 66 (medium hat) or 72 (large hat)

Pick up stitches around with primary color as in Tss. Keep turning hook back and forth as Tunisian in the round.

Turn hook and bind off as normal with secondary color.

Continue around for about 14 rows. Then, with all decreases happening on the forward pass, tss next 4 stitches, tss2tog next two stitches. See pic.

Continue for one round. Next round, tss next 3 stitches, tss2tog next two stitches. If it works out correctly, you should be tss2tog the stitch before and the decrease stitch from the previous round. See the picture since I am sure that made no sense whatsoever. The silver hook is pointing to the example. Sorry I used dark colors. LOL

Continue in the decrease pattern until only one or 2 stitches remain. Fasten off by pulling both colors through the last loop on hook. At this point, a small bit of the hat may be sticking up a little funny from the top. No biggie. Just tuck the loose ends back through the hat and weave in the ends nicely.

Now, join either color yarn to the original chain with a sl st. At this point, you can switch to a regular J hook, if you want. Chain 3 (counts as bpdc from here out), and dc in each ch around. 66 dc. Sl st to beginning ch 3.

Ch 3, fpdc next stitch, bpdc next stitch, and so on. You are creating the ribbing. Continue this around, sl st to first ch 3. Continue for 2 or three more rounds (depending on how long you want the hat) and then finish off.

Weave in ends neatly BECAUSE...this hat is also reversible! Tunisian "wrong side" is just as interesting as "right side" in my opinion. Just check out the reverse of these!




Well, I hope you enjoy this pattern! Please don't sell this pattern! Have fun!

More Tunisian projects and a free pattern!

Well, my obsession with Tunisian crochet continues, despite the fact that I am still supposed to be packing. LOL

Anyway, just wanted to share my recent creations. This honeycomb hat was made Tunisian in the round, and I really like how it turned out. I created the pattern myself! I also made a junior version which my daughter, begrudgingly, modeled for me. Look at the bottom of this post for the pattern.





I also made these two bags. The blue one is that same honeycomb pattern, but the red one is all knit stitch in the round. You can't see it, but there is purple behind the red. I used the new Country Loom by Loops N Threads from Michaels. I absolutely LOVE it! I will be using it again, for sure.




Honeycomb Hat

Materials needed:

Double-ended crochet hook, size 6.5mm
Worsted weight yarn, two colors (MC - main color, CC - contrast color)
Tapestry needle

Stitch explanation:
Tss - tunisian simple stitch. I think this is also called a basic stitch.
Tps - tunisian purl stitch. This is also called a reverse stitch.
Tunisian crochet in the round. This video takes a while to get the point, but it's worth viewing.

Now, on to the pattern...
With MC, chain 61, being careful not to twist the chain, sl st the chain together to form a ring (ETA - I just tried a hat starting with ch 61 using a thinner ww yarn and it was a bit too tight. Depending on the yarn, you may want to go with ch 66 or 71.)
Pull up loops as basic forward pass, all around the ring, with CC chasing (or binding off) behind.

Once foundation row is done, tss in the next stitch and tps next stitch. Continue in this manner with CC chasing until the hat reaches about 5 - 5.25" long. If all is well, you should be tss in a tps stitch from the round previous, and tps in a tss stitch.

Now comes the decrease part, and here is where a stitch marker may come in handy. *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next stitch, then tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, then tps next 2 stitches together* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round. Now, in case you missed a stitch, or had too many stitches, don't worry! Just start off this round with tps and keep on going. Honestly, no one will know. LOL!

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next stitch, tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next stitch, tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next stitch, tps next 2 stitches together.* *Repeat to end of round.

Next decrease round: *Tss next 2 stitches together. Tps next 2 stitches together* *Repeat until there is just one stitch left (or two, depending on how the rest of the pattern went for ya!). Fasten off the yarn by pulling both colors through the MC loop on hook. Pull the ends back down through the hat (so they are on the inside) and use your tapestry needle to clean it up. Also, clean up the ends from the beginning of the hat.

Voila! You are done! And best of all, the hat is reversible. The back side of Tunisian work is just as visually interesting as the front.

A little disclaimer (if you even made it this far) - I have just learned Tunisian, and actually never read or wrote a Tunisian pattern. I cannot guarantee that this pattern will be free of errors. But, give it a try and tell me what you think. I think it will make a great gift and I think you will be able to sell these at your local fairs, etc.!

Oh, and for the junior version, chain 53, and follow the rest of the gist of the pattern. :)