Tropical Summer Bag

Tropical Lucy Bag

Back in June I had to spend the day in Bristol waiting about for a few hours whilst my 16 yo S had a college trial day, this was not a hardship. I had no desire to go shopping and as I was out in the Brislington area anyway I pre-arranged to go and spend a few hours crocheting at the wonderful Get Knitted. I was working on my Rainbow Ripple blanket! What a lovely yarn shop with friendly and knowledgable staff, I had a squashy sofa to myself, lots of yarny magazines to read, free tea and of course yarn to browse and great company/customer service. Fortunately Get Knitted stock Rico Design Creative Cotton that I had been lusting after, a 100% cotton yarn in Aran weight, perfect for an Attic 24 Lucy Bag. I spent most of the five hours agonising over colour choices, but I plumped for 2 balls each of six colours in the end. My bag will be tropical; Sky Blue, Pistachio, Light Yellow, Orange, Light Pistachio and Fuchsia (more red than pink) I was good and waited until my ripple blanket was finished before embarking on this project, although I only rippled a few rows that day!

Rico Designs Creative Cotton; Orange, Lt Pistachio, Pistachio, Sky Blue, Fuchsia, Light Yellow

As ever Lucy’s instructions are fabulous, this is the first time I have crocheted circles and it’s so easy. I changed colours every round, and started in a different place each time so the join didn’t become noticeable, but I did find I got a lump at each join from tying off which was hard to work round as the cotton is solid, I got better at disguising as I worked up the bag (you can see some gaps). The outermost olive is the last of the 14 rounds increasing for the base, after that you just keep working round and round.

Not happy with the new yarn joins!

Easy to disguise mistakes with clever photography lol

I have always just looped in a new colour in the past, but on the ripple I knotted at the start of each colour as that is what everyone seems to do nowadays, and I wish I hadn’t. I have gone back to no knots at all and weaving in ends very thoroughly with a needle. On the bag I did crochet over the ends but you still have to thread a needle to run back in another direction anyway so it’s best just to leave the ends I think, and do them properly, with a needle for peace of mind.

Is it a hat?

Do you like my model, should he give up the day job?

I enjoyed making my bag, but working with cotton is harder work, you have to be so careful with each stitch to avoid yarn splitting (where a little partial loop of the previous stitch still remains on the hook) It’s not as stiff finished as I hoped it would be, but I still love it.

In your face stripes, subtle or what!

Bag Straps, just finishing off the last row

I thought it would stand up a little on its own. I probably will line in the future but the bright stripy curtain material I thought I had buried in a trunk seems to have been used for something at some point by a daughter! A good tip I saw was to find a plastic place mat to place in the bottom of the bag, the cork one I put in for photographing won’t be robust enough to use in anger!

Finished Bag

Yarn Bag, don't look at the very carefully woven in ends that are escaping already!

I couldn't find the pattern for the flower Lucy uses on her bag to cover the strap joins, which I machined on. I did eventually find it on another page of her blog, but after I had invented my own substitute. I am pretty chuffed with them and will write out the pattern as a tutorial over the weekend if anyone is interested. I call it a Medallion Flower and it turned out like this, with a wooden button sewn in the middle to finish:

Medallion Flower

Medallion Flowers finished off with a wooden button

TROPICAL BAG finished 5th August 2012, it took me about two weeks but that was working on another project at the same time!

FINISHED SIZE: Top of handle to base 60cm, not sagging! Diameter of base 30cm (14 rounds) Height of bag to scallop 30cm, 40 rounds in total including base and 1 round scallop to finish. Strap end to end 65cm for 100 chains

YARN:  2 Balls each Rico Creative Cotton (a light aran weight yarn) I had ½-3/4 ball left of each so if you bought 1 ball in 10 different colours there wouldn’t be much over.
Sky Blue 37
Pistachio 41
Light Yellow 63
Orange 74
Light Pistachio 44
Fuchsia 13

Yarn is available in about 38 very bright and zingy shades, great colours, 85m per ball.

HOOK: 4mm to keep the stitch tight

PATTERNS:
Lucy Attic 24 Bag
Flower Medallion is my own pattern that I have written up as a tutorial.

HOOKY HAPPY INDEX: 8/10

I think she (S age 16) gets her modelling skills from her father, not! Sums up their attitude to my crocheting!!

My finished Tropical Bright "In Your Face" Crochet Bag!