In my perfect world I would spend all day crocheting (well along with caring for my plants and reading from my Kindle) but other duties call. I began crocheting a new handbag design about a month and a half ago. Due to 2 finals, all of my crochet went into hibernation until a couple of week ago. Crocheting handbags are really interesting to me since there are so many crocheted handbag shapes to explore. Finding an unusual shape is always half the fun of crocheting. That was one of the reasons I learned crochet, I can add or subtract any detail to the crocheted project. So here is the beginnings of the bucket bag or purse. Can you guess why this shape is great? Yep you guessed it you can fit the kitchen sink in it, well at least a pile of dishes. Lots of room. If you are like me it has to have room for many things. This carries in addition to the "usual ladies items" my Kindle, small notebook, Ipod and a crocheted shrug (they fold up to nothing). I wanted 2 colors of the Autumn/Winter hues. On the left is a rust color and on the right a mixture of greens,gold,orange and beige. Wasn't sure how it would work but "Viola"..... the texture was perfect. I used a H crochet hook and when finished it is almost like a canvas material. Stiff yet flexible. This is where my crocheting so tightly comes in handy. I could not have been happier! I love handbags but they have got to stand the test of time and the many things I carry.
Discovered this "tweed-like" look of yarn and loved the way it does look like a tweed material when crocheted. The greens,browns,gold and a hint of burnt-orange specks leave room for various colors to add so I went with a burnt-orange yarn. Had thought about a burgundy which I feel would have worked just as well.
Of course if need be this photo is showing the bucket bag packed with 4 skeins of yarn. (I forgot I always carry a crochet project to work on. (I even have the hooks and hardware down at the bottom of the bag.
I set the bag to the side for about 2 weeks while I tried choosing several wooden handles. They just didn't seem to fit this bag. Then while watching Knitting Daily I found my answer. They featured a segment Twisted Cord Handle Tutorial . Great it worked except I needed to really add lots more yarn strands. This cord measured 31" from tip to tip. To give it a little more stiffness I sprayed the cord with the Aleene's Stiffen Quick spray. Still soft but stiffer. The challenge came with how to attach the cord to the loops I crocheted at the top. It took some working but got it just right. I looped each piece individually (yes time consuming) then sprayed with the Stiffen Quick. I had almost decided to use the metal holders but felt that distracted from the look I wanted. Last sprayed the entire bag with Scotch Guard.