Crochet String Tote Bag

I enjoy knitting dishcloths with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton. They are quick and easy and they make great gifts. But I always end up with bits of cotton left over and never enough to make a full dishcloth. I have been hording the bits and pieces for ages now trying to figure out how to use them up. I noticed on one of the labels a pattern for a Crochet String Bag and I thought maybe that could be a use for the scraps. At any rate I could use them up and if the project wasn't to my liking at least I wouldn't be wasting new cotton. The pattern is easy and works up very quickly and I completed one in no time. It is not exactly like the pattern as I did not like the strap and so I invented my own. It's a wee bit colour crazy, but it will be useful for toting things about.

Once I completed one I got the crocheted bag fever and began searching the web for other patterns. I found several but only one really caught my eye. It is from the Berrocco website and called the Annie Bag: http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/annie_bag/annie_bag.html I wasn't sure if I wanted a bag that was solid like that because I liked the openwork stitch of the Bernat bag, but I really liked the idea of a round tote. So I used the base, again using up some cotton scraps:

And then I worked up the sides using the open mesh pattern from the Bernat Crochet String Bag.

Finishing it off with the Berrocco drawstring for the straps. The finished project came out quite well. And I'm so pleased with it that I am going to make several more.

I think I am going to try using some different stitch patterns for the main body of the bag just to give a change. The mesh is nice, but it would be difficult to keep small things from slipping through the holes. Such as, say...a crochet hook! *wink*

Now that summer is almost upon us it will be time for picnics and going to the beach and what better way to tote your bits and pieces around than with a stylish Crochet String Tote Bag. Of course now that I have the pattern mastered I will allow myself to use some new cotton such as the marvelous colours below, combined with white.