When I reviewed Lesley Stanfield's book, First Crochet, I was quite taken by one project in particular. It's a miniature bag, shown in the book as a storage bag holding make up and brushes. I thought it would make a nice gift bag: it could hold something small, and function as part of the present, too.
I decided to make the bag using some colourful crochet cotton that I had lying around. It's Aunt Lydia's "Denim" Quick Crochet thread, a cotton/acrylic blend made by Coats & Clark. The colour is Jellybean. In my typical fashion, I didn't read the pattern, but rather looked at the accompanying photographs and decided how to make it. (It's obviously of very simple construction, so this is not some great feat of crocheting ability!)
The bag is done entirely in single crochet rectangles, which makes it a nice easy project for a beginner. I'm going to make mine of slightly different proportions than the one pictured in the book. If you decide to try this pattern, keep in mind that it's easily adaptable to a variety of dimensions.
So far, I've made two side pieces, using a 4 mm hook. Next, I'll make the bottom piece, and the front and back of the bag, plus a cord for the handle. I'll be back in a day or two with the finished item, and a report on how it went.
