Friday, January 7, 2011

Crocheted Pocketbook

There's nothing that says "I love you" like a homemade - from the heart gift!
I don't usually make a big list of New Year's Resolutions, just a few "character related" things that I especially want to focus on in the coming year......but this year I added "make more homemade gifts for Christmas" to the list.  I realized that in order for that to happen, I was going to have to work on them all year long instead of waiting till November to start.........waiting that late finds me scrambling and not accomplishing as many as I'd like.
I taught myself to crochet (using a book) a few years ago, and find it a relaxing and portable hobby. While it's impossible to cart around all things necessary  to sew, scrapbook, or make cards, it's easy to grab my crochet bag and take it nearly anywhere with me. 
So.....the above crocheted pocketbook, is my first homemade gift for the Christmas stash....unless I use it for a gift before then as I tend to do!  Purses are so much fun to give to little girls, especially when stuffed full of "girly" goodies - pens, notebooks, chapstick, gum, candy, etc.
Here's a view of the inside - showing you the pocket I added to it:
Here's another bag I made in the same design, the only real difference is that I didn't use the dark brown yarn to accent and the closure strap is different.
I made this one while I was home for Christmas, and I've already filled it up with goodies and given it away.
I've never written a crochet pattern before, and I don't think I'll attempt it yet......but I will tell you the entire purse is made using the Half Double Crochet (Hdc) stitch.  You have only to figure out how wide and how tall you want things (purse, straps, pocket, closure) and chain that many stitches.  If you hdc in each one till desired height/width you'll have your own creation to post about!

2 comments:

Mindy said...

Very nice! I really like the brown, green, and pink one! (at least that's what the colors look like here...) ;-)

Christa said...

My daughter loves the one you made for her, and it's truly the perfect size!!

I'm planning to make most of my gifts this year, too. I've found that most people appreciate a handmade (or homemade) gift because they know you thought about them while you made it. You usually have to put a lot more time and effort into it, too, which shows just how much that person means to you.

Thanks for sharing!