Tiny White Soap Bag - FREE PATTERN

I was given some lovely handmade soaps for Christmas, so I made a small bag for one of them, the others are a little bigger so if I make another bag it wil have to be slightly larger.

a tiny white cotton soap bag

FREE PATTERN
4 ply cotton, 3mm hook
chain 3, sl st into 1st ch to form loop
1. ch 2 (counts as 1st st), 11 dc into loop, sl st into 2nd chain of 1st st (12 stitches)
2. ch 2 (counts as 1st st), dc into same, 2 dc in each st around, sl st into 2nd ch of 1st st (24 stitches)
3-8. ch 3 (counts as 1st st and 1st ch ap), sk st, dc into next st (ch 1, sk st, dc into next st) around, sl st into 2nd ch of 1st st (12 chain spaces)
9. ch 2 (counts as 1st st), (dc into next ch sp, dc into next dc) repeat to end, dc into last ch sp, sl st into 2nd ch of 1st st (24 stitches)
10. ch 30, fasten off, weave length of chain in and out of stitches in round 9 to end, sl st into 1st chain to form large loop, weave in ends

Purple Produce Bag

I haven't been doing any crochet for ages, but it occurred to me to make this produce bag as I don't have any. I'm thinking of trying to walk down to the local fruit and veg to get some decent exercise and to reduce the amount of plastic we use. At the moment we're getting our fruit and veg from Colesonline and they come in plastic, even after the plastic bag ban which comes in July they will still put the fruit and veg in plastic apparently. So I needed a produce bag! Hey presto!

Crochet produce bag made with 8 ply cotton and a 4mm hook

purple produce bag layed flat

Little Lavender Sachet, FREE Pattern

I woke early this morning and decided I needed to try making a lavender sachet to include in a woolen bunny rug package. I used the vintage inspired square as an idea, I didn't follow it exactly, just did an eight petal flower then turned it into a square. Then I made another square but this time didn't fasten off, but sc around the edge on three sides of the two squares forming a bag. Then I went around the top in dc, then scalloped the top edge. Finally, I made a chain to weave in between the dc of the second last row to form a drawstring. Yay! A lavender sachet!

the lavender sachet will be filled will lavender to help protect woollen rugs from pests

Little Lavender Sachet FREE Pattern
2mm hook and 4 ply cotton
Vintage Inspired Square, make two, fasten off the first one, do not fasten off the 2nd
1. 3 ch, sl st into 1st ch to form loop, 4 ch (form 1st dc and ch sp), dc ch 1 into loop 7 times (a wheel of 8 spokes)
2. (sl st into next ch sp, 2 ch, 3 dc into same ch sp, 2 ch, sl st into same ch sp) repeat for every ch sp (a flower of 8 petals)
3. 3 sl st up to centre of next petal, 1 ch sc, 5 ch (sc in top of next petal, 5 ch) repeat for every petal, sl st into 1st sc
4. 3 ch, 5 dc into same, (3 ch sc into next ch sp, 3 ch sc into next ch sp, 3 ch sc into next ch sp, 6 dc into next sc at top of petal) repeat for each corner, 3 ch sc into next ch sp, 3 ch sc into next ch sp, 3 ch sc into next ch sp, 3 ch sl st into 3rd ch from start of round, fasten off 1st square, repeat for 2nd square but do not fasten off
5. lay the two squares on top of each other right sides facing out, sl st to 3rd dc of 2nd square, sc in each dc of BOTH squares, 3 sc into ch sp of BOTH squares, etc around 3 sides of two squares to form bag
6. 3 ch dc into next around top of bag, sl st into 3rd ch
7. (sk next dc, 5 dc into next, sk next dc, sl st into next dc) repeat to end
8. ch 30, fasten off loosely, weave the chain through the dc of 2nd last round to end, undo the fasten off and finish with a couple of sl st to form drawstring, fasten off and weave in ends

Plastic bag keeper, free pattern

This plastic bag holder or keeper is my own design, I first made them early last year. I've had a couple of people ask for this pattern so here it is! Please be respectful of my original design and do not copy this pattern, you can make and sell items you make with this pattern, please just link back to this page.

the plastic bag keeper is a tube with a drawstring at each end

The plastic bag keeper is a tube with a drawstring at each end, pull the top drawstring tight and use the loop to hang the keeper. Keep the bottom drawstring loose so you can slip bags in underneath, pull the drawstring to close if needed.

weave the drawstring in between the stitches

Plastic Bag Keeper Pattern

you'll need less than 100g of 8ply yarn for this, I used acrylic and a 4mm hook
1. ch 60, sl st into 1st ch to form loop, ch 3 (counts as 1st st of round 1) dc into ea ch to end, sl st into top of 1st st (60 st)
2. ch 4 (sk 1, dc into next st, ch 1) repeat to end, sl st into 3rd ch (30 ch spaces)
3-34 sl st into next ch sp, ch 4 (dc into next ch sp, ch 1) repeat to end, sl st into 3rd ch (30 ch spaces)
repeat round 3 until round 34
35. ch 3 (dc into next ch sp, dc into next st) repeat to end, sl st into 3rd ch
36. ch 60, fasten off and tie a loose knot, starting at the 1st st of round 35, weave the 60 ch in and out of the stitches, cont. to end, undo the loose knot and sl st into 1st ch of 60 ch to form drawstring, fasten off and weave in ends.

To form drawstring at beginning end, start a new ch 60, fasten off leaving enough yarn to complete last sl st, and tie a loose knot. Starting at the 1st st of round 1, weave the 60 ch in and out of the stitches, cont. to end, undo the loose knot and sl st into 1st ch of 60 ch to form drawstring, fasten off and weave in ends.

Please leave a comment if you found this free pattern useful, I'd love to hear from you!

Green Willow Bag

This is another string bag, like the large blue one I made which I will keep for myself as a beach bag. I liked it so much, I made this green one to put in my shop just in case someone else might like it, too.

I was reading on Ravelry, an online community for knitters and crocheters, that other members had also made this willow market bag which is in the Crochet So Fine book by Kristin Omdahl which I borrowed from the library. There is a new stitch for me to learn in this pattern called the ldtr which was quite hard for me to work out. I tried to finish the row how it was described in the book, but the end result in my blue bag was messy. But a ravelry member suggested how to finish it and the result was much neater for my green bag.

detail of the willow pattern

I also had trouble with the foundation single crochet in the handles, so did the same in this green bag as I did for the blue one. That is, I did ch instead, then inserted an extra row of sc on top of that, which is the eqivalent of following the pattern. I think it ended up just fine.

Another thing I need to remember is when to start the handles on a bag, as I don't have that in my notes. There are 36 sc along then 72 ch for the handle, but skip just 36 stitches. Then another 72 sc along until its time for the next handle. Skip 36 and chain 72 for the handle, then finish of with another 36 sc which brings you to the start of the round.

green string bag as a bag of fruit

This time I made the bag as big as was suggested in the pattern, so its not quite as big. I hope someone will like it enough to buy it!

green string bag on a chair

Large Blue String Bag

I finished this blue string bag a couple of weeks ago, but I've finally got my camera back so I can take some photos. This is the first thing I've managed to complete from a book I borrowed from the library called 'Crochet so fine'. Its full of beautiful crochet patterns, but none of the yarn I have stashed here could make anything other than this bag from some blue 4 ply cotton.

large blue string 'willow' bag

I even tried making a lacy cardigan with some left over 4 ply wool, but when I got more than half way through it I realised the American pattern called for what I understand to be 2 ply lace weight. No wonder it wasn't working out! For this large string bag, I used less than three 50g balls of blue 4 ply cotton and a 3mm hook. I actually made it larger than the pattern called for when I suddenly realised I needed to start the edging, but I don't mind as this generously sized bag will be a perfect carry-all to take to the beach!

detail of the willow pattern

It took me a few moments to try and decipher how to do the double treble linked whatever it was called, but I persisted and figured it out. The foundation single crochet stitch just wasn't going to work out for me though, and I figured a chain of 72 then an extra round of sc inserted above it would probably be quicker so I did that instead.

this bag is quite big and long, next one will be shorter

I'm quite happy with how this turned out, and I'm wondering if I should order some green 4 ply from Bendigo and make one to sell in my shop? I wonder what price I should put on it and if anyone would like it? Talking of my shop, I'm happy to report someone has finally bought something, they bought the set of 6 spring flower coasters. Its only the 5th time someone has bought something from me, and the first time from the shop. At least I don't feel so bad now about the money I spent there to list the items in the first place!

Red & Blue Ipad Bag

Here is a red and blue drawstring bag I made for our Andriod, which is a cheaper version of an ipad, but quite a satisfactory subsitute.

simple red and blue striped drawstring bag for an ipad

When we went to Stanthorpe recently, we realised we didn't have anything to carry our android in, so I started making this little bag on the way out there, which is a 2.5 hour drive. I used this opportunity to practice on changing the colours, which I have always been unhappy with. Even with this new method I tried, you can still see where the colours change.

This time I tried hiding the start chain behind the last stitch of the round, which is then sl st into the 3rd stitch of the round, this totally covers that starting chain. You have to push the last 2 stitches around an extra piece of yarn which makes them a little bigger than the others, so you can still see the starting place. The only other way to do it is cut the yarn and sew in each and every colour change with a yarn needle, but that method still shows. I guess I'm just too much of a perfectionist! I'm now considering trying felting as a way to hide the starts, but that will only work when I use wool, not like this bag, which is made from acrylic.

Yellow Draft Stopper

It must be about 7 or 8 years ago now that I made this yellow draft stopper! This was before I could read patterns so I just made this up as I went along.

an old draft stopper I made years ago when I was learning to crochet

The apartment I used to live on the north side of Brisbane over 5 years ago would get a nasty draft in winter from under the back door so I made this draft stopper. Its simply granny clusters, I remember I had to really rack my brain to remember what to do back then. Its basically a long skinny bag stuffed with old t-shirts and socks. This is one of the first things I made after returning to crochet as an adult, because my mum taught me how to crochet when I was a child. When I was a kid I used to make blankets and tiny rounds to use as handbags for my dolls. I also sewed clothes, which my mum also taught me how to do (thanks again, mum!).

I just found this old draft stopper after sorting out a box that's been sitting under my kitchen sink for 5 years! Isn't it amazing what you find when you're not looking??

Tiny Yellow Herb Pillow

Here is another slip I made for one of the scented herb satchels I made last week. I used my 1.5mm hook and some fine yellow cotton my mum gave me.

tiny yellow slip for a herb satchel

I had a go at making a granny square like one I saw on pinterest. When I followed the link I couldn't find the pattern, so I just guessed it. Then I extended one of the sides of the granny square for another 11 rows. Then I folded the slip and started working on the opposite side of the granny square, extending that side for another 6 rows. Then I did a rounds of sc around the edge of the granny square, securing the folded sides. This forms a slip like a pillow case.

back detail of the tiny yellow slip

I was thinking of putting one of these in the package for a paying customer, but I've decided they're not nice enough for that! I'm going to keep these ones and product test them first.

Small Lavender Satchel

This is a tiny slip I've made for a herb satchel. Using some fine lilac coloured cotton and a 2mm hook, I made up my own pattern for the 6 petal flower in the centre of the granny square.

six petal flower inside a granny square

I attempted to write the pattern down, but I'm not happy with it so in the bin it goes! Back to the drawing board, I wonder what I will make next ...

the back of this slip is like a pillow case that opens the same way

A Purse for my Mother

My mum liked the crocodile stitch purse I made and asked for me to make her one, so of course I did! And its perfect timing too, because in Australia we celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. This is my very first attempt at lining a crochet bag, and I must say I really enjoyed doing it, it turned out surprisingly well. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing this again for other crochet bags I make!

crocodile stitch purse made with Wangaratta acrylic

Thankyou so much to future girl for showing me how to line a crochet bag. (updated futuregirl craft blog : Tutorial: Sew A Lining Into A Crocheted Bag) She has an excellent tutorial on her blog which explained clearly what I had to do. She has helped me make something really polished for my mum this mother's day. Besides the lining, this small purse is very similar to another one I made. Both use the same variegated acrylic from the Wangaratta Woollen Mill and a 3.5mm hook. I revised how to do the crocodile stitch by watching again the Art of Crochet video by Teresa. I remembered to add 2 ch to make each scale pointy.

detail of pink bag lining, my first attempt

I'm fairly confident my mum will like this! Happy Mother's Day, mum!

White Cotton Card Pocket

I have a bunch of business cards in my wallet that keep falling out, so I made them a pocket to put them in. I've kept my first draft as well!

white cotton business card pocket

When I looked for crochet business cards on google images and pinterest, almost all I saw were very simple pockets made with thick yarn. But I wanted to use a finer cotton. I found one image of a vintage card holder, but that was all I did find. So I made this pattern up, I used the butterfly stitch idea from corchetspot. I didn't read it though, I just looked at the picture as I don't think its a difficult concept.

the card pockets inside my wallet where they belong

The first one I did ended up being the rough draft, which I kept anyway to hold some cards in my wallet. I did that one like a bag, then did the scallops around the edge but then realised I wouldn't be able to do the pillow slip bit at the end. So the second one I did was a rectangle, I made it 22 rows longs, 9 rows for each side, plus an extra 4 rows for the pillow slip type fold to hold the cards in place. To get the cards in and out of the pocket, you simply turn the pillow slip fold inside out.

first draft business card pocket

This was a very quick project I did for myself to make life a little easier. Now my cards won't fall out all over the place any more!

Small Crocodile Stitch Purse

I made this small purse as I was learning how to do the crocodile stitch. I liked the stitch so much, I turned my learning sample into something practical.

small crocodile stitch purse

I saw how to do the crocodile stitch on a youtube video by Teresa. But the scales were rounded, like the ones in my first round, which is at the bottom of the purse. Then I saw another video which said to add ch 2 to the end of the scale to make it look more pointed. I did that from the second round up. I rather like how I managed to make the shape of the purse look rounded by folding an otherwise square bag. I added a button hole by (sc sc dc, ch 1 sk 1, dc sc sl st). For this purse, I used a 3.5mm hook and some of the pretty variegated acrylic from Wangaratta Mill.

I think this purse looks so cool, I'm going to carry it with me in my handbag as a small make-up purse.

Hello to all my fellow Pink Saturdayers! I'm linking in with my favourite blog party hosted by How Sweet the Sound, be sure to check out this great blog party!

Here are two other bloggers who link in with Pink Saturday that also like to crochet, check them out!
Charlotte's Web - Oh Baby!
Howling at the Moon - Sort of Grannies

Small Pale Green Plastic Bag Holder

I need to keep my smaller bags separate from the larger bags, so I made this smaller one. It's narrower than the other plastic bag holders I've made but otherwise the same, so smaller plastic bags will fit inside it better.

small bag holder

By now this is the fourth bag holder I've done, and I realised if I started with a chain, I could have one less fasten off. The chain at the start will form the first drawstring. The chain is double the width the bag will be. For this one I used a 3.5mm hook and some more of the pale green craft acrylic yarn which was made in Australia.

start with a chain to make the 1st drawstring

Now I've made this and taken photos, it needs to be put straight to work! There are so many projects I want to finish now, and some things for around my own home seem to keep falling down my priority list. Hopefully I can get some more housey things done in the next week or two!

Red and Green Striped Toy Sleeping Bag

I made this bag for a toy I was given at an RSPCA Op shop. I wasn't there looking for soft toys, I like to go there to source second hand books for Thomas. I have managed to build up quite a collection of good quality board books, and he is well on his way to becoming an emergent reader.

For this quick little bag I used some acrylic yarn. The pale green was given to me by my mum, and the red I bought from K-Mart. I can't remember the project I bought the red yarn for, but it's been used in lots of projects since then, like my red Lady Bird two way tea cosy. I used a 4mm hook to make this up quickly, it took about an hour.

Should I explain how I made this? It wasn't too hard. I began as if I was making another little bag I like to make, keeping the yarn and carrying it over to the next round to create the stripe. When I got to about head height of the toy, the rounds became rows as I left a space for the face, turning back the other way for the next round. Three rows in total create the face space, then 11 ch and sl st to close it up again. Then a round of dc, 11 of which were in the chain, then a row of sc to join the two sides together. Then I switched to green to do a round of sc around the inside of the face space, then a ch to thread in and out through that round of sc to create a drawstring. See? Not too hard at all!

I might pop this into someone's birthday present along with some other things. I hope they think it's cute, I do!

Pale Green Toy Marble Bag

plain pale green toy marble bag

Here is another toy marble bag, this time in a pale green craft acrylic yarn. It's big enough to hold the lego toy I am giving as a gift to my 5 year old nephew on the weekend.

I find making up these bags pretty simple, especially if its plain and doesn't have any stripes or designs, like this one. I've done another toy marble bag with stripes that I gave as a birthday gift to a one year old boy. I like doing them because they don't take long to do, maybe an hour or two. I find short projects more satisfying because they are completed quickly, so you can get that finished buzz sooner and more often. But finding a spare hour or two to crochet is challenging when I have a  baby who insists on grabbing at my work if he can reach. I almost always have to wait until he is asleep or wait until daddy comes home and looks after him.

I hope my nephew finds the green toy bag useful for something, I think he just might!

Variegated Drawstring Bag with fluffy purple lip

drawstring bag pattern by Teena Sutton Murphy

I made this little bag because my friend requested it for her friend's daughter. I hope the recipient likes it!

Free Little Drawstring Bag Pattern by Teena Sutton Murphy

~ you are welcome to use this pattern for your own purposes, pattern not for sale by anyone, do not copy it, link to this blog instead ~

For this I used a 4mm hook and some variegated DK acrylic from Lincraft.

1. start with a chain 10cm long
2. dc in 3rd ch from hook, dc in every ch to end, 3 extra dc in last ch, turn, dc in the bottom of every ch, sl st to form a round.
3. ch 2, dc in every dc to end, sl st in 2nd ch
4. repeat round 3 for a total of 11 rounds
5. ch 2, (sk 1, sc, ch 1) repeat to end, sl st in 2nd ch
6. ch 2, (dc in next sp, dc in dc) repeat to end, sl st in 2nd ch,
7. sl st 2 inside dc, ch 20cm long, fasten, thread this chain in and out of the sp and ch of round 5, sl st in 1st ch, fasten off
8. start a ch on a dc in the 10th round (2 rounds below drawstring), ch for as long as you want the handle, attach to opposite side to 1st ch on the 10th round
9. sc 3 around the dc the ch is attached to, turn, dc in every ch, straighten the handle before sl st to the dc the 1st ch of round 8 is attached to, fasten off
10. sc a fluffy yarn to the lip, by sc in every dc, fasten off (opt.)
11. sew a flower embellishment onto the front (opt.)

This is in US crochet.
To convert to UK crochet
sc = double crochet
dc = treble crochet

Variegated Plastic Bag Holder

Well, three of these plastic bag holders in almost as many days, I don't plan on doing too many more of these any time soon!

I made this one for my friend after she saw the photos of my other bag holders on Facebook. We went to coffee and Lincraft yesterday and she picked some yarn she liked. Its a nice variegated acrylic with flecks of green, purple, orange and pink. For this one I used my 4.5mm hook because I started it at the library and didn't have my 5mm with me, I don't have a 5.5mm and the 6mm was too large. It still didn't take me too long to make it up, especially because my husband made dinner so I could finish it!

I'll probably make more of these, especially if the 'product testing' (!) goes well, just not too soon because I have lots and lots of other projects I want to make within the next 2 months. There are so many birthdays coming up, I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all finished!

Pale Green Plastic Bag Holder

pale green plastic bag holder

I made this second plastic bag holder on Monday, snatching moments here and there while baby slept or played to finish it.

This one is the same as my dark blue plastic bag holder, only a bit longer. This time I used a pale green acrylic my mum gave me, I figured it would be a nice colour for the nursery, and the blue one can go in the kitchen. Again I used a 5mm hook so this would make up quickly. I already have an order to make one of these for a friend, we just need to find some yarn in a colour she likes.

I wonder if anyone else would like me to make them one?

Dark Blue Plastic Bag Holder

I just made this plastic bag holder up in a couple of hours on Sunday, and when it was finished it was put straight to work!

This took me just over two hours to complete, I used some dark blue acrylic yarn my mother gave me, and a large 5mm hook to make quick work of it. It is 9 inches wide, to start I just made a chain that was 18 inches long and sl st it to form a loop. The next round was a dc (US crochet) into every ch. The 2nd round was 3 ch, (sk 1 dc, 1 dc) repeated to end, sl st in 2nd ch. The 3rd round is sl st into next sp, 3 ch (dc into next sp, 1 ch) repeat to end, sl st into 2nd ch. Repeat 3rd round until the tube is 18 inches high. The last round is 2 ch (dc into next sp, dc into next dc) repeat to end, sl st into 2nd ch. Then finish with a chain that is 18 inches long. Thread this ch in and out of the last round of dc then sl st into 1st ch to form a drawstring, fasten off. Lastly, make another drawstring for the other end by starting an 18 inch ch anywhere at the end, then thread this ch in and out of the 1st round of dc, then sl st into 1st ch to form a loop. Pull the ch to tighten the loop.

Because I live in a townhouse, I need to make another one of these for downstairs! I wonder what colour I should make the next one?