Some catching up on crochet designs

Just a random post on some designs I have made a while back...

A dog amigurumi I made last year...posing with a photo of the English bulldog puppy that inspired its creation :)

Max and max look-a-like amigurumi

Accord Publishing's Crochet Calendar 2013, is now available. Here are two of my small designs included in the calendar :

Oval basket
a one-skein basket made from Creme de la creme worsted weight cotton. This is crocheted in one piece using a textured stitch pattern

Going around in circles bracelet

a one piece bracelet made with just a small amount of cotton thread

And here's something for you - another free pattern for a mini-doily or jar topper. I've made this a while back, but only recently finished writing up the pattern.

Paper vs plastic bags

In Quezon City they recently implemented a regulation on the use of plastic bags at the checkout counter. Plastic is being blamed for most of the trash piling up and clogging the waterways causing more flooding and other problems. I wonder why they didn't make a move earlier.

Most supermarkets now mainly use paper bags and they have their own reusable fabric or vinyl bags for sale. I've been using reusable bags since 2 yrs ago, and its only now that I see that many people bringing their own bags when shopping. Still, its not enough, since I also see a lot of shoppers going home with too many paper bags in their cart. I just hope they're recycling them, or properly disposing them in segregated trash bins.

I'm more inclined to reuse paper than plastic for crafts, and can also think of more ways to recycle it at home.

I like the big paper bags which can be used to line the floor of the car, to catch dirt and absorb moisture especially during rainy season. It can also be used to line a doormat, to make clean-up easier. In the same way, you may use the paper to line drawers and cupboards. Or, use it as a placemat when eating. For crafting it can be used for paper mache, origami, pattern-making, drawing and coloring pictures, box filler, gift-wrapper, and more.

Celebrity style crochet bag

I finished my celebrity style crochet bag more than a month ago, but had to wait several weeks more for the imitation leather handles I ordered on Etsy. On my previous post, I showed the various handles I bought and I chose the one from yeahshop.
I haven't had the chance to model the bag myself...here it is on Divvy:

It's quite neat inside too, with a ready-made lining I got from an old bag. I also attached magnetic snaps.