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.

Buying imitation leather handles for crochet bags

I've crocheted many bags for myself and for gifts for the past several years. I never thought of using leather or imitation leather handles for it...but when I found it available on Etsy shops at affordable prices, why not?
It can make a simple handmade purse quite stylish. Or it can make the 24-hr celebrity look-a-like bag look more like the original ;)

Here are my recent purchases:

Imitation leather handles, round toes from 3Dpatternpaper, China, $13.20 (including shipping)

Microfiber leather handles, soft, from pursehandles, Hongkong, $14.00 (including shipping)

PU leather and cotton tapes handles from pursehandles, HK, $8.50 (including shipping)

Imitation leather handles from yeahshop, HK, $13.50 (including shipping)

I bought from different shops so I can compare the quality, the price and the service. I chose Etsy sellers with good feedback and those that are nearer in location. Each shop was good on service, quality and price. For the brown handles (the first and last photo), which look almost the same - I can say that I liked more the one from yeahshop since its a bit softer. I'll be using it for my celebrity bobbles bag...showing in my next post :)

Bobbles bag, 24-hour bag, or Celebrity bag

A french designer created this bag, made more popular by celebrities (like Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz) wearing them. Since the bag is crocheted, it surely got many crocheters interested in trying to make their own version, and some crochet designers even wrote up patterns (for sale) for their look-alike bag.
In our crochet group on Ravelry, we picked this bag for our anniversary Crochet-A-Long (CAL). Thanks to Umme Yusuf for the free pattern, Bobbles Bag, which we used for our CAL.

It was a challenging design, and I wanted to make my own version too... with 3 strands of cotton thread, and 4.5mm hook. The basic stitch was single crochet, and the bobbles were 2dc,3tr clusters. I wasn't satisfied with my bobbles, since it didn't turn out as big as the celebrity bag, but overall it was a very good project and I plan to make it again with improvements.
Can't wait to show my finished bag!...I'm still waiting for the bag handles I bought on Etsy.
Meanwhile, here's a peek ;)

Pineapple Motif Earring - free crochet pattern

Pineapple Motif Earrings - free crochet pattern

by Mimi Alelis

Materials

Cotton thread size 10, or size 20, or even finer thread, approx. 5gms.
(sample shown is made from Aunt Lydia's classic crochet cotton thread size 10)
Crochet hook size 1.5mm
Pair of non-allergenic earwires

Motif
Note: Ch 3 at the beginning of rows count as dc.
Leave an 8-inch tail at the beginning for attaching the earwire.
Row 1: Ch 4, dc in 4th ch from hook, ch 2, 2 dc in same ch, turn.
Row 2: Sl st in next dc, sl st in ch-2 space, ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same space, turn.
Row 3: Sl st in next dc, sl st in ch-2 sp, ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same sp, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp (shell made), turn.
Row 4: Sl st in next dc, sl st in ch-2 sp, ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same sp, dc in space between the two shells of previous row, shell in next ch-2 sp, turn.
Continue rows 5-15 following the diagram below.
Finishing:
At the end of row 15, fasten off and weave in end. Sew on the earwire using the tail end at the beginning.

Note: Complete written instructions in downloadable pdf, now available (for sale) on Ravelry.

Pineapple motif earrings using Altin Basak size 50 cotton thread