Apple Tote Bag -- Outside Pocket Tutorial

Who doesn't L-O-V-E bags? If you've spent any time at all here at Hooked On Needles, you have probably figured out that I have A Thing For Bags. I'm not talking about my personal purse, or pocket book as some people call it, that I carry my wallet and keys and checkbook and all the other Necessary Stuff in. That never changes. I've probably owned all of about 4 in my entire life. What I'm talking about here are BAGS -- you know, the kind that you grab as you're running out the door to a doctor's appointment and quickly throw a ball of yarn and a crochet hook into so you'll have something productive to do while you wait an hour or more for that 5 minute appointment you booked 6 months ago. Or the kind you fill with all of your carefully chosen skeins of yarn, your favorite hook, and that pattern you've been waiting to make for a new bride or a new baby, so it's all together when the good news finally arrives.

You get the picture -- BAGS! I love them! I've even made a few which you might have seen here on my website.

My favorite pattern to use is the expandable zippered tote bag which I made for my eldest sister for Christmas using some funky black and white paisley and checks, and solid black fabric. She just loves that bag and comments on it every time I see her. Now she is dropping hints for a pin cushion bag made with the leftover fabric from her tote bag! I'll be working on that soon since her birthday is coming up in June!

I also used the same tote bag pattern for the bag I made for the Stitcher's Angel Swap last fall, using denim which is my very favorite fabric to wear and use. It's so perfect for tote bags too since it is strong and durable.

Upholstery fabric is also wonderful to use for tote bags. I made oodles of them last fall from fabric donated to my son's school and they were sold at the school fair for $35 each.

For the bag I am making now, using red corduroy and some very cute striped apple fabric, I have changed up the outside pocket a little bit from what is shown in the tutorial of the black bag. Take a look and see what you think of this new version of the outer shell of the expandable zippered tote bag...


Instead of making the pocket and sewing it onto the outside shell of the bag, I decided I wanted to sort of imbed the pocket into the shell. So I did some calculations and made a few drawings and came up with the required sizes of fabric pieces to cut.

For the bottom of the bag, I cut a piece of corduroy 21 x 12 inches, with the lines of the corduroy going across the short way so that they would run across the width of the bag bottom and up the sides of the bag. You can see that piece at the top of the picture above.

Then I cut 4 more pieces of corduroy, each 7 x 12 inches with the lines of the corduroy running the length of the pieces. These pieces will be on each side of the pocket pieces.

For the pocket, I cut 4 pieces of the apple fabric, each 8 x 16 inches. Two of these pieces will be folded in half to form the outside of the pocket, and the other two pieces will be the background of the pocket. There will be some extra length on these two background pieces which will be trimmed off later.


To form the pocket, I took one piece of the apple fabric and folded it in half so it became an 8 x 8 inch square.


Then I placed it on top of another piece of apple fabric with the three raw edges even at one end. It also just happened to work out that the stripes of the fabric matched up from the outside of the pocket to the background. If I had thought about it before cutting the pieces, I would have made sure of this, but it never occurred to me until the fabric was cut that it would look funny if the stripes did not line up! Something to think about if you are using striped fabric! I got lucky this time!


To assemble the three sections of this side of the bag, I took one of the corduroy side pieces and placed it, right sides together, on top of the pocket piece with a short end even with the triple layer of the apple fabric. I stitched a half inch seam through all layers along the long side. Then I did the same for the other side piece, stitching it to the opposite side of the pocket piece.


This is what it looked like when I finished stitching the side pieces. I will go back and top stitch just inside the long edge of the corduroy along each side piece, through all layers, to give the pocket extra strength.

Notice the extra apple fabric sticking up from the middle of the piece. I just used my straight edge and rotary cutter and trimmed that even with the edges of the corduroy.

With the other pieces of apple fabric and corduroy that were cut, I made another piece exactly the same as this one...


...and stitched them both to the large corduroy piece, making sure the pockets were in the correct position, to form the outside shell of the bag. I had not taken into account the seam allowances for the side pieces, so I had to trim the large corduroy piece even with the side pieces.

I should also note that, when using a fabric like corduroy which has a nap to it, you should be careful how the pieces are assembled so that the nap of the fabric is always going in the same direction. Otherwise some pieces of the fabric will look darker or lighter depending on how the light hits them.

The remainder of this bag will be made exactly as in the black tote bag tutorial, adjusting the sizes of the other pieces to fit. The beauty of a pattern like this is that you can make it any size or shape that you want, and construct the pieces of the bag in any way that you like or that will serve your purpose. Once you know the basics of bag construction, pretty much anything goes!

Have fun trying different pocket styles and trims and see what you can come up with. I'll share pictures of the finished apple bag soon, and of course I'd love to see your creations too!

Happy Stitching!

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Giveaway Prize Ready to Go!

Another giveaway prize package is on its way! This one is heading all the way to Queensland, Australia to Kerry who won my 300th post giveaway a few weeks ago. Here's what she will be receiving...



The prize was actually a choice between a set of 4 dish/wash cloths, or 2 cloths and 2 woven hotpads. Kerry chose the mix and since her requested color was not available, she said that green would also be a good color. I decided to go with the Tunisian Short Row pattern that I have been using a lot lately since it shows off variegated and self striping yarns so nicely. And the woven hotpad is just a fun pattern to make anyway. You can read how I came about that pattern HERE. Thanks again to P&P for pointing me to it!

The yarn I used is Sugar'n Cream Lime Stripes. It almost looks like the color changes on one of the cloths happen exactly at the beginning of each wedge of the cloth. That is purely coincidental and was a fun effect to discover the first time I used the self striping yarn on this pattern. I have since made several more with other self striping yarns and the same thing seems to happen more often than not. Very interesting!

Happy Stitching!

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Fabric Needle Roll for Crochet Hooks

I'd like to start off this little show-and-tell session with another great big thank you to my sweet Stitcher's Angel and Pay It Forward friend Lyn from Australia because without the pattern she sent me for this project, I never could have come up with such a clever design on my own. So Thank You once again Lyn!

We are having some unseasonably warm weather here in New England right now, which is the perfect excuse to spend lots of time in the cool basement where my little sewing room is. I had the opportunity to do that over the weekend, and here is what I whipped up using some of the fabric I showed you the other day.


It sort of reminds me of a diploma rolled up and tied nicely. With all the potential for productivity that it holds, I suppose it is similar to a diploma, but this was so much more fun to achieve!

Using the Knitting Needle Caddy pattern from Blue Willow Designs that Lyn sent me, I improvised a bit with the size to make it suitable for crochet hooks which are much shorter than knitting needles. My collection of hooks is quite extensive, so I also made mine quite a bit longer than the pattern called for. But the overall design and idea are right from the pattern.


The little flap at the top is just the top edge of the finished fabric layers folded over and topstitched at the edge. This serves to keep the needles from falling out of the roll when it is closed.


Here you can see the flap opened and all my crochet hooks peeking out, each from its own little pocket.


I made my caddy, or needle roll, about 28 inches long to accommodate most of my crochet hook collection! Each pocket is 1 inch wide and even my largest short hook fits easily, as well as several of my hooks which still have the comfort cushions on them. When it is closed, the roll is only about 6 inches long and makes such a tidy package of all my hooks.

This was such a fun little project to make, and so practical too! I'll be making another one soon for a gift, and then I'll be on the lookout (probably in my own fabric stash) for fabric to make one for my unruly knitting needle collection. It's time I tamed that beast!

Happy Stitching!

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One More Fabric Purchase!

Here's the other piece of fabric I mentioned in yesterday's post:


It's the cotton fabric with the apples and stripes. I am not really a huge fan of red myself, but there is just something about apples that I find so appealing. I found that gorgeous piece of red corduroy in my stash recently (not gorgeous because it's red, but because it's corduroy...I LOVE corduroy!) and thought it would make the perfect bottom for one of my expandable zippered tote bags. So when I came across the apple fabric, I just had to get it, along with the zipper and matching thread! Now I'm all set for a few days of some serious sewing!

Of course you know I will show the finished projects just as soon as I can!

Happy Stitching!

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Fabric Shopping at last!

It's been a busy past few days around home what with it being school vacation week and all. Yesterday I went with my high school senior to the award ceremony where she received her first of what we hope will be many scholarships for college. On our way home, we stopped at our local Walmart, which for the record is NOT my favorite place to shop for fabric but sadly the only place around here. I was looking for something in particular and didn't find what I really wanted. That's not to say I didn't buy anything though!

Then this morning I went to a conference in Newton, which is near Boston, about an hour from where I live. I don't usually get that far away from home by myself, so on my way home I decided to stop at a Joann Fabrics that is kind of between here and there to see if I could have better success with a better selection of fabric. I think I like what I found for my intended purpose.

The reds on the left were my loot from Joann's and the bright primaries on the right were from Walmart. In the middle you can see a pattern that I received as part of my Pay It Forward gift from Lyn in Australia. She knew I had been searching for a way to organize my knitting needles and crochet hooks.

So I have a sewing project in my future! I am going to use the primaries first and work up a practical solution to my crochet hook mess. If it turns out well, I will make another with the reds for an upcoming birthday gift.

I also purchased one other piece of fabric which I will show you tomorrow. It's for one of my favorite patterns to make for gifts, and for myself!

Happy Stitching!

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Tunisian Short Row Flower

My first cone of cotton yarn is finally exhausted! When I started seeing the cone through the yarn, I knew I would not have enough left to make a whole dishcloth, but I had to make something. I couldn't just leave those last layers of yarn untouched! Would you like to see what I made with the last little bit of yarn?


It turned out to be a flower of all things! When I started this little project, I fully intended it to be a little drawstring bag similar to my Itty Bitty Anything Bag, only with a Tunisian Short Row bottom on it. Sometimes I have found that a project will become what it wants though, and not necessarily what I had in mind!

Using a size I regular crochet hook and the exact same method as the Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth, except with a beginning chain of only 7 stitches, I began what was supposed to be the bottom of the drawstring bag. After I finished the 6 wedges, I joined the beginning row with the ending row and was not entirely pleased with how the joining looked, so I pulled out the joining row and decided to just keep adding wedges until I ran out of yarn. I had no idea it would turn out to be something interesting and maybe even useful! What a great surprise!


When I had only a few yards of yarn left, I stopped making wedges and worked a simple little decorative border on the outside edge like this...(ch 3, sk 1, sl st in next stitch) all the way back to the beginning of the spiral.

Then I arranged the layers in a pleasing manner and stitched a few times right through the middle catching all the layers, using the tail of the yarn and a darning needle. This serves to hold the layers in place and keeps then from unwinding.


This is what the underside of the flower looks like...just a very small version of the underside of the Tunisian Short Row Dishcloth!

This was a fun little project to do and it could be used for lots of fun things. Since it is all cotton and so soft, you could use it in the shower with your favorite liquid soap in place of your little netty scrubbie thingy. Or you could attach a pin to the back and pin it to your favorite crocheted bag or hat. Can you think of other things to do with a cheerful crocheted flower?

Happy Stitching!

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Blue and Silver Beaded Zipper Pull

Today I actually put down my crochet hook and cotton yarn in favor of a generous length of mono filament, a lobster claw clasp and some pretty blue and silver beads. It's been quite a while since I've created a beaded piece, and making this one today reminded me how much I enjoy the process.


When I start out making something with beads, I don't usually have even the remotest idea how it will turn out. I just start, and sometimes start again many times, until I have something I like. I'll do a tutorial on how I make these very simple and fun zipper pulls soon. For now though I just had to show you that, as far as my being hooked on cotton yarn and crochet hooks, I really can quit anytime! As long as I have something equally as enjoyable and productive to fill the void!

Happy Stitching!

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Sunny Plaid Crocheted Dishcloth - Super Easy!

If you're like me, sometimes you just don't feel like following a pattern or paying attention to stitch counts or designs. You just want to crochet! That was exactly my mindset the other day when I made this Sunny Plaid Dishcloth. Of course I had no idea it would turn out to be plaid, since variegated yarns tend to create their own designs as you stitch. I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out though.


I'm still working on the cone of Peaches 'n Cream cotton I purchased recently. I keep making things and it just doesn't seem to want to run out! It was time to put down my long afghan hook that I use for the Tunisian Short Row cloths and just use my regular little size G crochet hook for a quick project. The cloth you see above is the result.


Just look at all that scrubby texture!

To crochet this cloth, I started with a chain of 41. Working in the back loops only, I worked about 46 rows of single crochet. Actually I crocheted until the piece appeared to be square, which happened to be about 46 rows, but you could make yours any size you want by adjusting the starting chain and the number of rows. When I was finished with the rows, I worked one round of single crochet around the cloth and that was it! No counting, no patterns or charts to follow, and the result is a very generously sized (about 11 inches square) and wonderfully textured plaid dishcloth!


I just love how these ridges form in the crocheted fabric by working only in the back loops of the stitches. This is the same technique used in the Mitered Squares Baby Blanket that I made last summer. It's what my grandmother and my Auntie always used when making their famous ripple or zig-zag afghans too!

If you need a refresher on how to work in the back loop only, you can view my single crochet video tutorial and patiently sit through about the first 4 minutes. Then you'll see a quick demonstration of working in the front loop and working in the back loop of a stitch for crocheting.

Happy Stitching!

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Free Pattern -- Knitted Apple Dishcloth

Have you ever had an idea that seemed so simple at first, but then when you tried to execute it, you discovered that it was much more involved than you thought? That's exactly what happened when I decided the Tunisian Crochet Apple Dishcloth pattern was going to be the one I would convert to a knitting pattern.

This is how my final sample turned out, still not quite what I wanted, but certainly better than the first sample I made which is shown further on.

For the knitted design of this apple pattern, I included a garter stitch border knitted right into the pattern so I would not have to crochet a border on the cloth after the knitting was complete. To accomplish the garter stitch border, I simply knitted the first two rows to begin, then knitted two stitches at the beginning and end of every row. At the end I knitted the last two rows before binding off.

The apple part of this pattern was not quite so straight forward! Here's what my first attempt looked like, worked directly from the chart for the crocheted version:


It was clear pretty early on in the knitting process that the proportions would not be right using the crochet chart for the knitted cloth, but I had to finish the whole pattern anyway so I could see just how far off the measurements were and know how much adjustment was necessary. You can see here that the cloth only measures about 5 inches from top to bottom, not nearly enough for a nice cloth even with a generous border added. Besides the 'apple' looks more like a squished tomato! That would never do!

So after some measurements and figuring, it was determined that for every 3 rows of the crochet pattern, I had to add 2 more rows for the knitted pattern. I went back to my chart and reworked it, adding the appropriate number of new rows and filling in the design where necessary. I also added the garter stitch border to the final version after realizing on the 'tomato' version that it would be a nicer finish to the cloth. The apple dishcloth you see in the first picture is the result of those adjustments.

Now that it is finished and I can get a good look at it, I have decided that the sides of the apple are too straight and the bottom half of the apple is too square. I did not have any more red cotton to knit yet another cloth, and I'm such a slow knitter that this would have had to wait another week for posting, so I have made what I think will be just the right adjustments to the chart below to produce a more rounded and properly shaped apple.


If you click on this chart, you will see a larger version of it which you can then print from your browser toolbar. You can see that I have included instructions at the bottom of the chart for the number of stitches to cast on and how to read the chart. This is the type of project where I find my magnetic board invaluable in keeping track of which row I am working at any given time. I have also marked the right side of the chart with the odd row numbers and the left side with the even row numbers. You will work each row from the side where its number is as indicated at the bottom of the chart.

If you decide to make a dishcloth from this chart, I would truly appreciate receiving a picture of it and your feedback about how you liked working the pattern from this chart. If I make this pattern with the updated chart, I will be sure to share it with you too.

Happy Stitching!

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Free Pattern -- Tunisian Crochet Apple Dishcloth

The luscious, red, juicy apple seems to have a reputation for causing trouble from way back. My own red apple is no different! Of course I'm talking about my latest design for a crocheted dishcloth. Actually the crocheted version was no trouble at all. It was converting the pattern so that it would work for knitting that was the problem. But we'll cover that story in another post. Today I'll just focus on the lovely dishcloth with the beautiful red apple on it.


Doesn't that almost look good enough to eat? Apples come in all shapes, sizes and colors and are available here in New England fresh off the trees in the fall. In fact, Johnny Appleseed was born right here in my own little city, so we have apples in every form imaginable. Now we even have an apple dishcloth!


Depending on the variety of apple you are used to seeing, this one might not look like it has the proper proportions. I assure you that there are apple varieties that look just like this, but of course they taste a whole lot better!

Here's the pattern for the apple dishcloth for use with Tunisian Crochet. Just click on the chart and then print it.


If you need a refresher on how to work Tunisian Crochet, just click on 'Crocheting' at the top of the sidebar under Hooked On Needles Links and you'll find links to videos showing how to do many Tunisian Crochet stitches.

In the next post, I'll share with you my adventure of taking this crochet chart and making it work with knitting. It was fun, frustrating and educational all at the same time and I'm glad I finally did it. I hope you will be too!

Happy Stitching!

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Kitchen Swap 2009 - Go check it out!

Terri over at Sew Fantastic is hosting Kitchen Swap 2009 and the sign-ups are open now until Friday, April 24th. Click HERE to go visit Terri and read all about the fun.



I signed up for it already and I'm sure you can guess what I will be making for my swap partner. I might even have to make another shopping expedition and purchase more cotton! Oh, how exciting!

If you were in a swap like this where you knew you would be receiving at least 3 kitchen related items, what would you want to receive? Would you be thrilled or disappointed with handmade cotton dishcloths? Would a pretty hand-embroidered towel make you happy? What would you think of receiving an original apron with your name on it? I'd love to hear what other people think would make a good gift so I can start planning my swap items.

Who knows? Maybe YOU will be the one to receive them!

Happy Stitching!

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I Love a Bargain! Do you?

It's shaping up to be another busy week here, but I wanted to pop in quickly to let you all know that I am working very hard on revamping my Tunisian Crochet dishcloth patterns so they will work out with regular knitting. It's not quite as easy as it sounds, and when my final sample is complete, I'll tell you about the entire process!

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a sale I found at Mary Maxim, which is one of my favorite yarn sources. Caron Simply Soft Baby yarn is on sale right now for only 97 cents for a 2 ounce skein. It comes in 6 soft, luscious colors perfect for your next baby project. This is a worsted weight yarn in baby colors, not a lightweight fingering weight yarn as the name might imply.

If you need some ideas for patterns to use with this yarn, you can check out the Caron website where they share a few patterns specifically for their Simply Soft Baby yarn. Two are blankets, one knitted and one crocheted, and one is a crocheted sweater. All are just darling! Or you can use any pattern that calls for a medium worsted weight yarn.

If I can knit fast enough, I am hoping to have my knitted dishcloth complete and photographed by tomorrow evening. Wish me luck!


Happy Stitching!

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Sunny New Crocheted Dishcloth Pattern

The sun is shining and it is a beautiful Easter Monday here. As you may know, I've been having lots of fun with worsted weight crochet cotton yarn lately, making lots of dishcloths in various patterns. I recently found an alternative to buying the cotton in small 2 or 2.5 ounce balls and I wanted to share that with you, along with a new design I made on a sunny Easter Sunday.


Our local Walmart carries Peaches & Creme brand cotton in the smaller balls, but select colors in a larger 14 ounce cone as well. I knew I would be making quite a few cloths for various fundraisers and gift occasions, so I went ahead and purchased one of the cones. You see it pictured above in the very cheerful Daisy Ombre variegated. I would guess that I have used up not quite half of the cone making the three cloths you see in the picture. I like this alternative to the small balls because I don't have to worry about running out of yarn before finishing a design, and I don't end up with lots of leftovers.

The price is right too. For a 2 ounce ball, I paid about $1.50. For the 14 ounce cone, I paid about $7.00. If you do the math, the cone is a much better deal. It's like getting 2 balls free. That's my kind of deal!


Here's my latest design for a Tunisian Crochet dishcloth -- a bright warm Sun pattern! I love how the variegated yarn works out its own design with the left side of the sun being mostly white and the right side being the two shades of yellow. However, I do think that a solid yarn is more conducive to showing off the design stitched into the cloth. I just had to try it, though, in this very happy color combination. It just seemed the appropriate thing to do!

After I finished following the chart using Tunisian Crochet, I switched to my regular crochet hook in the same size (I use size K for mine) and worked 4 rounds of single crochet around the cloth to finish it off. You can work any kind of border you like around your cloth. Lots of border patterns can be found on the Crochet Page.

This cloth pictured above turned out a little too rectangular for my liking, so in the pattern below, I added 3 rows on the top and 3 rows on the bottom and adjusted the little sunbursts in the corners accordingly. According to my measurements of the finished cloth, this should allow my next cloth (or yours!) to come out more square.


For more Tunisian Crochet cloth charts, check the Crochet page under Crochet Patterns where you will find a chart for a Duck cloth, a Shamrock cloth and a pattern for a Mystery cloth. I have a few more charts finished that I will be sharing with you soon. And I am still working on adjusting these charts to use for knitting too, since a few of my faithful readers have expressed an interest in knitting these cloths with the designs in them.

Happy Stitching!

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Pretty Easter Eggs - fun to make!

A few years ago, I came across some lovely Easter egg decorations in the Martha Stewart Living magazine that intrigued me, so I had to try making one. I was so pleased with the way the first one turned out that I made a lot, and I mean A LOT, more that year! Here are the eggs I kept for myself decorating my Easter mantle...


DMC Perle Cotton comes in so many lovely colors, and I think I tried them all!


I even made some two-toned eggs, like this green one with the darker green on the bottom and the lighter green on the top. That was a good way to use up leftovers from other eggs and still make something nice.


The wrapping of perle cotton on each egg is started from the top and brought down to the center, then started again at the bottom and brought up to the center. Glue is painted onto a styrofoam egg in sections and the cotton is pinned in place at the top and wrapped around and around, adding more glue as necessary, until the center is reached. Then the same thing is done from the bottom. This allows the thread to be placed up against the previous round of thread, until the whole egg is covered.


Once the egg is completely wrapped in the perle cotton, a length of ribbon is glued around the center, hiding the area where the two halves of the wrapping come together. I also purchased some pre-made ribbon flowers that I glued in place over the cut ends of the ribbon. Pinning the flowers at each petal point will hold them in place while the glue dries.

Don't you think they make a lovely Easter display?

Happy Stitching!

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Parallel Chain Crocheted Cord Video Tutorial

Below you will find a video showing another method of crocheting a cord. This one is called the Parallel Chain Cord and it is very quick and easy to do.




I hope you find this video helpful and have fun crocheting your own cord for drawstrings or purse handles or other decorative touches on your projects.

I will be sharing one more crocheted cording video soon, plus a few methods of knitting cord.

Happy Stitching!

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Seaside Park Oddball Baby Blanket Complete

Another Oddball Baby Blanket is all finished and on its way back to Connecticut! This one is called Seaside Park, the same one you saw just recently when the knitting on it was finished. The crocheted border is now complete and, as usually happens when adding a border to anything, it finishes off the blanket very nicely.


Here is Seaside Park, all finished and looking lovely. It's so nice to think of the baby, most likely not even born yet, who will cuddle up under this blanket that has been knitted with so much love by strangers.


In this close-up, you can see the three rounds of single crochet and the last round of reverse single crochet which make up the border. I actually had planned to crochet some sort of a wavy pattern as the last round, like I did on the Circus Circus blanket, but I wasn't quite sure I would have enough yarn to work a pattern like that. I decided to work the reverse single crochet and see how much yarn I had left at the end. If I had a lot left, I would rip out the last round and work a wavy border to go along with the Seaside theme of the blanket. Well, as it turned out, after working the reverse single crochet border, I had barely 2 feet of yarn leftover! Whew! At least I was able to finish what I started and I didn't have to rip anything out! I suppose reverse single crochet is appropriate for the Seaside theme since it does look a little bit like rope. What do you think?

Anyway, reverse single crochet is one of my very favorite borders for a blanket and I enjoy working it. If you would like to see how it is done, you can view my video by clicking HERE. Once you get the hang of it and can achieve a consistent look to your stitches, it is a fun and satisfying border pattern to use.

Happy Stitching!

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