I have been so excited waiting for today! My crocheted bag pattern has been published in Crochet Now Magazine! Preparing it has been so much fun, right from coming up with a design for the magazine’s theme of Christmassy makes, and then developing a pattern and crocheting the sample with the lovely soft cotton yarn supplied by Cascade Yarns.
I heard my design was selected back in April and was thrilled but couldn't tell anyone until the magazine is on sale! Today, I went to buy a copy and couldn't wait to get home to read it so popped to a café. Seeing the pattern and photo of the bag inside was wonderful! I just love the magazine’s photo too, featuring the model’s great smile and that lovely pullover!
I came up with the design after making a little swatch in broomstick crochet as I was fascinated by the technique and I realised how much it looked like the roof of the gingerbread house we like to bake and decorate each Christmas, so it seemed perfect for a Christmas themed bag that's still be usable all year round. I added a snowy white royal icing style border and crystals in place of the sweets that are often used on gingerbread houses; that's my children's favourite part of both the decorating and eating!
Pattern: Sugar and Spice Bag Published in: Crochet Now magazine, issue 87 Yarn: Cascade Ultra Pima (shades Chipmunk 3849 and white 3728)
The bag has a firm and dense body made of waistcoat stitch so it keeps its shape fairly well even without stiffening and is also easily washable. The thin strap is embroidered with the white yarn for decorative purposes and to reduce stretchiness and the bag is sized to just fit most large smartphones plus the usual handbag essentials: keys, purse, travelcard etc. With my youngest child now at school, I'm really enjoying using smaller bags after six years or carrying a large bag full of spare clothes, snacks etc. so I think that might have inspired its size! The front flap is the most decorative part with the twisted, lacelike texture of the broomstick crochet and the sparkly beads along the white edging and the tassel centre front. It closes with a snap fastener at each corner so is secure if you drop it or leave it flat.
The tassel was really fun to make and is designed to be detachable so you can fasten it in different ways according to your preference. For example, you could tie it where the strap joins the bag at the side. I also think it could be a fun project to embellish in different ways, just as we decorate our gingerbread houses differently. What would you add to yours? Let me know in the comments.
Crochet Now Issue 87 is on sale in shops across the UK from Thursday 13th October. To find your nearest stockist, use the store finder on Seymour or order online from Craft Stash. You can also purchase a digital edition of the magazine via the PocketMags app.
Do let me know if you make the bag. I'm always so excited when I see that someone has used one of my patterns!