The Sugar and Spice bag pattern is now available as a pdf download from my Ravelry Store. See below for details of the introductory offers.
I came up with the design after making a little swatch in broomstick crochet as I was fascinated by the technique and thought it would resemble the beautifully textured, silver, scallop shaped lichens that decorate the trees in our local woods in winter and inspired me to create this pattern.
After swatching and sketching the design, I realised how much it looked like the roof of the gingerbread house we bake and decorate at Christmas, so it seemed a good option for a Christmas themed bag that would still be usable all year round. I added 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!
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, nappies, 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 strap is thin but very sturdy as the decorative stitching along the edge reinforces it and reduces its stretchiness and the way it's attached enables you to hide it easily in the bag if you prefer a clutch style bag or double it under the front flat for a shorter hand held strap, so it is really very versatile and if a thicker strap is more to your taste, there is an option for that included in the pattern too.
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 instead of at the centre front or you could attach it to a keyring fixture for a matching accessory. 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.
Sugar and Spice Bag was originally published in Crochet Now Magazine in November 2022 and a downloadable copy of the individual pattern for the bag including a bonus "Make it your own" section is now available from my Ravelry Store and there is a discount of 20% automatically applied until the end of February (UK time) but if you subscribe to my mailing list you'll receive a code to save 50% instead, plus monthly news, updates, behind the scenes info and exclusive offers just for subscribers.
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!