Tuesday 3 March 2015

A colourful Granny Square Crochet Bag, some nice New Yarn, a Sunday walk and Ombre knitting

Hello all,

Thanks for your kind responses to my latest projects. I know you are curious to see what I made out of all those granny squares I was busy with!

I can show you now - I made a new bag and it is finished!

A colourful Granny Square Crochet Bag



Side A of the Granny Square Crochet Bag
Side B of the Granny Square Crochet Bag


How to make this bag:

Here you can see a few of the steps that shows how I made the bag. First I worked out that I needed a total of 28 squares. I had seen instructions for making a small bag out of 17 squares, but I wanted mine to be a bit bigger.

Crocheting some squares while enjoying my cup of tea!
Squares of various sizes

I used Scheepjeswol Stone Washed and a 3mm hook. I crocheted 5 rounds with different colours for each squares. (In theory you could make the squares any size!)



Before I started attaching the squares to each other, I laid out all the squares on the table how I liked them best.

Squares laid out in the shape of the bag
I tried to balance colours on both sides of the bag similarly.

Using purple for crocheting the squares together.

Crocheting the squares together
The bottom of the bag
The bag from above, opened up
The handles were sewn to the sides

Initially my plan was to crochet some straps, but then I found a suitable strap at Wolle Roedel, a wool shop in Germany on our visit this past weekend.

I have already used my new bag, but I'm considering lining it with fabric still.


Some nice New Yarn

I also found  some pretty Linnen yarn in Germany, here is a photo of my purchases. You can see the bag handles underneath the Knit-Pro tips.



In a bookshop I got a new hobby book on making Stampers and Printing!


Here in Belgium  I bought some more Rowan colourscape Chunky wool which I will use to sort out an old WIP.

Rowan Colourscape Chunky and Scheepjeswol Stone Washed
And yesterday I discovered some new shaeds of Fenna yarn!!!! I'm currently trying out a new crochet stitch.

Hello new FENNA!


Ombre knitting

Meanwhile I started on another knitting project. I'm trying to mix yarns to create an ombre effect. The yarn is Drops Alpaca Silk Brushed. It feels incredibly soft. Here are the first two colours.








A Sunday walk


On Sunday we went for a nice little walk around a public park domein called Vrijbroek near Mechelen. It was still quite cold outside, so we wrapped up warm!



The Road less travelled (it was closed due to safety concerns!)
Fishing lake
Impressive clouds
Walking along water
Rhododendron with flower buds
The Rose Garden
My Harlequion Blanket

Recently I took my blanket to school to talk about it and my hobby! It made me realize that I haven't worked on it for over 2 months, I really should get back to it and get it finished!!!

My big Harlequin Blanket in my first crochet Granny Square Bag
My Harlequin Blanket draped on the stairs


The problem, as always, is time! I have so many plans and ideas and I come across interesting patterns and stitches every day! I keep making lists and notes to try and hold on to it all so I won't forget! Do you feel the same?

Nevertheless, every so often, something new comes along unexpectedly and I tend to drop everything and start on yet another WIP. The above Crochet Bag took me a week and is an ideal project to do whenever you get time to make a few squares. Unlike a blanket, it is finished so much quicker!!!

Thank you all for your patience and loyalty! I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope to see you back soon again!

I would love hearing from you, so please leave me some comments, I love reading them!

27 comments:

  1. Wauw Ingrid, die tas is een topper! Erg mooi geworden! De bolletjes linnen vind ik ook mooi, weet je al wat je daar van gaat maken? Tja, zoveel leuks is er te vinden op internet dat ik soms ook niet meer weet waar ik moet beginnen... ;) ik kocht ook nieuwe katoen, maar heb mezelf beloofd eerst een paar andere dingen af te maken. Die nieuwe fenne ben ik hier nog niet tegen gekomen, maar ik zal mezelf ook niet toestaan ze te kopen als ik ze toch nog vind. Want ik heb nog zooooooveel bolletjes liggen dat ik eerst maar eens de fenna van vorig jaar op moet haken... Ik heb nog zwart/grijs en ook nog paars/groenig. :)
    Je deken is al wel groot hoor, hoeveel moet je nog totdat ie de gewenste afmeting heeft?
    Groetjes

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    1. Hallo Lizette! Dankje! :) Ik denk dat ik de linnen voor een sommertrui zal gebruiken (haken). Heb je al van die nieuwe garens van Scheepjeswol gehoord? (Sunkissed, Bloom, Softfun Denim - http://www.scheepjeswol.com/en/collection/view-all/) Ik wacht nu dat ze hier ook in de winkel binnenkomen! Maar ik verstaa wel wat je zeggt! Voor mijn deken heb ik mischien nog 30 cm nodig!! :) xx

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  2. Ingrid, your bag is perfect. I just love it and you will get so much use from it. Also love all of your new yarn.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. Hi Meredith! You are absolutely right! I'm glad I made it big enough! :) xx

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  3. Your bag is fantastic!!! I really like the way that you joined the squares with the purple, it really seems to pull the other colours together very well! xx

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    1. Hi Amy! Thanks! Using a unifying colour is something I learned when I made my first granny square bag (read about it here: http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be/2014/08/hello-and-welcome-to-my-blog-it-is-open.html). I prefer using colour accents rather than white... ;) xx

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    2. I totally agree with Amy and your choice of purple. Purple is great because it can be a cool colour or a warm colour depending on how and where you use it.

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  4. Wow, that's a long post! Loved reading it though. The purse is perfect. The color, the shape and the yarn, omg. I need to get hold of that yarn! I am sure with fabric inside it will feel better. What a lovely waqlk through the park, wish we had some like that. You get to enjoy spring. -5'C today, sun and blue sky - Perfect. I will head out with my camera and a dog. Come over to my link party today and show off your bag! Have a nice day

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    1. Thanks, Monica! It may look like spring, but it's still pretty cold! On Tuesday we had terrible hail showers!!! Right now it is windy which makes it feel colder. But it's not below freezing, at least not during the daytime. Thanks for hosting the link party again! :) xx

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  5. Yes I'm the same, too many ideas that distract me from actually making anything! Perhaps I should spend less time on Pinterest lol
    Love the blankwt, it's gorgeous, as is the ombre wool and the pink and purple wool :) oh and your new bag of course:)
    Jillxo

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    1. Thanks, Jill for all your kind comments! I also find pinterest a huge source of new inspiration, as is instagram!!! Hope you get enough time to indulge in a spot of crochet here and there! I can't wait to see what you will make from your new yarn!!! Happy crocheting! :) xx

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  6. Your bag is lovely, Ingrid! And I enjoyed seeing your beautiful ombre effect knitting....such beautiful wool. Your blanket is gorgeously colourful :) Happy weekend.
    Helen xox

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    1. Thank you, Helen! I will hopefully show more of the knitting in a bit, currently I have fallen for another lovely flower pattern and have been doing nothing but crocheting one colourful flower after another! ;) xx

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  7. Hi Ingrid,
    I have been away from blogland for a little while and it is wonderful to come back to see your colourful creations. I love the glorious colours in the photo of your harlequin blanket in your other granny square bag. Such an apt combination. Your step-by-step photos for your latest granny bag illustrate the process very well. I didn't realise you could do so much in only a week. I am always amazed at your productivity. Hugs, Jodie xx

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    1. Hi Jodie! Thanks for your kind comments and welcome back! Well, there are 28 squares, so if you make about 5 every day and allow some time for crocheting them together, it doesn't really take that long... I did a lot whilst we were travelling to and from England, being stuck in the car! :) Hugs! xx

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  8. What a wonderful bag, the colour combination is stunning.

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    1. Thanks, dear Lorraine! I'm very fond of this yarn! :) xx

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  9. Hey Ingrid, sorry i thought I'd commented on this! I love love love your bag, It's gorgeous and really makes me want to try the yarn - I've resisted thus far... I also love the ombre knitting, looking forward to seeing it progress :) Your walk in the park looks really pretty xx

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    1. Hi Helen! Thank you for your lovely comments! You could easily make this bag from any yarn you got! Granny squares are an ideal way to use some leftover yarn, but I do agree, this Stonewashed is lovely. I'm looking forward to the new ranges they are just introducing now from Scheepjeswol, so far I only found it online: http://www.deramores.com/new-products?brand=9069 . The colour ranges look great!!! Have a good week! :) xx

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  10. Ingrid, this bag is brilliant! Thanks for the instructions.
    Amalia
    xo

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  11. Great bag! :-) I am sure it will be well used!

    How is the stamp craving going? I saw a book like that in the shops the other day but I don't think I could do the carving very well (even though I would love to!!)

    Take care
    Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)

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    1. Hi Anne! Thanks for asking. Unfortunately I haven't had any time to experiment further with the stampers right now, but I will do once I have finished some of my other WIPs!!! :) xx

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  12. You have always so much things to show us each time!!!
    the bag is beautiful.
    And your blankets are great!!! I need to knit some for me!!!
    And pics of landscape are nice to see!
    Miss

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    1. Hello Miss, Thanks for your nice comments, I sure appreciate them! :) xx Check out my latest post, just posted it!

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  13. Thanks for the lovely post. Your new yarns are gorgeous. The granny squares bag is beautiful. I made one in the same way but with knitted squares. I lined it and I really love it.

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    1. Hi Gillian, Thanks so much! Yes, I do love my bag very much!! xx

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