First Project: "Box-O-Yarn"--Library Book Tote

This is the first project made from the "Box-O-Yarn" I bought from a classified ad. It's a book tote, and in this picture the tote is loaded with SIX BOOKS, with room for a few more.

The colors are much lighter in person than in this picture.

I noticed that one of my sisters was carrying her library books back and forth in a plastic grocery store bag. That’s the kind of thing we handicrafters take note of when planning our Christmas gifting. It’s so nice to see a need and know the perfect way to fill it with a handmade gift.

I’m not a color person, so it was great to find a collection of remnants in this box that someone else had bought to be used together in some project. I assume that this yarn was initially used in an afghan design, as there were five or six complementary colors of the same brand of yarn (none had bands), kept together in a plastic bag. So that part of my design work was done for me. Luckily, the bag of thread I bought a few months back also contained a nice set of pink wooden bag handles, just waiting for this color scheme. What more could I ask? I had everything I needed for this Library Tote.

I experimented with a number of stitches, both knit and crochet. It was important that a book bag have a flat bottom, and that it be strong, and not very stretchy. I also didn’t want to line it. Crochet seemed like a better choice. I also wanted something seamless, as sewing together a thick fabric often is hard to do and looks messy. To achieve this end, I started with a crocheted oval and then built up the sides in the round from this base, joining each round with a slip stitch and then another sc stitch to mark the beginning of the next round. This is not a pattern stitch that works in a spiral, so it was important to keep each row flat and distinct.

The good thing about this pattern is the thickness of the fabric produced—the stitch results in half the fabric being composed of three layers of yarn—and it’s also an attractive alternative to stripes. The bad thing: the pattern absolutely eats up yarn at an alarming rate. By the time I had finished one pattern repeat, it was clear that the sand color wouldn’t last for two more repeats, and the taupe was not far behind. At that point, I should have added a fifth color, but nothing seemed to look right. I had a fair amount of the pink, and quite a bit of plum, so, as I worked on that second repeat, my mind was working away at what to do. I realized that the thickness of the fabric would change if I abandoned the long stitch design at the top. This wouldn’t really matter as much near the top of the bag, where strength wasn’t so crucial, but I didn’t think it would look right. So I experimented with half-double crochet stripes, which I knew would result in a nice diagonal effect.

The big drawback, obviously, of using someone’s leftovers is that you have a finite amount of any one yarn. The challenge is not to run out, but not to waste a lot, either. Some people can make things with that crazy quilt look, and it’s charming. I’m not one of those people. Unless I stick to some definite design, my odd-ball projects look like they were made in an elementary school art class. I think this tote looks nice, and hope my sister likes it, too.