Tunisian Crochet Bag

This week on Show Me How, Gloria Bastos is joined by Elaine Van Wyk of I Love Yarn. She shows us how to make an intricate crocheted bag. She will teach us various techniques such Tunisian crochet, slip stitches, how to create an ombre effect and so much more!

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Tunisian Entrelac Crochet Bag
By Elaine van Wyk
I Love Yarn

Requirements

• 5mm crochet hook and darning needles
• 6 colours of yarn available from I Love Yarn:
  • Natural
  • Burnt Butter
  • Butterscotch
  • Antique Rose
  • Requiem
  • Rust
• Leather handbag straps

Instructions

• Step 1:
  • Chain 140 with Natural (decrease/increase the size of the bag by adjusting in multiples of 10 chains)
• Step 2:
  • For your first block
  • – Draw up a loop into each of the first 6 chains (7 loops on hook)
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – *Draw up a loop into each of the 5 vertical bars. Draw up a loop into the next chain. (7 loops on hooks)
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – Repeat from * until you have 5 rows.
  • – Now bind off: Draw a slip stitch through the first vertical bar and the first loop on hook. Repeat this 4 more times. The 5th time: draw a slip stitch through the last place where you ended row 5.
  • Repeat the first block until you have 14 blocks in total.
• Step 3:
  • Join in the round
  • Making sure your strip of blocks is not twisted, join the first block to the last block with a slip stitch to create a tube.
  • Now do slip stitches up the side of the first block to get to the top (5 slip stitches in total).
• Step 3:
  • Blocks on top of your previous round
  • – Draw up a loop into the first five slip stitches and one into the side of the next block. (7 loops on hook), so you are skipping one stitch between the two blocks.
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – *Draw up a loop into each of the 5 vertical bars. Draw up a loop into the side of the next block. (7 loops on hooks)
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – Repeat from * until you have 5 rows.
  • – Now bind off: Draw a slip stitch through the first vertical bar and the first loop on hook. Repeat this 4 more times. The 5th time: draw a slip stitch through the last place where you ended row 5.
  • Continue until you reach the beginning again. Now change colour. You will continue doing the blocks as previously explained – when changing colour, you don’t have a loop on your hook already, so you are not going to skip the stitch between the 2 blocks. Continue as explained before.  Change your colour after you have done 2 rows of blocks in each colour. For the darkest colour, Rust, do 4 full rows of blocks, the do a 5th row of only 5 blocks.
  • Sew the bottom together
  • You can do slip stitches to join these five blocks to the opposite side of your work. Now take a darning needle and join the sides as well.
• Step 4:
  • Triangles to straighten the top edge of your bag
  • With Natural: – Draw up 5 lps along the bound off edge of the first square, 1 lp in the corner between the 2  squares and 1 lp into the next square (7 lps on hook)
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – Skipping the first vertical bar, draw up 4 lps, draw up a 5th lp into the next square (6 lps on hook).
  • – Yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat this until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • –  Skip the first vertical bar, pick up 3 lps, draw up a 5th lp into the next row of the square  (5 lps on hook).
  • – You and draw through 2 lps twice until you have 1 loop left on your hook.
  • – Repeat in this sequence until you are left with only one vertical bar.
  • – Start with a new triangle.
• Step 5:
  • Finish off your bag
  • Using a sturdy kind of fabric such as canvas, sew in a lining and attach leather handles.