The alternate title for this post should be, "How to Crochet Round Stuff." I know there are tons of crochet tutorials online. I don't know if I'm bringing something new, other than my cute, chubby hands. I tried to take some good pictures that really show the process. And it is long. I hope you are patient. But here you go.
You will want to start by making a simple loop. Like a cancer or AIDS awareness ribbon. Except this one is made out of a plastic bag. I hold this with my left hand.
Now, I'm a rightie, I grab my crochet hook with my right hand. This is a 9-millimeter hook, so pretty big. The letter size of it is N. I believe I got it for about $2, something like that.
Use the hook to grab the long tail of your loop and pull it through the loop. (Now I keep wanting to call it a ribbon. No, it's a loop.) It should look about like this:
Then pull it tight, this way, so what you have is basically a slip knot:
Use the hook to grab the long end again, and pull it through the loop that's left on the hook. This is called a chain. If you were reading a crochet pattern, they abbreviate that as "ch" and tell you how many times to do it. But we are not using a pattern here. We're crocheting by heart!
Chain 5 stitches, so you get a little length of chain crochet like this. It's sometimes called the foundation.
All right, you've started! Now we are going to make a loop that will be the base for the circle that will form the bottom of our bag. It's really a bucket bag because of the round bottom.
So bring the two ends of your chain together, like this:
With the last loop of your last chain still on your hook, reach it through the first chain so that you have that loop on your hook plus one thickness of yarn from the chain stitch. It will look like two loops on the hook, as shown below. Grab your long end again and pull it through, this way:
That will close the circle for you. and leave two loops on your hook. Now grab the long end and pull it through the two loops, like this:
You have now completed your first single crochet stitch. If you were reading a crochet pattern, it would abbreviate that as "sc." But again, we're crocheting by heart.
For the first time around our circle, we're going to put two single crochet stitches in every chain stitch. So reach your hook back through that same chain.
Pull your long end through the chain and then through the two loops on your hook. At the end of every single crochet stitch, you will have one loop left on your hook, like this:
Keep putting two single crochets in every chain, all the way around the circle. For review, here's how you do the single crochet:
1. Reach the hook through the chain.
2. Grab the long end with your hook.
3. Pull the long end through so you have two loops on the hook.
4. Grab the long end with the hook again.
5. Pull the long end through the two loops.
Here's what it looks like when you get all the way around the circle with your first round of single crochets.
At this point I like to start single crocheting into the two strands of yarn on top of every single crochet stitch. I just feel like it makes a thicker and stronger crochet. Plus it gives it a smoother look, nubby like a hackey sack but very even in its texture. If you want a thinner fabric with a stripey or ridged texture, you could just crochet into one of the strands. Up to you.
Here is how it looks when you start crocheting into two strands.
And here's how it looks with two single crochets into the two strands on top of the previous row of single crochets.
Now, let me say a few words about increasing. That's what you're doing when you put two stitches into one stitch on your previous row. You have to increase fairly evenly to make your circle lie flat and not be all wavy and bumpy.
I have gotten to where I can eyeball this pretty well. When it looks like there is room for another stitch, I put one in. But if you're nervous about eyeballing it, then you could try just adding a non-increased stitch with each new row. So for your second row of single crochets, you'd go two in a stitch, then one in a stitch, all the way around. Then on the third row, go two in a stitch, then double one in a stitch.
If your circle curls up like a bowl, you are not increasing enough. If the edges start to look ruffly, then you are increasing too much. You can always pull out stitches and try again.
Here's how a flat circle ought to look:
Let's talk about finishing off a length of yarn. Because we are using homemade plastic yarn, this is going to happen more frequently than it would if you were using purchased yarn.
When your length of yarn (I still feel weird calling it yarn, truth!) has only a couple of inches left on it, you need to pull it through that one loop that is left on your hook when you finish a single crochet stitch.
Then pull it tight to make a little knot.
Don't worry, this will blend right in with your crocheting. And it will be nice and secure. The last thing you need is to have your upcycled bucket bag bust open when you have it full of fresh produce from the farmer's market or wet swimsuits from the YMCA. It would get ugly.
Now, get your new length of yarn ready. Reach through the same previous-row stitch where you finished off your last length, and grab that new length with your crochet hook, leaving a tail on it of an inch or two. Tug on it if you need to to make sure there's a good little tail. This will be important. See below? I need to tug on that tail.
Pull the new length through to make a new loop.
Then reach through and grab your long end. This will effectively knot your new length of yarn to your work.
As you continue to crochet along, just stitch right over the tails of both the old length and the new length of yarn. They will stay nicely tucked in that way.
Keep going around, increasing as needed, to the size you want the bottom of your bag.
See how the edge of mine is curling up a bit? Bit hard to tell, but that is wavy because I have increased a bit too fast. The next row I will probably be able to fix it by just not increasing a lot. But if it continues to be a problem I will have to unravel.
That is all for today. I have some more work to do, and then in another post we will talk about how to do the sides of the bag (the WAY easiest part) and the handle.
By the way, I like to crochet while I cuddle and watch TV with my darling professor. If you don't have a good show you're watching right now, may I recommend Downton Abbey? You can catch all of Season 1 on Netflix. If you enjoy English period dramas at all, it's a must.
Catch you later, crocheters!
Ana Montana
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