Every year we spend thousands to replenish our wardrobe; throw away some of the old to embrace new. The newness instils excitement and freshness taking away the dullness and boredom.

It is a great therapy for boosting the morale and keeping things lively, be it the house or one’s life. However, this investment towards the change often ends up digging a deep hole in our pockets, making us wonder would be there a more affordable way to do this?

The answer is in the accessories. These pocket-friendly small trinkets can do magic if matched rightly. Look at the handbags for example. These have been one of the best ways to define the style statement.

For me a handbag is everything. A ladies handbag is always a mystery to men, of course, it goes without saying that unlike them, we never travel light. We have a wallet, mobile, keys, makeup kit, medicine kit, notebook, pen, a bottle, a small umbrella and the list never ends.

With similar thoughts, I decided to make every day ( i.e. quotidian ) tote bag for my best buds (3+1). I wanted this bag to funky yet subtle, so I used funky colours and contrasted it with a simple pattern and honed texture. Great to along in a mall for shopping, to the office, or even at a casual occasion like catching up a friend or going to beachside; just grab this tote bag and head towards your destination.

I played a little game with my buds, I had four colour in my mind. I attached these colours and assigned a number to each from 1-4. Each of them picked a number and voila that’s the colour they are flaunting now.

Process:

The process is very simple. I used cotton yarn to make this bag. Crochet stitch is a series of Single-Crochet pattern made in a spiral pattern running around each other in a circle from bottom to top. The handles add up in a seamless form. The Edging, too, is in a Single-Crochet series. The process is divided into 4 parts:

1. Base
2. Body
3. Handles
4. Edging

Base:-

R1: Starting with a magic circle, Ch 1, Single Crochet (SC) 6 times; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 6 SC.

R2: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in one SC; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 12 SC.

R3: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 18 SC.

R4: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 2 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 24 SC.

R5: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 3 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 30 SC.

R6: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 4 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 36 SC.

R7: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 5 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total  42 SC.

R8: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 6 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 48 SC.

R9: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 7 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 54 SC.

R10: Ch 1, 2 Single Crochet (SC) in SC, SC in 8 SC *; repeat *-; join at the beginning with a Slip Stitch (SL ST). Total 60 SC.

R11 – R20: Repeat for another 10 rows in the same manner. Total 120 SC.

Remember: The diameter of the base should depend on the width of the Tote bag you are looking for. I aimed for 9″.

Body:-

R21 – R60: Single Crochet around. Total 120 SC.

Repeat the last row till the tote bag reaches to the desired length.

Handle:-

Handle Marks – Count 30 stitch put a marker. Use one marker for every 30th stitch. There will be 4 marks on the body of the bag.

R61: Ch1, Single Crochet (SC) 30 stitches. turn. Total 30 SC.

R62: Ch1, Single Crochet Together (SCTOG), SC 26 stitches, SCTOG. turn. Total 28 SC.

R63: Ch1, SCTOG, SC 24 stitches, SCTOG. turn. Total 26 SC.

R64: SCTOG, SC 22 stitches, SCTOG. turn. Total 24 SC.

R65 – R72: Repeat decreasing the stitch count by 2 till you reach 6 SC.

R73: Ch 1, Single Crochet, turn. Total 6 SC.

R74 – R154: Repeat R73.

OR 6 Single Crochet for 80 rows.

R155: Ch 1, 2 SC in SC, SC 4, 2 SC in SC; turn. Total 8 SC.

R156: Ch1, 2 Sc in SC, SC 6, 2 SC in SC; turn. Total 10 SC.

R157 – R167: Repeat increasing the stitch count by 2 till you reach 30 SC.

R168: Ch 1, SC in SC. Total 30 SC.

R169: Straighten out the handle. Slip Stich with the body of the bag between 3rd and 4th markers. Cut and sew the stranding yarn.

Edging:-

R170: Join the yarn, Ch 1, SC from 2nd marker side of the handles to 3rd marker. Cut and sew the stranding yarns.

R171: Join the yarn, Ch 1, SC from 4th marker side of the handles to 1st marker. Cut and sew the stranding yarns.

Product Specifications:

Dimensions:-

• Diameter of the base: 9″
• Height of the bag: 9″.

Optional Alterations:-

• You can use a crochet chain, ribbon, resin strap, snap-button or even a zip for the pouch drawstring.
• Pom-pom, tassels, charms, miniature idols, mini toys, amulets make a good match for the colour with the edging or the base colour.
• You can attach flowers, beads, appliques or a bow made of crochet, plastic, suede leather, fabric etc to make it more interesting.

Remember: do not overdo it. This takes away the beauty of the pattern itself. Believe in elegant simplicity!!

In case, you have stuck anywhere or have any queries, kindly contact me.

Quotidian Tote Bag

Style Aisle:

• Choose the colour matching to your outfit.
• You can make different varieties that match with your other pouch or any outfit.
• Choose the wool/cotton colour based on the palette in your wardrobe. Experiment and enjoy the beautiful colours.

Materials:

1. Yarn: Lily Sugar’N Cream Cone – Potpuri, Peaches & Creme Cone – Seabreeze, Lily Sugar’N Cream Cone – Sage, Lily Sugar’N Cream Cone – Yellow
2. Crochet Hook: 5mm
3. Scissors
4. Needle
5. Measuring Tape
6. Stitch Marker: My stitch markers are the mini safety pins we get from clothing tags.

• Note: you can play around with different branded yarns as far as they give the synchronous flow of the pattern using a constant crochet hook.
• You can either go for the yarns with the same recommended crochet hook OR decide the yarn and change the crochet hooks along with the tightness on the crochet stitches as you proceed with the pattern.
• You can change the pattern to get a continuous flow.

Happy Crocheting!!!

APPENDIX

Care Instructions:

Quality Promise: If washed with care, then the elegant stitch guarantees perfection up to multiple washes. The wool quality might stretch upon multiple uses.

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Each and every item (printed or sold) is handmade by me with complete love and care in a pet-free, smoke-free clean crafts room. A lot of consideration goes behind giving you the perfect order. The materials invested are of high-grade quality. 

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