Lighthouse silhouette graph

Lighthouse

I beg you to please read till the end.  Lots of information!

On February 17 this year, I lost a beloved friend.  She had been battling cancer, which she kept mostly to herself because she didn't like people to worry about her.  So when I got the message from her cousin (who was my best friend from the time we were 6 years old!) it was great shock to me. My friend, Stacy, had insisted that she was getting better.  She told me of recurring kidney infections, but not that her cancer had come back.  She was an amazing woman.  She had a great capacity to love.  She sewed purses and wallets and had a business doing so out of her home. Several months ago she had to put her business on hold and move back in with her parents.

Stacy's Star

Her birthday is coming up soon and her family wants to do a benefit for her to help her husband with the cost of her headstone and probably medical expenses and such.  I was asked to design a blanket in her honor that will be raffled off at the birthday fundraiser.

Stacy loved  lighthouses and had a collection of them so I decided to include her favorite item in the design.  And I think there is something poetic about sunsets, which Stacy also loved, so I included a background of a sunset.  I love the colors in the first one which is just titled "Lighthouse," but I was asked to make it with more of a yellow/orange theme.  When I did so, it seemed very bare so I added 3 birds flying off together.  I chose 3 because Stacy had 2 sisters.

At Stacy's funeral, there was a very moving story about an aunt who thought of her when she saw a bright shining star in the sky (which I can tell you is very appropriate. She really was the bright shining star in the family).  When I realized I hadn't made the graph the correct proportions for a 5 x 6 throw I added rows at the top and there was a lot of blank space so I added one single bright shining star in her honor.

All of that to say this: Until her birthday on April 17, 2020, I would like to ask for a donation of $1 for either graph if you'd like to make a lighthouse afghan of your own (the star and birds are easily skipped if you don't want them in there). Please PayPal me the donation with the title of the graph in the notes section of the transfer and I'll email you the pdf of the graph.  After April 17, email kendrascrochet@gmail.com with either "lighthouse" or "Stacy's Star" in the subject line and I'll email you the pdf free of charge.

If you'd like me to make you one, I would love to as I plan on donating the profits to the family for her headstone, or whatever they need it for, at the time of the benefit.  Temporarily, I'm asking $50 for the throw, if you pre-order by April 17. After then, the price goes back to normal. Email me to order.

I'm working on a finished product right now to be raffled off. If you'd like to order a raffle ticket, please let me know and I'll put you in contact with the one in charge of the raffle.  Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Finished photo to be posted as soon as I"m done with it!

Tote bag tutorial

I love bags. Purses, wallets, tote bags, drawstring bags, backpacks, hobo bags, I love them all!  I have a weakness for them.  I enjoy filling them with my treasured items and carrying them from place to place. I love the designs, the different sizes, the pockets - oh the pockets!

Let's put 2 of my favorite things together.  Crochet and Bags.  Actually, let's add fundraising in there too (but you don't have to work the pattern; you can still go through the tutorial in one color). I have a pattern made for a Congenital Heart Defect fundraiser that I'm dying to try out. If you'd like to work the CHD pattern on your tote bag, email me at kendrascrochet@gmail.com if you'd like the pdf for an easier read.  Before we start:

1. First, use a durable yarn.  I stay away from animal fibers like wool when making bags because I've had a problem with yarn breakage.  Of course you can join the broken yarn and keep going, but I prefer to use a single long strand of yarn for as long as I can before attaching another one.  It looks better without a join and I think it stays stronger.  Every join is an opportunity for a weakness in the structure.  For this project I'm using Bernat Super Value.
2. Use tight, close stitches, and/or a lining.  This will keep the bag from stretching and give it a sturdy structure that will hold up to use. For this bag we'll be using single crochet throughout, but that isn't necessary for every bag, especially if you line it.  Feel free to mix up your stitches to give a different texture.
3. Go through both loops of each stitch.  This will reinforce the stitches and keep it from stretching also.

This will be a simple pattern. You'll need to know chain stitches and single crochet.  If you need to learn these first, go to https://www.craftsy.com/crocheting/article/crochet-for-beginners/ before you begin.

The pattern:

where you go around the other side

1. With an F (or G-I worked mine with an F and my wrists are screaming at me!) hook and WW yarn, ch 52. Sc in 2nd chain from hook and next 49. 3 sc in last ch.  Keep working around opposite side of starting chain (see photos). Sc in next 50. 3 sc in end st. Do not join, do not turn.
2. sc in next 51.  By this time, you may be noticing that your work is starting to curl or corkscrew.  That's fine.  Keep going, it will work itself out. 3 sc in next, sc in 51.
3. 2 sc, sc, 2 sc, sc in 51, 2 sc sc, 2 sc, sc in 51.
4. You can keep increasing the base of the bag if you like, but I'm going to stop my increases here and just work on the sides.  To work on the sides without color changes, just keep sc through both loops around without any increases on the ends. Go as high as you want!  Make that bag as tall or short as you like it. When you have it as high as you want, skip to the section  marked "strap." If you're working the CHD graph, this is where things change a bit:
5. To work the graph, first work 2 rows even. That will take care of the 2 white rows of graph squares at the bottom of the graph (we do have to work the graph from the bottom up!).
6. Now that we're at a color changing row, we'll have to start working back and forth and joining. This is because the color changes are only on one side of the bag. I'm doing this for a couple reasons.
   A. I'm thinking about "surface crocheting" a different design on the other side. We'll see.

   

   The inside-see what I mean? Yuck!

   
   B. More importantly, carrying the yarn all the way around the end to the other side will affect the bag by changing the tension.  I plan on lining this bag so I'm not going to crochet over the red strand (tapestry crochet) because it will be visible under the white but since I'm lining it anyway, I'll just leave it hang on the inside and pick it up where it's needed. The strands will be covered by the lining. If you aren't lining your bag and want to add the design on both sides, I recommend starting a different skein for the opposite side of the bag so you won't have to crochet over the red strand and have it show through all around the edge.
   So, to join and start a new row, when you're done with the 2nd row of working even, sc 3 more to put you at the end of the bag, then sl st in the next.
7. ch 1, turn. Start working design on graph from the bottom of the lettering of the word "Warrior." Sc around opposite side of bag till you come to the join. sc in the ch 1 sp, then join with a sl st to the first sc of the round.
8. Ch 1, turn.  Work around bag, following the graph when you get back around to the lettering. Continue until graph is finished.

Strap:

sl st to opp end of bag on opp side

Make sure your hook is at the very edge when bag is laid flat. If working in the round (not joining) you may have to add or subtract a few stitches to get your hook in position.

1. Ch 1, turn.  sc in next 6.
2. repeat step 1 until strap is desired length (mine was 130 rows)
3. sl st to opposite end of bag, on opposite side. Fasten off, weave in ends.
   
   

   

   The finished front

If you have any questions or if something is unclear, please leave a comment or email me at kendrascrochet@gmail.com.  I want to make sure this tutorial is usable for you, and I plan on making more! Next up-lining the bag to cover the ugly inside (or just because you want a lining!