Stashbusters Crocheted Bag

Do you ever feel like you have an inability to sit still? Or is that just me? Long car rides and watching movies are perfect times for me to pull some yarn from the stash and keep my hands busy. Whenever I go craft shopping I always end up in the yarn aisle. I have even been purchasing cute clearance yarns. The problem is that I have a giant box in the garage filled with yarns that I have had for years. I need to bust that stash to ease my guilt over buying more! So I began here:

This was a single skein, single stitch, continuously stitched bag.

I simply began with a chain of 40 stitches using a size I crochet hook. I kept up with the single stitch until I had it long enough to fold in half to create both sides of the bag. I then connected one side of the bag and once I was at the top of the bag I began on the strap, crocheting rows of 7 stitches. I connected the strap at the opposite side and that was it. I lined the bag using an adorable brown sunflower skirt that I had picked up at the Salvation Army recently.

Aren't the sunflowers adorable on this skirt?

I added two pockets to the lining.

The humble single stitch is my favorite crochet stitch. There is something so pleasing about the uniformity of the rows.

I sized this bag to carry books and magazines. If you don't mind the pockets on the outside, this bag is fully reversible.

Next time I do this I will use a lining with no stretch. This bag really doesn't have enough structure. But it was a fun guinea pig crochet project!! I have learned a few things from it.....