Crochet With Me! Cute Crochet Carry-All

Post sponsored by Yarnspirations

As you know, I’ve been working with Yarnspirations quite a bit this year to film a tutorial for one of their newest crochet patterns. This month’s Lookbook, Pic-Knit, has so many wonderful patterns to enjoy the warm weather! Out of all the practical and fun-in-the-sun patterns, I found myself drawn to the Cute Crochet Carry-All the most.

The Yarn

This pattern uses one of my favorite yarns, Bernat Maker Home Dec. It’s just one of those yarns that’s easy on the hands and down right nice to work with when it’s a scorcher outside.  Many bulky weight yarns require a lot of “elbow grease” and this just isn’t one of them.

Buy it from Yarnpsirations

I admit, the yarn wasn’t the only reason I was drawn to the Cute Crochet Carry-All – It presented an opportunity for me to learn a new skill.

Some years ago now…

I reached out to a dear friend for help. I was convinced I was either irreversibly indecisive or maybe a little crazy. You see, I found myself bouncing from hobby to hobby, interest to interest. I’d learn how to do one thing and as quickly as I picked it up, would put it down and move on to the next. I convinced myself that I had no clue what I wanted to pursue in my free time and I didn’t know how to change.

I probably sounded pretty desperate on that phone call. I was at my wits end. She responded, “Brittany, have you tried Strengths Finder?” I had no clue what that was.

Little did I know, that conversation changed the course of my life and how I understand myself as a human being.

I’ll admit, I was incredibly skeptical about a book that felt like just another personality test but figured I had little to lose. After following the steps outlined in the book, I was given my top five strengths. The skepticism melted away after reading the results and realizing that this book knew me better than I knew myself.

The reason I bounced from hobby to hobby (and probably the reason why I love teaching so much) is because my number one strength is learning.

Ever since, I’ve made it a priority to not only recognize that learning is a real strength for me but also to own it and apply it to make the world a better place.

Well you can imagine as a learner, I seek out any opportunity to learn something new and my passion, crochet, is no exception.

What I learned from this project has been incredibly useful for other projects.

So what does my Strengths Finder story have to do with the Cute Crochet Carry-All? Well, see that little slant leading up to the handle? I hadn’t tried that technique before and the inner learner in me was screaming to give this a try. This little detail drew me right to this project.

This look is achieved by working five rows, leaving the first and last unworked as you progress. Here’s the real genius – the round on top of that uses these unworked stitches as “steps” to finish it off and give it this polished look. My mind is flooded with possibilities after learning this!

Playing With Color

If you look at the free pattern from Yarnspirations for this tote, you’ll notice their Carry-All is worked in a solid color. Don’t get me wrong I adore blue, however, aqua Bernat Maker Home Dec  yarn really speaks to me this season!

Initially, I planned to work my carry-all using only the aqua colorway but my curiosity struck about halfway through and I reached for the clay colorway to see what it would look like two-toned. I love it!!

I have to admit, I’m having a ton of fun with photography lately. For so many years my shyness kept me behind the camera. But I made it a goal this year to step out and show my face a bit more. There’s nothing more personal than seeing someone’s face and I want you to see I’m a real person, just like you.

So Does it Hold Up?

At first, I wasn’t sure how sturdy the handles would be. Crochet totes are notorious for sagging when you fill them up and for me, that’s just not practical. I filled my Carry-All with two skeins of Bernat Maker Home Dec yarn for these photos; not super heavy but it gave me a good idea how much the handles would stretch. As you can see, it didn’t stretch much.

Like any yarn, Bernat Maker Home Dec has some stretch to it. If you load your Carry-All with everything under the sun, you can bet the handles will stretch. At this point, the bag is still very new to me. But the one thing I’m certain of is the durability of the yarn. Bernat Maker Home Dec is sturdy and in my experience, holds up to everyday wear.

So, if you’re looking for a super cute and practical tote for the spring and summer, this one gets my seal of approval. I think you’ll really love it!

If you want to make a Cute Crochet Carry-All, you can download the free pattern directly from Yarnspirations by clicking here and don’t forget to check out my video tutorial to walk you through it!

Cheers and happy hooking, friend!

Brittany