So we have officially kicked off the crochet-along and I'm so excited to start seeing your yarn and WIP pictures popping up! It's always so exciting for me to see how other people reimagine my designs with new colors, new yarns, and even their own little tweaks to make it just a little bit more perfect for them! Keep 'em coming, y'all! I really do love to see them!
If you haven't joined in yet, but would like to, you can find the pattern in my Ravelry shop at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hello-summer-beach-bag.
We begin this bag with the mighty single crochet. It's a sturdy little stitch and creates a good, solid base for your bag. And we'll come back to it for the integrated handles for the same reason! I know it can be a bit tedious working row upon row of the same stitch, for some of you especially the single crochet, but it's THE best basic stitch for this purpose! Plus no one wants to lose their chapstick at the beach because it fell out a hole in the bottom of their bag!
Here's a look at my original two samples in size 2 and size 4. Well, part of the size 4 bottom, anyway! At 20" long, it was a bit much to fit into a single picture!
Original yarn is Hampton from Cascade Yarns and you can find up to eight different colors at my old LYS, either in person at their store in Williamsburg, VA (highly recommend; miss them dearly!) or now online at https://www.yarnmatters.com/shop/66.
Based on my own gauge with this yarn, your flat bottom size or footprint should be approximately one of these:
Size 1: 8" (20 cm) wide by 4" (10 cm) deep
Size 2: 12" (30 cm) wide by 4" (10 cm) deep
Size 3: 16" (40 cm) wide by 6.5" (16.5 cm) deep
Size 4: 20" (50 cm) wide by 6.5" (16.5 cm) deep
Guidelines are included in the pattern for modifications beyond these sizes.
If you'd like to see a little more, here's the Step 1 Livestream!
And if you need a quick refresher on the single crochet, here's my single crochet tutorial. And you can, of course, swap out the starting chain for the foundation single crochet if you prefer!
Okay, I think that's all I have for you this step! Next time we'll transition from working in rows to working in rounds, finishing off with our first color change! Step 2 drops on Thursday, August 11th, and I'll have another Livestream scheduled on Facebook for Friday the 12th at 11:00 am Pacific Time. I hope to see you there!
In the meantime, be sure to join us in the Facebook Group or my Ravelry Group to share your progress and you can always tag me @crochetcetera with #hellosummerbeachbagCAL on socials to participate, too.
Happy crocheting!