Crochet Wine Tote

Crochet Wine Tote

UPDATED: January 2017

Wine is a great gift (as long as you don't live in Utah haha) Its a housewarming gift, wedding present,  thank you gift and pretty much just a great easy gift. So what better way to gift wine then in its own little crochet reusable tote bag!

I started creating these wine totes as gifts (with wine) for friends and neighbors. First one was a gift for an amazing apartment office manager who gave us a whole bunch of bedding for my daughter when we upgraded her to a big girl bed. After that I had so many great ideas for other totes that I couldn't stop creating them and gifting them.

This was a free pattern I found on Pintrest and made a dozen or so over the years but then all of a sudden when I came back to it to make another the link didn't work anymore. The pattern was on a blog, much like mine, and the user made the blog private so I was out a pattern. Not only that but a few people commented to make sure I knew the pattern wasn't working and asked for the pattern.

What else is a lady to do? So I pulled out some yarn and the two wine totes I had (my watermelon tote and an unfinished cream and gray one) and hoped memory and mad skill would take over in an attempt to write a pattern out for this tote.

Below is the old link, no longer working. Its were I made the first two bags that helped me create this look alike wine tote and pattern I have written out.
offthehookcrochet.net wine-totes

The two totes on the left are the guides and the two on the right are created with my new pattern.

Although I used the bags as guidance for this pattern, it isn't an identical pattern. Changes were made and the whole pattern written out as I worked. I feel as though this is a new pattern almost all its own, please take this into consideration and please do not copy or claim pattern as your own. Please link back, thank you.

Crochet Wine Tote Pattern

Hooke size and yarn: Hook size depends on your yarn type. For heavy stiff stuff like Red Heart yarn I use a 3.00mm hook. For lighter stuff like Caron Simply Soft yarn I use a 3.5mm hook. Keep this in mind when choosing hook and yarn.

Pattern Overview: Pattern is worked from the bottom up. Base of tote is worked in a continuous round without joining. Body of tote is worked in rows you join with a slip stitch and turn. My handle is a piece of a different pattern. Working link provided

Tote Base:
1- Magic loop, CH 1, SC 6 in magic loop
2- 2 SC in each ST around (12)
3- *2 SC in one ST, 1 SC in the next ST* and repeat around (18)
4- *2 SC in one ST,  1 SC in the next 2 ST* and repeat around (24)
5-*2 SC in one ST, 1 SC in the next 3 ST* and repeat around (30)
6- *2 SC in one ST, 1 SC in the next 4 ST* and repeat around (36)
7-*2 SC in one ST, 1 SC in the next 5 ST* and repeat around (42)
8- SL ST in each ST around (42)

This slip stitch row is your last base round and now you will need to sl st to get your yarn to the right starter place to begin working up on the body of the tote. Take a good look at your Slip Stitch round, you need to insert your hook in the two loops BEHIND your Slip Stitch. Technically these are the stitches of round 7 but technical is mostly just difficult to understand. Below is a picture to hopefully help place your Slip Stitch and your #9 row.

9-Continuing in the loops behind SL ST round SC in each ST around (42) Join with SL ST in first SC
10-Turn work- CH 1, *SC &HDC in same ST, Skip next ST * repeat around (42) join with SL ST in first SC

Take note that row 11 and up the SC & HDC are worked into the SC from the previous row.

11-Turn work- CH 1, SC & HDC in joining SL ST, *Skip next ST, SC & HDC in same ST* repeat around  join with SL ST in first SC
12-40- repeat row 11
after row 40 make sure your working on the outside of your tote
41- SC all the way around

This is a necessary increasing row to connect the two patterns together. You are increasing your stitches from 42 to 54. After doing this row I usually like to go back and count my stitches to make sure I got them all.

42-*SC in first two stitches, 2 SC in the next stitch, SC in next 3 stitches, 2 SC in the next Stitch and repeat from from * Sl St in the first SC (54)

43-48 Handle pattern. Start handle pattern on row 32 and work to the end
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cheers-byob-wine-spirits-bottle-gift-carrier

49-50- I like my handles to have a little bulk to them so I do add a few extra rows of SC around until I love it.

Finished Totes

Sometimes we need some inspiration! I love looking through pictures of crochet stuff when I am stuck on a project. It get my creative juices running and brings on new ideas. So lets get inspired by a few finished totes I've done. This is a rather easy pattern and it can be changed in so many different ways. Color changes, embellishments, buttons, beads, you name it! So get to it!

Please forgive the old photos.

Burnt Orange wine tote with golden popcorn stitch flower and brown button (I thought maybe it would look like a sunflower) 2014

Green/blue Wine tote with pink three layer flower and pearl beads 2014

Sky Blue Wine tote with white popcorn stitch flower and vintage yellow button 2014

Bright Purple wine tote with yellow & white loop flowers, leaves and yellow & white buttons 2014

Aqua Blue wine tote with yellow three layer flower, leaves and pink beads. Sometimes a flower pattern just doesn't work with a button in the center but a small bunch of beads usually fills it in nicely. 2014

Lavender wine tote with loop flowers (light pink, dark pink, & yellow) and three different buttons. I love the buttons! The one of the yellow flower is very ornate while the other two are a little on the basic side.2014

Then I made the leap out of my comfort zone when I ended up with three sheets of the same small black buttons from a yard sale. I came up with a watermelon themed wine tote! How freaking cute is it and what a perfect gift for a BBQ! 2014

Salmon and brown wine tote with popcorn stitch flower in matching salmon and yellow button center. 2016

These bags are really easy to make and its so fun mixing and matching colors and flowers. These bags would also be cute with other embellishments (cherries, hearts, etc.) So get to crocheting and have fun! Don't forget to send me a picture of your finished project!

Lyssa Lou's Custom Craft

If you want to skip the hard work and get right to enjoying the wine (wink wink) then head on over to my Facebook page, Lyssa Lou's Custom Craft, and place your order today! All wine totes are custom made just for you for any occasion.

www.facebook.com/LyssaLousCustomCraft



Thanks for looking everyone and enjoy!
Alyssa

Crochet Cat Bed

Crochet Kitty Bed

After getting my daughter a pet cat and spending a bunch of money on it I didn't want to have to spend more getting her a $20 or more on a silly cat bed. I figured I could make her one. So I got onto Pintest and found a pattern. Link down below

crochet-with-cris.blogspot skein-pet-bed-pattern

Things I did differently

So I made my cat bed freaking huge because my kitten is only four months old and I knew she would grow. This pattern crochets two finished circles together but I put a piece of foam in the middle for super extra cushioned. I also didn't have enough yarn (like always) to make the sides fold all the way over so I simple folded mine in and stitched it together. It worked out great!

Ok this was a good project, honestly an easy pattern to follow and to make work for you. This was so useful and cheap to make, not to mention our cat seems to love it.

Happiness is Homemade
Alyssa

Crochet Bolster Pillow

Crochet Bolster (Cylinder) Pillow

So I found this amazing Bolster pillow form at a yard sale for a dollar! What a great find! I figured I would sew a cover for it but after looking on Pintrest I decided on crochet. I came across this amazing tutorial and couldn't pass it up. I chose a bunch of bright yarns I had in my stash that matched my daughters wall quilt. Ending up with pink, green, red, aqua and yellow along with a bunch of white. Link down below.

accordingtomatt.blogspot cute-and-quick-projects

Finished pillow

The wall quilt I matched to

Things I did differently

So this was a great pattern and tutorial. The only thing I did different was the amount of rows of white double crochets around my ripple pattern. I only did one row and in the tutorial she does three. I just didn't end up needing that many rows.


Over all this was such a fun and easy to read pattern for me. It worked up quick and I finished the whole thing in only a few days, maybe thats because I was overly excited. The pillow ended up so bright and fun and it matches my little girls quilt just perfectly.

Happiness is Homemade
Alyssa

.

Crochet Floor Cushion

Crochet Floor Cushion

Found this amazing free pattern for a floor pouf and decided I needed to have one just so I could put my feet up when my husband takes the recliner spot on our sectional couch. Link down below. Also managed to save a bunch of money finding my bulky yarn at Walmart on clearance (gotta love that!)

twindragonflydesigns.com free-crochet-floor-pouf-pattern

Things I did differently

So I stuck with the crochet pattern and didn't change a thing. The pattern calls for five skiens of yarn but I needed six. This was a huge problem because I got the last five skiens of this yarn in the whole Walmart. After calling all the other Walmarts in the area the office manager told me about the a craft store called Pat Catan's. Thank the good lord they had my yarn! As for the filling I went a completely different direction. I got a foam pad a cut six squares (12" by 12") to use as my foundation. I also bought a bag of quilters batting for a full size bed and cut it into one long strand. I used a picture found of Pintrest to figure out how to cut it. Link: handcraftbygrip.com crochet-rug-of-t-shirts (Its the second image down on this page)
I then wrapped my batting around my square foam pieces but I wasn't getting the circle shape I wanted so I pulled out my extra (fluffy) batting and placed folded pieces where I needed them and continued to wrap my batting around until I got the shape I wanted. Pulled my crochet bag over it and crochet it closed. This gave my floor cushion a ton of structure so it didn't just sink to nothing when sat on.

Lesson Learned

Always buy extra yarn. Its so much better to have extra then not enough. I totally thought my floor cushion project was a total waste of my time because I couldn't find another skein in any store.



Alright, this was a fun project that I really enjoyed. I don't do a ton of stuff with bulky yarn so it was a whole different learning experience for me. The filling was the most time consuming part by far but I really think it was worth it. I love that it holds is shape and that I didn't have to sew a lining into my crochet. So happy with my floor cushion. I love having a place to put my feet up.

Happiness is Homemade
Alyssa

Car seat Cover

Baby Girls Car Seat Cover

I decided to make my brother and his girlfriend a baby car seat cover for the little girl they are expecting in October. Since they are in Utah I knew I needed to make this cover warm. So I quickly found a pattern on Pintrest and went to work. Link down below

cally-cruze.blogspot.com infant-carseat-blanket

What I did differently

The tutorial wasn't the most detailed but it does the job. So I had a big solid piece of cotton fabric for this project instead of piecing the cover together like the tutorial. My backing piece of fleece was too small so I added a strip of purple to the middle to make it the right size. Sewed my two pieces together and turned it right side out. I think she quilted her cover together and put a binding around it but I ended up tying mine because I didn't want my fleece to bunch. After taking FOREVER tying it I also put a decorative stitch around the edging and finished. Warm and cozy.

This was a very long project, just because if all the tying I did, but totally worth the effort. It turned out much better then I thought it would and am way happy with it.Thanks for looking and enjoy!

Happiness is Homemade
Alyssa

Baby Crochet Apple hat

Crochet Apple Hat

Came across this free apple hat pattern on Ravelry. What an amazing sight for patterns (I only browse through the free ones, I am cheap) and its not just for crochet, it also has knitting patterns but alas I do no knit. Two needles would be very difficult. Link down below.

www.ravelry.com apple-hat-newborn-3-6m-6-12m

My Finished Hats

   Newborn

   3-6 months

I made two hats, one in the newborn size and then one in the 3-6 month size. Both very quick to make and so darn cute! I had such great bright colors and am very happy with the way they turned out. Easy pattern to follow I loved this project. Thanks for looking and enjoy!

Happiness is Homemade
Alyssa

Crochet Baby Blanket

Zebra Striped Baby Blanket

Shortly after hearing about my sister-in-law adopting a precious baby girl I knew I had to crochet a blanket. I started searching for a design on Pintrest and came across this beautiful zebra striped blanket. Link down below.

cre8tioncrochet.com zebra-newborn-blanket

Things I did differently

I had to use a bigger hook, I seem to be a tight crocheter. I also changed the boarder on this blanket. I did two rows of double crochets around and then did a scallop to finish it. I also did a quick flower and sewed it on.

Pattern for the flower.
bhookedcrochet.com popcorn-stitch-flower-free-pattern

Fun project that kept me busy many nights. I love that way it turned out and I would totally make another one. Thanks for looking and Enjoy!

Harry Potter Sorting Hat

Crochet Sorting Hat

A dear friend on mine was in search of a Harry Potter Sorting hat for a surprise party she was throwing and asked if I could make one for her. Turns out she had planned ahead and forwarded a link to a free crochet patter. Here is the link.

craftyiscool.blogspot.com.free-pattern-harry-potter-sorting-hat

I actually really enjoyed this project. I crochet the whole hat over a day and then spent another day hand sewing the felt to the brim for support. I used a thick Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn from Jo anns, They do sell it at Walmart though. This was thick enough that I really didn't need to put batting in the top of the hat. Brown felt to match around the brim.

If I did this project again I would add a few more rows to the bottom so that his face was a little further up. Thanks for looking and Enjoy!

Homemade Superhero Capes

Superhero Capes

I have been thinking a lot about something to make for two twin boys who mean the world to me. I only have a girl so it took me many hours scouring Pintrest to finally find something. Superhero capes really seemed perfect. I found a tutorial on Pintrest, link down below.

downshannonlane.com diy-superhero-capes

Things I did differently

First, I did my own logo design (I wanted to put the twins first initials into the design) Second, this tutorial didn't give measurements for the fabric piece to go around the neck so I did a little guessing and cut them 22 inches by 5 inches. The last thing I changed was the gather. I didn't like how it looked gathered all the way across, it made the design crinkle and look funny. I wanted the logo design to remain flat so I only gathered the edges.

                                 Captain America

                                       Ironman

 

Here are my favorite kids showing off their homemade gifts. The boys with their capes and their sister with her apron.

After posting the pictures of my capes to Facebook I got a request from my sister-in-law for her son. I whipped this one up and sent it on its way. 

                                         Superman                    

After making a bunch of things for my brothers new baby girl I had to make his son a little something as well. Always felt bad sending one child a gift and not the others. So I made hims a super hero cape. I went with Spiderman (his favorite along with transformers) but didn't have enough blue for a full cape so I threw in a strip of red to make up the difference. So far I have been able to incorporate the childs first letter into my capes but I  just couldn't figure out a way to get the "A" for his first name into it. So I did an easy design. I did a zig-zag stitch for the spider web and felt for the spider. 

Honestly he was a little upset that it wasn't a toy but after a few days he warmed up to it.

These capes are a lot of fun to make and don't take very long. They are perfect for little boys and I can't wait to make up some more. Thanks for looking and enjoy!

UPDATE!!!

Capes aren't just for boys!!! Super hero capes are for all. My little girl wanted a cape after seeing the ones I had made for others so I quickly pulled out my fabric and whipped her up one. She picked out the My Little Pony vintage fabric and I made it work with a strip of white to make the correct length. White felt circle to match the extra fabric and a sky blue "A" with a pink zig-zag stitch. She now runs around the house in it pretending to better the world.

Second girls cape made for my neice to semi match the super man cape made for her brother. Flower fabric from the stash with purple felt and pink felt "A" in superman font. Enjoy!

Crochet Bird Hats

Crochet Bird Hats

This are some cute and easy hats I whipped up after finding some buttons in my stash. I've seen pictures of hats similar so I just used the idea and free patterns I already had.

Here is the hat pattern I used. 

www.repeatcrafterme.com crochet-bunny-hat-pattern

Once done with the hat I crochet a little triangle and did some quick chains on the top to make hair/feathers. Pop some buttons on for eyes and done! The blue one is 0-3 months size and the pinkish one is 6-9 months. Love the way these turned out.... too bad I don't have any more of these buttons :( 

Thanks for looking and enjoy!

My Crochet Baby Cocoon & Hat (Newborn photo prop?)

Baby Girls Cocoon and Little bird hat

Lets start with, I'm not very good at crochet. I have only been crocheting for four months but really enjoy it. I love that it keeps my hands busy while I watch (or listen) to the TV. I decided to try crochet because there wasn't much to buy and what I did need to purchase was cheap. I learned stitches and patterns from YouTube and then tried reading a pattern, which really didn't go over very well. With the help of my sister-in-law I began to slightly understand reading a crochet pattern.

This crochet set is a mix of four free crochet patterns from Pintrest including the cocoon, hat, beak, and a small bow.

My Cocoon & Hat

The Cocoon

The Cocoon is a Free pattern on Pintrest. I didn't know the top two stitches (FPDC/BPDC & Crocodile Stitch)  on the cocoon when I started and looked them up on YouTube to learn them quickly.    

sallies tiny pushes blogspot tulip hat and cocoon


The Hat

I honestly just couldn't figure out the tulip hat so I did something fairly easy and made a bird hat using this free owl hat pattern, also found on Pintrest. Instead of switching colors I did one color and did my final single crochet in my second color.I didn't make the eyes or nose of this pattern and used the technique for the ears for the feather poof on top.


repeatcrafterme.com crochet-owl-hat-pattern


Beak

The Beak is actually a piece of a patter to a crochet stuffed animal. I just jumped ahead in the pattern and made my beak. Found on Pintrest.

amigurumitogo.com crochet-duck

Small Bow

I loved the idea of a bow on my little bird, after all it is for a girl. I should have done a different color, its a little hard to see.

adaihablogspot.com super-simple-crochet-bows



Hope you enjoyed my mesh of crochet. I had a lot of fun creating this baby set and totally want to make some more!