Purse #2
Basic Pouch

A basic pouch purse starts with a circular base (the green circle). So that's where I'll start the instructions.

In a lot of ways, working in the round is very simple. Crocheting in the Round

If you're "good" (and I'm not), you carefully mark each round as you complete it, working outwards in a spiral. Each time you complete a circle, you move your marker (a safety pin, a hairpin, a contrasting color yarn threaded through your piece, a store-bought row marker, whatever) out one row.

If you take after my bad habits and do a "quick and dirty", you just work in a spiral until it's time to stop. Then, without even worrying about exactly where on the round you "should" stop, you just... stop. Slip stitch into the next stitch. Chain one (or whatever is appropriate) and turn, and work one row at a time in back-and-forth manner. (I do this when it's time to leave spaces to thread the pouch strings through the pouch.)

Now, this is as close as you're likely to get to a pattern on these pages. Ready? Okay:

Chain 2. Work 6 sc in the 2nd chain from the hook (the first chain made).

Do not join. Instead, continue working single crochets in a spiral.

That's it for the bottom. Really!

When you make something round, you have to increase the number of stitches in each further-out row. Imagine putting pennies on a piece of pie, in rows starting at the point. At the point you only need a single penny to cover the tip. Your next row will probably take two pennies to cover the pie. By the sixth or seventh row, it'll take lots of pennies to cover the slice.

So, exactly how many stitches should you increase with each next-out of the spiral? You're gonna' love this answer: It depends.

What does it depend upon? Well, what kind of stitch you're using, how tight you're making the stitches, the yarn or thread...

What you are aiming for is a relatively flat, round piece. For this, at least, it doesn't have to be exactly flat. When you put stuff in your purse, it'll sag anyway.

Here are your two clues. If you have been increasing too little, your flat circle will turn into a cone. The edging stitches will be stretched out as they try to expand. There are too few pennies on your pie, and they're trying to pretend like they're quarters to fill the space. (Again, for this we don't need to have perfection. Don't bother ripping it out and starting over unless it's REALLY bad. Just increase more as you go along.)

So, what happens if you have too MANY stitches? Your circle forms... a cone. (No, I'm not kidding.) But instead of being stretched, the edge stitches will be scrunched together and ripple-y. There are too many pennies on your pie, and they're trying to creep over the borders of the pennies next to them. (Again, don't fret and don't rip. Just do a row or two without ANY increases.)

How many increases should you put, just as a rule of thumb? When I'm doing single crochet I generally increase one stitch for every two or three or four stitches. The closer to the inside, the more likely that I'll increase one stitch to every two. The further along, the less I increase in each row. Generally.

One increase to two stitches = Sc in first space. Two sc in the next space. Repeat.

One increase to three stitches = Sc in next space. Sc in second space. Two sc in third space.

If you've been happily incrasing about one stitch in three and it's too much, just try one in every four for a row or two, and see if that doesn't straighten it out.

When the circle is two or three inches in diameter (or whatever size you like), stop increasing. You're ready to start the body of the bag.

The pouch has three parts. The base, which is a circle. The body, which is a tube. And the top, which includes spaces for drawstrings.

I drew this picture with the parts separate (green base, blue body, lavendar top) to show you how they fit together, but they are actually all one piece. You just work in them in different ways.

Okay, you did your increases and made a circular base. Now for the "tube" body part, what are you going to do? That's right... no more increases. You don't have to do ANYTHING else but put on some rows of crochet, and the tube will naturally form.

The easiest way (and you already know that I cut corners whenever I can!) to continue the body is not even to bother with that last slip stitch of the base. Just decide that the base is wide enough, and stop increasing. Keep working in the round, just put one stitch into each stitch below.

If you work in a sprial going up (rather than back-and-forth), you're going to find something interesting. Since we're used to turning our work at the end of a row, we're used to seeing two different sides of a stitch on a side. When you work in a spiral, you only see ONE side of the stitch. ("Ah ha!" you think, "I know how we're going to get all the beads on one side!" Well... you're right. But it's probably a good idea to practice a few times without beads before you jump into beading.)

So, what stitch are you going to use for the body? Single crochet is fine. Hdc is fine. Moss and shell and whatever you fancy are fine, but require you to have a certain number of stitches per row, and may be harder to work in a spiral.

To show you how different stitches look when they're done in a spiral, consider this purse.

It's all done in a moss stitch (dc and sc in a single space, skip one space), but there are apparently three different stitches on it.

This is a close-up of the top. It's done in a moss stitch that was worked back and forth -- chaining and turning each row.

This is one side of a moss stitch done in a spiral, without turning...

...and this is the other side...

They all look different, don't they?

So, why not discover what single crochet, and half double crochet, look like when they're not turned?

The Top

When your pouch is almost "tall enough", it's time to slip-stitch and finish a row. While it's possible to make spaces for drawstrings on a spiral, they'll look odd. So, finish off the spiral (no, I don't care if you're exactly at the end of a complete circle... no one will know!) by slip-stitching to join the row beneath. Now, chain one (for single crochet) or two (for hdc), or whatever is appropriate for what stitch you've been doing, and turn the purse. Or, don't turn the purse, and continue working a circle (instead of a spiral) the same direction you were going.

Wasn't that simple? You've gone from working on a spiral into working in rows again.

So, do a stitch in the next three spaces, then chain one and skip a space. Three more stitches and a chain, all the way around the purse.

It came out even? Amazing!

It didn't come out even? You can do one of two things. Either ignore it (who will know if there are four stitches, or two stitches, instead of three?) or cheat (put 2 stitches in one space, or reduce a stitch or two as you go along).

If you want to put a fancy edge on the pouch, now is the time. Reverse single crochet, shell stitch, whatever.

Drawstrings

Choices, choices. Either chain, or sc, or hdc, or use a ribbon... whatever strikes your fancy, in whatever length you fancy. You can use one, or one with a bead (to close it securely), or two. (Personally, I prefer two drawstrings.) Finish off and thread the drawstring(s) through the spaces you made for them.

The burgundy purse at the top of the page has store-bought cording for the drawstrings. The purse above has drawstrings made of a chain stitch in the same yarn.

That's it. You're done. Clean up the ends, and plan someplace fun to wear your new purse!

The next lesson is a simple pouch... only this time, with beads. Beaded pouch

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