Madeline's Tunisian Crochet Scrap Bag
By Alice Curtis, 2010 The Pincushion Patch $\sim$ www.pincushionpatch.com Once upon a time, a little girl sat biting her lip and concentrating on the task for the afternoon. Every day she made a strip of crochet in scrap yarn from Mama's basket. After a week, she had made seven strips. Now she could join them together to make a mat for Mama's table in the hall. Taking black yarn
Iroim tne pasket, sne careiuuy anu painstakingiy sucnea tne ntue strips together. Choosing another color she made a border around the rectangle. Now a special lesson on a “fancy stitch". Starting a little crookedly but gaining confidence, she learned to make shells for the border. Halfway around she ran out of the color she had chosen, but not to fear, Mama said. Here is a little more and it will look very pretty with two colors for the edging. For many years the little mat lay on the table in the hall as Mama proudly displayed her daughter's work. Some time later, a man bought the mat at an estate sale and brought it to his not so "little girl' who loved knitting and crochet. The little mat was faded and worn but showed so much charm in it's innocent construction that it inspired her to make something new in it's honor...
Materials:
Partial skeins in 10 colors-worsted weight yarn Size I $(5.5\mathrm{mm})$ Tunisian hook with cable or straight $14^{\circ}$ Size I $(5.5\mathrm{mm})$ regular hook. (A regular Susan Bates hook works fine for short areas of TSS such as the base and strap.)
Yarn used was Bernat Berella 4. $100\%$ Acrylic 216 yards (Less than half of each ball needed) Most any worsted weight yarn will be a good substitute. Base: 01012 True Taupe Sides: 1) 393962 Buff 2) 01222 Fern 3) 01435 Cameo 4) 01515 Straw 5) 01532 Claret (discontinued) 6 01142 True Periwinkle Blue 7 01010 Soft Heather 8) 01434 Rich Pink Contrast stitching: 08994 Black
Tunisian Simple Stitch:
Make a base chain as instructed. ROW 1- FORWARD: In $2^{\mathrm{nd}}$ chain from hook, \*insert hk into ch, YO, and pull through. Leave loop on hook. Repeat from \* for all chains. DO NOT TURN. ROW 1- RETURN: YO, pull through 1 loop, $\mathrm{}^{\ast}\mathrm{YO}$ , and pull through 2 loops the connecting loop and 1 loop off hook.1. Repeat from \* for allops on hook. After you have dropped allthe lops off the hok, the remaining loop will serve as the 1rst loop for the next row. ROW 2- FORWARD ROW: Ignore the outermost st. \*Slip hook under Front Vertical Thread of $1^{\mathrm{{st}}}$ st YO, pull through and keep loop on hook. Repeat from \* for all sts across row. Work last st into the center of the last st. so you have two threads on the outside edge of the piece. YO, and pull loop through and finish as you normally would for the Return step. ROW 2- RETURN ROW: Same as row 1. REPEAT ROW 2 FORWARD AND RETURN FOR ALL OTHERROWS.
BEGIN BAG
BASE- Chain 16. Skip 1 ch, make 1 loop in each chain -15 st. (Actually you will have 16 loops on the hook). YO and draw loop through last loop. YO and draw through 2 loops. Continue working loops offback to beginning of row. Row one complete. Rows 2-44 work in TSS (Tunisian Simple Stitch). Row 45-Instead of TSS forward pass, SC stitch last row through vertical threads to bind off.
SIDE-
Hold base in same direction you just worked with a short end toward you. Count up from bottom to $15^{\mathrm{th}}$ row on right side. With Color 1, join yarn in end st. on $15^{\mathrm{th}}$ row of base on the right side. Chain 36 st. Skip 1, pick up 1 loop in each chain for 34 loops.Pick up one more loop by inserting hook into stitch where you joined the chain ( $15^{\mathrm{th}}$ row).Fig.1 The sides are attached to the base as you go sort of in the same way a knitted on border is attached with a knit through the last stitch and the edge of the garment. As shown in the middle illustration, you insert the hook into both the chain you made in the row below and the edge stitch of the base. Pull a chain through, and then go up one row on the base and pulla chain through both the base and the first chain on the hook which was made in the stitch below. Fig.2, 3 (Slipped Seam Stitch made) DO NOT TURN.
Alternate Seam Join
Join yarn in end stitch of $I\,5^{t h}$ row.Chain 36, skip $I^{s t}$ chain and pick up loop in each chain for 34 loops. Insert hookinto end stitchof $I6^{t h}$ row of base and pull through chain Begin return pass for TSS. Note: This will not be as clean and finished as the SSS but you can cover the join with a slip stitch.
Begin return pass
YO and draw through 2 loops. Repeat back to beginning of row, working offall stitches on hook. Work for 15 rows in color 1, changing color on last stitch of $15^{\mathrm{th}}$ row by drawing new color through last 2 loops. New Color- With color 2, work 15 rows the same as for Color 1, working SSS at end of forward pass to join sides to base. This will bring you up to a corner. Join color 3 as for 2. Work into corner stitch and contiue right around. Work 15 rows altogether across short end of base to next corner. Join for color 4. Work color 4, 5, and 6 as established for 15 rows each up to next corner. Change to color 7 and work 15 rows across short end of base to next corner. Work color 8 for 15 rows back to the first row of color 1, join the last row in same stitch as first row. Do not join seam yet.
CONTRAST STITCHING
Using contrast color (Black), join yarn into base just below color change and slip stitch across row to edge. Cut yarn and work end in neatly. Repeat for all rows where the color changed. Overlapping first and last row slightly, slip stitch through both to join seam and hide edge.
FLAP
Flap is optional. If you do not wish to have a flap, it will be necesary to work the bag edging in the round or in 2 sections and stitch the seams together. Join color 1 in top edge at back corner of bag and work 45 st across in TSs. Repeat 9 more rows, changing to color 3 for next section and work 10 rows. Change to color 7 for last section and work 5 rows. Row 6.) Next row work forward pass as normal. On return pass decrease one st each end. Row 7.) Work next row even. Row 8.) Dec one st each end on return pass. Row 9.) Dec 2 st each end on return row. SC across remaining st on $10^{\mathrm{th}}$ row. Slip St. contrast (black) yarn across color changes. Using color 1, slip st across seam where stitches are picked up from bag to cover seam neatly.
SIDE PLEATS
Count 5 st in from each side on side panels and mark with pin. Stitch the pleat together from the front side of your work down about 5 rows. Let pleat extend into bag without stitching down.
BAG EDGE
Join base color in corner st next to left side of flap. Pick up all loops across top of bag to corner next to right side of flap. Work over pleat without interruption Work back. Repeat once more. SC across for $3^{\mathrm{rd}}$ row. Using same color, slip st across seam where stitches are picked up from bag to cover seam neatly.
STRAP
Join and pick up 8 loops centered over side panel and work 1 row TSS. Dec. 1 st each side next 2 rows. Decrease: Pick up loops as usual for forward pass. On return pas pull through two loops at once. Work straight on remaining st to desired length for strap. Inc 2 st each side next 2 rows. Increase: Where you need to increase insert hook straight through space between stitches and puloop through and then pick up next loop as usual. On return row work each loop separately as usual. Work one last row even. Cut a long tail and use to stitch strap to other side passing yarn under vertical yarn on strap as for TSS and under corresponding stitch through bag edge. Work ends in.
EDGINGS
SC black around bag edge and straps. Stitch bag edge to flap at side seams. It looks nice to continue black stitching from side of bag up over the join to hide the seam. Join color 1 and SC around bag flap. Do not turn but work Crab stitch (Working left to right, insert hook in next stitch to the right, complete as for sc.) back to beginning of row. End off.
LINING-
1 yard Cotton for bag and 1 yard 1" grosgrain ribbon for strap. Cut and sew cotton pieces for bag and flap. Stitch ribbon on underside of strap first. The insert fabric lining into bag and stitch into place. If desired, sew snaps or magnetic catches into place before attaching lining. Copyright 2010 All rights reserved. Please do not sell copy, or use any portion of this pattern in any other work without permisson from the creator. This pattern may be used to make items for personal use only. Alice Curtis - 315-868-8586 or pincushionpatch $@$ yahoo.com.
