June 1973 - Bonus Pattern Review - The Multi-Shaded Bag

The Multi-Shaded bag didn’t make it to the vote because I didn’t have the yarn but my sister-in-law tracked down the Spinnerin Mardi Gras yarn so I could give it a try.    I’m glad she did because this pattern had so many problems.  I kind of enjoy the Workbasket patterns that leave things out and make you think things through to figure out how to get the end result.   (To be clear, I would not enjoy this in a paid pattern.)

​The pattern gives a list of supplies as; four colors of the yarn, 1/3 yd lining fabric, crochet hook sizes H and I.    

The instructions say, “Pattern is worked on an even number of stitches.” And then goes on to give an eight row pattern that you repeat once for each color.

The directions start out with a row of chains, then a row of single crochets into the chains and keeps going with rows that end with chain one and turn.  This gives you a flat piece of fabric.  There are instructions for the handle that’s the same pattern as the bag plus a row of single crochet around the outside of the handle.

Here are the finishing instructions:  “Block.”    I’m not sure how you block polypropelene but aside from that, shouldn’t there be something more?  Did they run out of room on the page and edit the rest out?

Nowhere in the pattern does it say make two and sew sides up.  It doesn’t even tell you to attach the handle.  The photo shows a button but there is no mention of a button in the materials or in the pattern. The materials mention lining fabric but it doesn’t ever mention it again. 

So now what?

Sometimes I can use the photo to figure out what they meant.  In this case, the photo doesn’t look like it was sewn up the sides.  It looks like it was crocheted in the round.  And the base looks flat and not what I would expect if it was just two pieces sewn together.    So I decided that’s what I would do.  I'd make a base from single crochet and then use their stitch pattern in the round.   First I need to run through the stitch pattern because the turning seems a little odd.
​
This is what I got when I tried the stitch pattern:

Huh… Good thing I’m going to do this in the round and I don’t have to deal with their weird turning that added extra stitches.

The yarn itself took a little getting used to.  Because it’s plastic, it doesn’t slide on the hook well and that extra drag made my hands tired after eight rows or so.   Eventually I ended up with this:

By the time I got to the handle I was kind of tired of their stitch pattern and just did single crochet instead.  I hoped I could get through it without opening another skein and made the handle shorter than the pattern wanted.   I ended up having to open another skein anyway and the handle really does need to be longer.  I’ll probably take it off and make a longer handle. 

There it is - The Multi-Shaded bag done in 1970's polypropelene yarn.   I think it will be a pretty durable bag and I have some extra yarn for the next time we need to use a straw-like plastic.