After these three weeks in Japan, I’m going to be stopping in Hong Kong to visit some of my extended family! My auntie and uncle have graciously opened up their home to my friend and me, so I wanted to thank them by making a special gift.

• 1 skein of Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash — a worsted (4) weight yarn (Colour A: Peach)
• 1 skein of Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash — a worsted (4) weight yarn (Colour B: Silver Grey)
• Size G (4.00 mm) hook

Pattern by Jenn at Mushrump
MODIFICATIONS by tick-tock hobbies

I actually changed a lot with this bag to make it bigger and more functional. For starters, I chained 46 and did rows of 45 single crochet, just because I like that number better than 44. I also made the flat base of the bag 30 rows rather than 12. This means that when you get to the steps about working in the round (Steps 13 and 14), there are 149 stitches in each round instead of 111. I also did ten rows of working in the round before switching to the mesh. This made the bottom of the bag sturdier and helped to prevent things from falling out.

I personally did about ten rows of mesh in my colour accent before switching to the grey. I also added another section of solid single crochet (ten rows), as I thought it helped with the “colour block” aspect. I did another ten rows of mesh in the grey, then began to work on the handles. I didn’t like how long the handles in the pattern were, so I made my own. I did three rows of single crochet first, and then I did something along the lines of the following pattern:

1. Chain-sixty-one while skipping forty-five stitches. Do single crochet in the next thirty stitches. Chain-sixty while skipping forty-five stitches. Do single crochet in the next thirty stitches. The last single crochet is actually worked into the first chain-stitch of this round. (180 stitches)
2. Single crochet around the round except for the very last stitch. (179 stitches)
3. Borrowing the last stitch from the previous round, start with a double-crochet-decrease. Double crochet into the next fifty-eight stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Single crochet into the next twenty-eight stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Double crochet into the next fifty-eight stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Single crochet into the remaining twenty-eight stitches. (176 stitches)
4. Single crochet around the round except for the very last stitch. (175 stitches)
5. Borrowing the last stitch from the previous round, start with a double-crochet-decrease. Double crochet into the next fifty-eight stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Single crochet into the next twenty-six stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Double crochet into the next fifty-eight stitches. Do another double-crochet-decrease. Single crochet into the remaining twenty-six stitches. (172 stitches)

I was basically free-styling the handles, so I’m pretty happy with how they turned out! The double crochets help to make the handles a bit thicker and “studier”.

One thing that I didn’t anticipate with this yarn was the stretch of the wool yarn. I’ve never really had a lot of experience working with pure wool, so I didn’t think that the mesh would have so much give. It sure carries a lot though! I’ve been loading it up with some of the souvenirs I’ve amassed over this trip, and it holds up really well. If you have smaller items, it’s not a bad idea to put a plastic bag on the inside, just in case to keep them from falling out. I think it would be perfect for a farmer’s market though, where you load up on bigger and heavier items, like fruit and veggies!

Until next time, happy crafting!