Sow’s Ear Purse
The yarn was made with recycled sari silk scraps—available from several on-line shops. I got mine through one of the “click to donate” sites—I think the “feed the hungry” one, but it may have been one of the others. These seem to be legit donation sites—and donating is “free”; you just click the “donate” buttons, and advertisers pay for the clicks. Profits from the site shops also go to support the charities. I used less than one 8.5 oz ball.
Other materials:
Mini-canvas bag (from Michaels; intended for fabric painting or other applied decorations).
5 buttons, and a few 8/0 beads
Large holed beads—Indian glass pony beads, a few Czech glass rings, 1/0 seed beads, a fertility symbol
2 key rings
1 snap lock
GSP line to sew on buttons and to reinforce strap (I used 14# test Spiderline “Fusion”)
Size “K” crochet hook
I didn’t really have a pattern—kinda made it up as I went along, but the basic directions are as follows:
Chain a length about 2/3 the width of the bottom of the bag.
Sc along both sides of the chain, with 3 sc in each end chain. Sc around, adding increases at ends until you have a flat oval the size of the bag bottom.
Sc without increasing until the sides of the bag are almost the height of the canvas bag (spiral up, rather than step up each round). At the center front, center back and the center of each side—chain 1, skip one sc, then continue with sc. Do one more round in sc.
Crochet rings in place at sides in next round. Do one more round and end at center back (sl st, cut yarn and pull yarn tail through).
String beads on yarn. Attach yarn at back, 1 st away from where right hand side ring connects. Do 1 row plain sc to other side, stopping 1 st from left-hand ring. Turn.
**Ch 1. Do one row sc, slipping a bead in every few st. Turn.
Ch 2, dc across, stopping at next to last sc of row below. Turn.**
Repeat ** to ** until you have a triangular flap that reaches almost to the bottom of your purse. Ch a short loop, then sc around loop, then up the side of the flap, around the front of the purse opening and down the other side of the flap. Sl st, cut yarn, pull tail through and weave in.
Turn canvas bag inside out. Sew 4 buttons along the top edge—1 at each side, 1 center front and 1 center back. Make a short shank with seed beads for each button. Sew last button to front of crocheted bag at point where flap loop sets.
Insert canvas bag in crocheted purse, slip buttons through ch-1 holes.
Make strap:
Hold ends of yarn and GSP line together, tie to one key ring. Make a slip knot around the ring, then ch st until the strap is “long enough”.
Crochet 2 st around swivel end of snap lock, ch 1.
Sc back to ring, 2 st around ring, 1 ch st, sc back to snap lock.
Cut yarn/GSP line, leaving about 4” of a tail, pull through and end. Wrap around swivel ring of snap lock, tie, then weave into strap.
