Crocheted bags and accessories

My very favorite crochet projects are the small ones.  It's a great way to try new stitches and patterns as well as find the satisfaction in a job well done that much faster than larger projects like blankets and sweaters.  In particular, I love bags because they can be all shapes sizes and colors.  Here are a few of my favorites...

This bag is just big enough for my wallet and 'must haves', with an extra long shoulder strap that I can wear diagonally.  It's made of red cotton with a silver strand running throughout. 

It is perfect for Christmas shopping!

The orange cotton duffle is larger than it seems - great size for overnight traveling.

My first attempt at felted wool for a bag...

using scraps from another project gives it the distinctive striped pattern.

A denim cotton hobo bag, lined to keep small items from finding their way to the ground.  My favorite carryon bag when traveling because it holds my purse and all my extras.

I loved the hobo bag style so much, I had to make another one with one strap isntead of two. This one is in super soft suede yarn, and is also lined in green fabric to match the accents.

Having a bit of green sude yarn leftover, I made this pouch style bag.  It's a bit larger than the red bag above, large enough for my wallet and the few small items I want to pick up at the craft fair, without being big or bulky like the hobo bags.

The lacey pattern of the top half of this bag actually stretches to enormous size to allow for carrying of odd shaped items.  The pattern calls it a shopping bag, but in lime green cotton, I call it perfect.

In Arizona, everyone needs extra sun protection.  I like this simple cotton hat in conjuntion with my mineral sunblock from Bare Escentuals.  I also had to try the great handles I found at the craft store.  The tote is open at the top, but lined inside... and the handles mean I can load it up without worry of stretching the cotton.  Where's the beach?

... and you can never mind these added photos, it's just a handy place to store and share them!

Grannee's locket

This locket was always one of my favorite pieces of "Grannee" Leila's collection. I put several of her necklaces together to make this one long enough to wear. It is symbolic for me of my restringing project in general. Leila passed away just after my 3rd birthday, so I have few memories of her in person, but always loved the jewelry and china she left to me.

I have lots of fantastic memories of "Gam", my maternal grandmother Ruth. We were lucky enough to have her share vacations and lots of visits with us. Many of my 'souvenir' jewelry pieces were gifts from Gam.
In light of these connections I thought it was appropriate to put their photos in the locket (which has always been empty to my knowledge). I wore the locket to a family picnic on Mother's Day - it was really nice to have them with me.

Old jewelry and old memories

A few months ago, after a visit from my friend Swati... I got to thinking about jewelry. You see, she is quite talented at making jewelry and I think of her as an artist. I can be 'crafty' and I can figure out how to make a lot of things, but there is a little extra 'something' that true artists have... you can see Swati's artistry at http://fleurviolettejewelry.blogspot.com/

Anyway... thinking along as I do... about jewelry and why I don't wear it anymore. I used to love playing dress up with my grandmother's costume jewelry. I was certain that when I grew up, I would wear the Hawaiian sunset earrings on my honeymoon - in Hawaii of course. I would wear the lacey gold cuff bracelet, and the pearl beads... oh yes, I would wear them all!!! Ok, maybe not those weird black ones that look like rabbit poop. When I was an adult, I had an argument with my Dad and he asked me to return my grandmother's jewelry. It wasn't that it had any value to anyone but me, but it was a point he wanted to make. I got most of the jewelry back some years later, but it just sat on the closet shelf.

Whenever we went on trips, I always loved the idea of souvenir jewelry. My maternal grandmother gave me several such souvenirs. As an adult I saw so many cute pendants or earrings to remind me of the places I've been. Some I even purchased, but I rarely wore them. They too sat on the shelf.

My enjoyment of Swati's artistry and some of our conversations really got me thinking about my attitude toward jewelry - wanting it but not wearing it. Why was that?! I realized I had a couple of issues... money and comfort. I am simply uncomfortable wearing something expensive, being afraid I would break or lose it completely. I had to really think about how expensive is 'too expensive' for me to wear without worry. I came up with a number that works for me... and let's just say you won't find me sporting diamond encrusted anything any time soon!

My second major issue was comfort, physical comfort. I realized that I had made several adjustments to what I wear, like buying men's jeans because they have longer inseams (try finding a 40" inseam... I dare ya!). Why wouldn't I also do that with my jewelry? Of course! a 16" chain barely closes around my neck. I need something longer.

I pulled out a lifetime's worth of jewelry and stared at it. Cutting the first thread would be the hardest, so I began with the strands already broken. I was convinced my grandmother would rather I have fun with her old jewelry than leave it collecting dust. I was ripping things apart and before I knew it my mind was racing with possibilities.

I ended up with well over a dozen new pieces that I could actually wear and feel comfortable in! Not only that, each piece still has the old memories attached to it although now I can enjoy reliving them more often.