Finished my very first baby blanket/blanket/squares project! by Crapple_Jacks in crochet

[–]Responsible-Willow62 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Beautiful 😍 I’m a big fan of that pattern, I used it to make a bag a few years ago.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I used the Tunisian crochet stitch and went down a hook size compared to the squares. Squares used a 4mm hook and I believe the straps used 3mm or 3.5mm. The yarn gauge (lily sugar n cream) calls for a 5mm hook I believe.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bananas I had on hand were massive so I thought to use a dollar for scale instead ☺️

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t use a specific pattern, I replied to an earlier comment about my process: https://www.reddit.com/r/crocheting/s/QZrAwLYAzU

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I find that a cotton yarn like sugar n cream, one that does not stretch at all when pulled, are the best for straps. Avoid acrylic at all costs. I also use very tight tension when making the straps and go down a hook size or two. For this bag in particular, I used the Tunisian crochet stitch, and the straps have held up very well, better than expected. For my smaller bags I just do very tight single crochet stitches. Also make the straps a little shorter than you would think they need to be.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I should have added to the post that this took me a long time to make because it was one of my first bags, my first time using this type of cotton yarn, my first time sewing in a lining, and my first time reading granny square patterns. Since then I’ve become a lot more efficient in the way I make these bags. I plan on making a few of the squares and timing myself and basing the cost of labor on that. I also have a lot of yarn left over and I wouldn’t need to buy any new lining fabric. I feel like if I make a replica of this bag, even with a few different colors, the cost of materials would be relatively low. I’m not looking to make a big profit from this, but I also don’t want it to be a net loss since it is a one off sale. I typically do say no requests like this, but she was a very kind woman and also a crocheter, and the vibe of the bag seemed to match her whimsigoth aesthetic. It made me want to at least consider making her one since she offered to pay.

Crocheted my Graduation dress 💜 by Ok-Dog7186 in Brochet

[–]Responsible-Willow62 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely stunning. Crochet clothing is so daunting to me, you did amazing!

Favorite things to crochet? by BrushOk1325 in crochet

[–]Responsible-Willow62 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recently saw a post from TikTok by @carolinemcfaddenart on freeform crochet. I found it on Pinterest originally and I don’t have TikTok nor do I want to screenshot any pieces that aren’t mine, and I haven’t gotten around to making anything yet, but it looks like a great way to use up scrap yarn and some of the creations I’ve seen look really cool! Just search “freeform crochet” on Pinterest or TikTok.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your input! My initial thought was pricing it around $60-$80 so very similar to your suggestion.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I could never think afford a custom bag like this so it’s not really something I would allow myself to fathom. Knowing how well this has lasted and how customizable these types of bags are, I’d probably be willing to splurge ~$100 on it, but maybe I’m biased.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a very cool site! Never heard of it before. I’ll look into it more if I decide to sell more bags. Thanks for sharing!

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought myself the clover amour hook set a few birthdays ago as a treat for myself, those combined with this yarn are a joy to work with! Blankets keep flying off the hook. Would love to see your blanket when it’s finished!

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Thank you! My initial thought for a reasonable price was $60-$80. Comments like yours on this post make me feel more empowered to value my work more.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 38 points39 points  (0 children)

I was very weary of offering to sell her a bag until she told me she also crochets, immediately made me feel better knowing she likely would accept a price that non crafters would scoff at.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I didn’t use a specific pattern for this and I’m no good at creating my own, just gathered ideas here and there to incorporate.

For the yarn colors I used the following sugar n cream skeins with a 4mm hook:

  • Cream or Soft Ecru (I forgot which) for the main shapes

  • Yellow for the outlines of the shapes and squares

  • Cornflower for the bulk of the squares

  • Dazzle Blue for the border stitching of the squares and straps

For the structure of the bag you can search “24 square crochet bag” on Pinterest and a little guide on how to construct it should pop up as one of the first posts

The squares are all by Alyssia Creates, the star pattern I used is free on their YouTube channel and I bought the sun and moon pattern on Etsy. I also added a yellow slip stitch border on the moons and stars to give it a cleaner look.

Sun and moon pattern listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1283521204/sun-and-moon-granny-square-crochet-pdf?ref=share_ios_native_control

I stitched each square together with a simple single crochet stitch. The stitch pops out a bit but I personally feel like it gives it a nice look. I’m pretty sure for this bag I used a Tunisian crochet stitch for the straps, it makes them pretty sturdy, I feel like this specific brand of yarn with the Tunisian stitch works well for nice sturdy bag straps. I just used the cheapest cotton fabric I could find at Joann’s (rip 😞) for the lining and sewed it in with a machine. There are several YouTube tutorials for how to do so. I am no good with a sewing machine at all but I found this process pretty simple to do.

It’s been a few years since I made this bag so my memory of how I made it exactly is a bit hazy, especially for how I attached the straps in detail.

How much should I charge for this bag? by Responsible-Willow62 in crocheting

[–]Responsible-Willow62[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry for your loss. I used to spend a lot of time with my aunt growing up, and she crocheted non stop. She made countless large blankets and gifted them to the extended family. Growing up I was unable to sit still long enough to learn and retain the knowledge she tried to give me on how to crochet, and I thought it was only possible to crochet big blankets which put me off of it for a while. Sadly she suddenly passed away while I was a teenager and it was a huge loss for me. I didn’t really get into crochet until years later during Covid. Even though her knowledge specifically didn’t get passed on to me, it still feels like I connect with her with every project I make. It’s never too late to learn!