Chickie Bags by Ma

A year and a half ago I was at the yarn store with a friend of mine because she wanted to learn how to knit so she could knit scarves as Christmas presents. While there I found Homespun yarn and thought "how pretty!"

Little did I know it would be a little difficult to work with because of the texture of the yarn. It is created in the homespun style, but has a thread that spirals around the homespun in order to help one knit or crochet.

I tried a few different things with it and found I didn't really appreciate this particular yarn as should. I put the balls of yarn away thinking I would find someone to give them to or donate to a local church or Salvation Army.

Right around Thanksgiving 2011, I pulled out three balls of faux suede yarn and made 2 of what I am now calling "Chickie Bags". I had made them for two little girls and they turned out to be WONDERFUL. I got a call from the father of the two daughters asking if I would make two more for his nieces for Christmas and one for his sister's best friend's daughter as well.

So, there I was digging around my totes of yarn and came across that darn homespun and thought, "Why not try?" So I did. If for nothing else, the yarn is PERFECT for my chickie bags! I now am in love with this yarn for just this particular project. These bags are crochet. When finished, they have the feel of being woven and have a durable thickness to them.

My supervisor asked for two for her daughters (who screamed with glee when they got them) and a co-worker's daughter asked for one. I have been updated on that situation and was told that the 6 year old girl spent quite a bit of time finding "purse worthy items" to put in her very first purse! I love it and am so glad that the idea came to me in the first place. I think it's more fun for me to hear about the girls and what they think.

I have made 8 so far and no changes or upgrading has been done to the initial idea. It's simple and quick and the end result is one happy little girl (or several in this case). Now the big girls want!

If you are feeling down or at a loss for something to do, pick up some of that old yarn and try your hand at making something fun like this. The rewards are spectacular :-)

Until next time, happy crochet!