Yarny Notes

We are all set to start the first week of the Belly of the Beast Tote Crochet Along!

Let’s dive into it!

This tote is based on the construction of the Fat Bottom Bag but we are going to be making this using Tunisian Crochet.

You will need about 500 gms of bulky yarn and 9mm or 10 mm Tunisian crochet hook. We made ours using Vardhman Cottonplus. Each 100 gm of Vardhman Cottonplus comes as 71 mts / 77yds ball.

This yarn is loosely plied yet holds its shape very well thus making it ideal for making bags. The yarn is a cotton acrylic blend hence will hold up well is our belief:)

You will also need a meter of fabric if you want to line the bag and a zipper 15″or more in length for the bag closure.

We used single colour for the bag and a contrast colour for the edge and bag handles. You are most welcome to change this to suit your palette:) You can also make a scrap bag by using random colours! If you are substituting the suggested yarn , please be mindful to change the hook size according to the yarn chosen. Also be aware that the bag measurements will change while using a different yarn.

The general tip while using Tunisian Crochet is to use a hook that is two sizes bigger than what you would normally use for the yarn you have chosen. The reason being , it results in a nicer fabric plus it helps in controlling the curl that is normally associated with Tunisian Crochet.

Well, now that the general instructions are out of the way, let’s begin!

Belly of the Beast Tote

The line on the picture above marks the end of part 1 of the crochet along.

Materials needed

Vardhman Cottonplus yarn 500 gms -Main colour (MC)400 gms, Contrast Colour (CC)100 gms

Tunisian Crochet hook 9mm or 10 mm with a cable atleast 40 cms in length

Finished size : 14″ deep by 18″ wide without measuring the handles

Stitch Abbreviations

YO – yarn over

Sl St – Slip Stitch

BLO – Back loop only

Ch – Chain

Beg Inc – Beginning increase

End Inc – End increase

TSS – Tunisian Simple Stitch (explanation for one stitch) FP -Insert hook from right to left in the vertical bar, yarn over and pull up a loop.

TKS – Tunisian Knit Stitch (explanation for one stitch) FP – Insert hook from front to back between the vertical bars of the stitch , yo , pull up a loop.

TES – Tunisian Edge Stitch – Insert hook through two loops of the last st, yarn over and pull up a loop.

FP – Forward Pass

RP – Return Pass (for all rows) Yarn over pull through 1 loop, yarn over pull through 2 loops till you have just one loop left on the hook

BO – Bind Off worked as follows -(insert hook under the next vertical bar, yarn over , pull up loop, yarn over pull through two loops) repeat (..) until all stitches are bound off.

Notes:

1: The loop on hook is counted as the first stitch.

2: The second and the second last stitch of each row is worked in TKS.

3: Beg Inc is made by inserting the hook front to back, in the space between the 2nd and 3rd vertical bar, yo, pull up a loop.

4: The End Inc is made by inserting the hook front to back in the space between the 3rd last and 2nd last vertical bars, yo, pull up a loop.

Instructions

Foundation Row

FP: Using MC, chain 20, insert hook in the back bump of the 2nd ch, yo, pull up a loop, (insert hook in the back bump of the next ch, yo, pull up a loop) 18 times. 20 loops on hook.

RP :Yarn over pull through 1 loop, yarn over pull through 2 loops till you have just one loop left on the hook. 20 stitches.

Row 1

FP : 1 TKS in the second st, 1 Beg Inc, 1 TSS in each of the next 16 stitches, 1 End Inc, 1 TKS, 1TES – 22 loops on the hook

RP : Yarn over pull through 1 loop, yarn over pull through 2 loops till you have just one loop left on the hook. 22 stitches.

Row 2

FP : 1 TKS in the second st, 1 Beg Inc, 1 TSS in each stitch till you reach the TKS, 1 End Inc, 1 TKS, 1TES – 24 loops on the hook

RP : Yarn over pull through 1 loop, yarn over pull through 2 loops till you have just one loop left on the hook. 24 stitches.

Rows 3 – 17 : Repeat Row 2. At the End of Row 17 you will have 54 stitches. Do not cut yarn !

That’s it for Week 1:)

Let’s meet back for Part 2 on May 13th!