Today, April 22, 2009, is Earth Day. In honor of the day, I used my Scrap Yarn tote (see my previous entry) to carry my yarns and hooks and books and magazines. And I liked using it so much, that I vowed I would use it, and all the other bags that I've crocheted and knit, more and more. I will use them to tote yarn (of course), books, and groceries, and whatever else I can think of. Where ever I go! Tonight, I even used it to hold some yarn that I was working with. The yarn wanted to roll around on the floor, and I put it into the tote, set the tote on a chair. It stayed put, the yarn stayed put, and I discovered a new use for my totes. I also decided that this tote was a "go-to" tote - I'll make it again and again and again, trying different yarns in my stash and in my future stash. It's a great stash buster because you can use just about any cotton yarn. (But it's also a great stash enhancer - because you can use one strand of some new yarn that you just MUST try out, and the rest of the yarn can be from your stash.) I used two strands of Fantasy Naturale, just scraps that I had in my stash. But I want to make one with other cottons, and one with other colors of Fantasy Naturale (yes - that I have in my stash!). You can even make one with one strand of cotton, and one strand of another fiber. The cotton will give it strength, and won't let it stretch. As I was thinking about all the possibilities, and what yarn I'm going to use, I thought that this project would be a great Crochet Along (CAL). So - if you're interested in making one along with me, it's easy to get started. Download the pattern from the website (in the previous post), find some yarn that you want to use - either in your stash or from a store, and we can start working. And, if you work along with me, and have some difficulty with the pattern (I don't think you will - but, you know, it might happen) then, you can ask me about it, and I'll be there right with you! What could be better than that?
Let me know if you want to be in on the CAL. I thought we could get started on May 1, 2009. With just a few hours of crocheting, we can have a new tote in time for beach season! So that gives you 9 days to download the booklet (and there are 6 other great totes and bags in the booklet, all designed by independent designers) and 9 days to gather your yarns. Believe me when I tell you that once you make one of these, you'll want to make more!