I’m told that’s German for crocheted bag.
I love big, roomy, hand-made hobo bags. I’ve wanted one since my sister had one in high school, but I have a hard time finding them in stores. When I do find them they just look too…perfect, I guess. They should look hand-made, not mass produced.
So I’m going to try making one myself. My project is based on Inga’s Haekelbeutel (PDF). I want something more intricate than the basic squares she has in her pattern. I’m also changing the number of squares used, how the handle is constructed and I’ll be lining it.
I chose to use one of the squares in 200 Crochet Blocks. The “Fudge” square looks really nice in white cotton.
I really don’t like working with cotton yarn, but sometimes you just have to use the right fiber for the right project. Cotton yarn doesn’t stretch as much as other fibers so it’s a good choice for a bag. I’m using Lily’s Sugar ‘n Cream 100% cotton. It’s cheap ($1.99 per skein) and easy to find. I’ve also found it’s extremely durable and gets nice and soft after a few uses.
Inga’s pattern uses 16 squares sewn together in four strips. I’m going to use 12 squares (also in four strips) to make a more shallow, hobo-style bag. The strips will be assembled like this:
(That makes sense, right?)
Then I’ll make two more squares to use as the base of the shoulder strap and sew them into the “V” shapes on opposite sides of the bag and crochet a looooong strap. Then I’ll line the bag and strap with white linen to make it sturdy. I’m excited to use my new summery cotton bag!
