Love the delicious, squishy, bobbley texture of this.

I really hate carrying purses. I can’t explain why, they just annoy me. In the Fall/Winter that’s not a problem because I can carry all my whosits and whatsits in my coat pockets. But in warmer weather, sans coat, it becomes a problem to carry and keep track of things like keys, money, debit/credit cards, grocery list, pen, etc., etc. So I made this wristlet because it’s small (i.e. less cumbersome/annoying), stays around my wrist so I don’t absentmindedly leave it somewhere, and gives me just enough room to fit the necessities.

Of course I am absolutely terrible about taking pictures of, and entering my projects into Ravelry. I would much rather be experiencing the thrill of choosing a new project to begin, or be actually knitting or crocheting, than documenting what is already done. I would really like to change that though - it’s so helpful when it comes to recalling all the details about hook/needle size, yarn, yardage, etc. So I’m taking these pictures after I’ve been carrying it around with me for 2 months, during which time I took it to an amusement park and had it with me on a inter-tube/water ride where I got completely soaked. So it’s grubby, smashed/misshapen, and needs a bath. But hey, the fact that I even made the time to take pictures and enter it into Ravelry is in itself a miracle. So we’re just gonna go with it. Baby steps.

The mods I made and (can recall):

• Used DK weight instead of worsted.
• Didn’t see the sense of crocheting 2 rectangles and then sewing them together as the pattern instructs, so did 1 “tall” rectangle, eliminating at least the bottom seam, if not the side seams. Yeah, sometimes items need a seam for structure/stability, but in this case, the fabric created was definitely sturdy enough in its own right that I knew I wouldn’t need to worry about the wristlet stretching.
• Added 1 (4-row) repeat of the st pattern to make the wristlet a little deeper.
• After seaming the sides, crocheted a wrist strap, folded it in half and placed it at the spot I wanted it to be located on the purse, then worked some rounds of single crochet at the top (working right through the 2 ends of the strap to secure them).
• Sewed a lining with cute polka dot cotton fabric and sewed in a zipper using this tutorial (direct link to PDF).

Just felt the need to add - This yarn is a freakin nightmare to crochet with. Seriously. Never again. I’ve knit with it in the past with no problem whatsoever, but it’s made of many thin plies that are very loosely spun, and when you crochet with it, they separate and fight you every-step-of-the-way. Not only was it stressing me the crap out, but I’d work a stitch, realize the hook hadn’t caught all the strands while making my bobble, and have to undo that bobble and try, try again, so it took me probably twice as long to crochet than it otherwise would have. I’m not exaggerating about the p.i.t.a. of it. I do like the finished project however, so I’m glad I battled my way through. It’s such a shame though because I have a lot of this yarn in different colors, and it really is a lovely yarn in that it makes beautiful FO’s that stand up to wear and tear well.