WREK Backpack Series - Base Complete

Many more rows have been added to our initial base since we last saw it, as you might be able to guess just by looking at the size of the crochet hook compared to the rest of the work now. The tapestry crochet has already begun as the sides begin to form (so that the logo doesn't feel "thicker" than the surrounding stitches) All the white's been used for so far is foundation and that two-row stripe where we stop counting the 'bottom' of the bag and start thinking about the design.

The white yarn's going to be used for more than just the logo; The top of the bag and the strap(s) should also be trimmed in white to help pull in the color scheme more, so we have some actual fashion in this versus just "Let's make a backpack with the logo on it". Also, the whole "let's do the entire bag as through it were tapestry" allows for less tie-offs (which, while they don't affect the integrity of the bag, can be messy) and a little more freedom in the work itself. I'm halfway tempted to find a way to include my signature on the body-side of the bag (i.e. where it won't be normally visible) as a bit of an ego-kick and also as an experiment to see how such an idea would come out.

By the way, see those red circles? Say hello to my stitch markers. They're going to help me center the WREK logo in the right place. There's one at the roughly center point (subject to adjustment when we actually start) and the other one is 30 stitches ahead of it (I work clockwise because I'm right-handed) so I can start counting from that point. Once I have the first row of tapestry started, this process should become much easier.

... I am a little disappointed that the bag is only a little bigger than my handprint though. Apparently when I thought this was going to be huge I was thinking in terms of my wool.

WREK Backpack Series - The Base

Just a progress report on the bottom of the WREK backpack. Because I like to do most of my projects in the round, the backpack starts at the bottom and builds up from there.

The base is just a flat foundation chain of 5 with a shell stitch on top; everything else is crocheted around this, with some gradual adding of stitches (for the circular portion) and some corners (for the flat section). The goal is to get the circular section up to 50-60 stitches, so the logo can stay mostly on the curvature.

The base is being done with two bits of yarn in order to give it further stability, along with providing an easy way for me to switch one of them to white for the Tapestry Crochet later on. Also... we ARE talking the bottom of the bag here. It deserves to have a little extra support since it'll have to hold more weight than the rest.

Sushi-Rae Series - Planning

The Idea: It's a Sushi Hat!

Actually, the idea was originally to make it a rasta hat, but instead it's a beret (hence the name - Sushi, Beret, Sushi-ret... Which has been altered to Sushi-rae for simplicity in pronounciation and egotism.)

The Plan: I've done rasta hats before, and it would seem like a beret would be of similar build. The main difference is that unlike the previous hats, the sushi-rae doesn't have a strong central point -- the center piece would be mostly patchwork before the white "rice" would fill out the rest of the hat's base, followed by the black "nori" to shape the hat into its final form.

WREK Backpack Series - Plotting

The Idea: Tommy wants me to make him something. Since purses and scarves are (probably) not what he has in mind, I decided to do one better - A backpack with the logo of his favorite radio station ever, WREK Atlanta. (Did I mention he's the chief engineer there?)

The Tools: One Size I hook per the yarn's recommended size, and three skeins of Red Heart Soft Yarn (NOT the super-saver stuff!) Also will be trying out some Lion Brand Yarn Split-Ring Stitch markers, because this bag WILL see some shaping to it!

The Plan: In order to get the Logo as perfect as possible, this bag will be done in Tapestry Crochet -- it'll get covered eventually, but for now? it's just a simple way to switch colors in-row in order to make simple pictures. In order to do this, though, we need to grid out a picture - not just to find out what size it looks best at, but also to figure out just how large this backpack needs to be!


Yes, that's a 54 by 61 grid... something tells me we're going to be talking a big bag. Which is fine, we've got the yarn for it.

The general shape given above is a variant of a single-strap bag I did before, which had a buckle in the strap in order to secure the bag from unwanted hands in such a way you couldn't get into the bag while you had it on. This will be a double-strap without the buckle, so that the top puckers up like a drawstring bag, yet has roughly the same protection as the original.

The plan will involve some real creativity in the formation of the strap at the same approximate time as the bag, so that the strap is essentially a single loop of fabric in order to accomplish this security. As a slight bonus, the drawstring nature of the top will probably also allow him to wear it like a single-strap if he changes his mind.

Also, the multiple stress points at the top ought to keep the bag from warping the way the old one did at the single stress point.

The bottom should also take on some special shaping as well - I want to do a semi-circle on the bottom so the back of the bag can lay flat against his back (the original was a straight circle) . This, combined with the Tapestry Crochet, will mean the main decreases in the bag's width will have to be done on the sides as opposed to all-around.

This is where the stitch markers should come in handy, because keeping up with black yarn will NOT be easy...