Make it ! Mini Bags to hang on the Easter Tree (… and fill them with little chocolate eggs!) !!!

… In few weeks The Easter Bunny will come hopping and with a huge amount of chocolate …. at least I really hope so!!!!

And I will be ready !!!! Some colourful mini bags are already hanging from my Easter Tree …

… with some other dangling things (eggs, bunnies and chicks!)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START ?

hook (I've used a 5mm one)
some colourful yarn (I decided to have a go with some acrylics from Indonesia!)
scissors
yarn needle
a couple of stitch markers

LET'S START !

These are the first colours combo I chose from the above drawer …

Please remember I follow the US crochet terminology! ;oD

Collect your hook, make a slip knot on it and chain 4. Insert the hook in the first chain made and make a ring.

FIRST ROUND

Chain 1 and work 12 double crochets (=DCs) into the ring. Slip stitch in the top of the first DC, cut the yarn and fasten off.

SECOND ROUND

Pick the new colour, make a slip knot on the hook.

Insert the tip of the hook in any space between 2 DCs and join the new yarn making a single crochet (=SC). Work 2 DCs in each space. At the end of the round you will have 12 shells of 2 DCs each.

Close the round with a slip stitch in the top of the first DC, cut the yarn and fasten off.

THIRD ROUND

Collect another colour and make a slip knot on your hook.

Insert the hook in any space between 2 shells and make a SC to join the new yarn.

Crochet 3 DCs in each space of the circle : you will complete the round with 12 shells of 3 DCs each.

Make a slip stitch in the top of the first DC, cut the yarn and fasten off.

FOURTH ROUND

It's the last one, too!

Pick the last colour chosen for your combo and make a slip knot on the hook.

Insert the hook in any space between 2 shells of 3 DCs and crochet 1 SC to join.

In this space work 3 DCs + chain 1. Repeat this in the following 11 spaces.

When completed the last shell+chain 1, make a slip stitch in the top of the first DC, cut the yarn and fasten off.

Trim in all the ends.

Using a different colour combo …

… to have a mini bag, you need 2 circles!!!

So, you have to crochet a matching one, but stop at the end of the 3rd round …

… and put the 2 motifs back to back, one on the top of the other …

… and decide how much wide you need the opening of your mini bag to be. I decided to keep it "3 shells wide" and I put 2 stitch markers to easily remember that, in the chain-1 spaces just before and after the 3 shells …

back view

front view

… then, you can start to crochet the last round of your second circle (make a slip knot on the hook with the yarn, insert the hook in any space of the circle, make a SC ) : work 3 shells of 3 DCs each, but don't crochet the third chain 1, because you have to start to join the 2 circles together …

In fact, after inserting the hook in the chain-1 space with the stitch marker on the left (see picture "back view") of the first circle

wrap the yarn around the hook, pull it back, so that you can make a slip stitch to join the circles …

and after that, you can crochet another 3DCs shell : wrap the yarn around the hook and insert it from the front of the second circle into the chain-1 space and crochet 3DCs…

Remember not to crochet any chain-1 space, but just make a slip stitch for every join !

When the last shell is done, we can think about the last join …

… that is your last slip stitch, to be made in the chain-1 space where we have the other stitch marker!

Cut the yarn and fasten off …

… Now we have to crochet the last piece : the handle !

The handle has to be attached in the chain-1 spaces at the sides of the opening of the mini bag …

Collect a new contrasting colour and make a slip knot on the hook and crochet a SC in the selected chain-1 space, chain 30, and …

… attach the handle at the other chain-1 space ("0" in the above pic, on the left) and return back , by crocheting a slip stitch in each chain since you reach the begin of the handle. cut the yarn, fasten off and make a nice little bow, cutting then the excess of yarn …