How to make bag handles from coathangers – arch shape

I am so pleased that so many stores are now asking people to bring their own shopping bags. And, hurrah for San Francisco for banning plastic shopping bags!

In the ‘Lover’s Knot’ workshop that I am teaching this summer at the Knit and Crochet show in Manchester NH, I’ll be showing people how to crochet wonderful string bags of all descriptions, using the Lover’s Knot.

Here’s one:

I’m working on several others, and will post pics soon, as I have come up with something that I am really excited about!

AND

In honour of Earth Day, I am posting instructions for a couple of crocheted market bags that I have designed.

The handles are really ‘earth friendly’ as they are made from reclaimed coat hangers. Cheap and Cheerful!

Here’s the instructions for the first set of handles:

ARCH SHAPED BAG HANDLES: design and copyright by Noreen Crone-Findlay

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Finished Size: Lower side of handle is approximately 8 – 8 ½ inches long. Handles are approximately 6 ½ inches tall

Tools: A pair of pliers,A pair of wire cutters or pliers that have wire cutting notch, Safety glasses (ESSENTIAL when cutting any kind of wire- I darn near blinded myself when cutting wire – learn from my mistake and ALWAYS wear safety glasses! puhleeze!); A nail file or sandpaper

Materials: 1 wire coat hanger for each handle;Your yarn of choice and a matching crochet hook

DIRECTIONS: 1] Put on safety glasses, and with the wire cutters or cutting notch on the pliers, score the hanger around the wire, just where it angles up to become the hook.

2] Carefully wiggle the scored part back and forth, holding the hook part ( where it is wrapped around itself) with the pliers, and the rest of the hanger with you other hand, keeping your hand out of the way to avoid cuts and scratches. The hook will pop off. Discard it.

3] Sand the rough, sharp ends with sandpaper or a nail file.

4] Bend each of the ends of the wire out into a loop that is slightly less than an inch. Do not close the loops all the way.

5] Bend the long side of the wire into a gentle curve. Take one hooked end around the side of the arch & pinch it shut.

6] Slide the other loop up a little and pop the second side of the arch into the loop.

7] Pinch the end of the loop shut with the pliers. Slide the lower edges down. The handle is now locked into it’s arch shape. Adjust the shape and fine tune it to your satisfaction.

8] Repeat steps 1 – 7 with a second hanger.

9] Crochet over the handles, covering them with sc: Note: Work with 2 strands of yarn held together: Tie the end of the yarn to the lower edge of the handle, leaving a 2 or 3 inch end. Tie a knot tightly.

Insert hook into the center of the handle from the front to the back, yo, (forming a loop on your hook) pull up a loop, now, go over the handle from the front to the back and scoop up another loop, then yo and pull through all 3 the loop on the hook.

Continue to reach into the center of the bag handle, yo and pull up a loop, then take the hook over the wire and yo, and through the loops on the hook. Work lots of sc all around the bag handle and pack them close together. Repeat until bag handle is fully covered. Ch 1, cut yarn, pull end through last loop on hook, tie a tight knot and weave ends into lower edge of handle. Either stitch or crochet the handle to the top edge of the bag.

• Please remember that this is my original design and is copyright, so please don’t copy it without my permission.
  

The instructions for the Crocheted Heart bag are at:

Crocheted Heart Bag

Happy Earth Day!

Noreen