Ring Motif Purse Pattern #270

Materials: Clark's O.N.T. Mercerized Crochet, size 10, 3 balls of color 102 Coffee Brown, and 1 ball of color 38 Dark Orange. Milward's steel crochet hook No. 4. Eight-inch Talon Hookless Fastener.

Bag is made of two parts exactly alike, which are sewn together.

With Brown make a ch to measure about an inch longer than fastener. 1st row: S c in 4th ch from hook, s c in next ch, * ch 1, skip 1 ch, s c in each of next 2 ch. Repeat from * until work measures length of fastener. Ch 3, turn. 2nd row: 2 s c over next ch-1, * ch 1, 2 s c over next ch-1, repeat from * to end of row. Ch 3, turn.

3rd row: Same as 2nd row, making 2 s c over turning ch-3 in order to keep edges straight. Ch 3, turn.

Repeat 3rd row until work is 3½ inches deep. Then decrease 1 s c group at end of each row by omitting last s c group and making ch 1 to turn. Continue until work measures 5½ inches deep. Then work 1 row of s c in Brown, making s c in each st around sides and bottom. Then work 1 row of s c in Dark Orange, making s c in each s c of previous row. Make another piece the same and sew the two together with Dark Orange.

Handle: With Brown make a ch desired length of handle (about 15 inches). Work 5 rows of s c and 3 rows of s c with Dark Orange. Fold and sew the two edges together with Dark Orange. Sew the ends to edge at top 2½ inches apart at center. Make a crocheted ring to use as a slide over handle.

Ring Trimming: The center ring is a trifle larger than the other two.Center Ring: With Brown, ch 32. Join with sl st to form ring. 1st rnd:Ch 3, 61 tr in ring. Break off. 2nd rnd: With Orange work 1 s c in each tr.3rd rnd: S c in each s c with ch 2 between s c's. Link the side rings into the center ring as follows. With Brown, ch 25. Draw end through 1st ring, and then join with sl st to form ring. Make 52 tr in ring, then finish same as center ring. Make the 3rd ring the same way, joining it to the center ring. Sew on as in illustration.