Clutch VS Reticule

Sock yarn is so very adaptable, isn't it?  One need not even make socks with the stuff.  What's more, one can find a nice pattern, make it or adapt it, and not even use it as intended.  This whole stick and string thing responds very well to the whim of the weilder!

This is my new clutch purse.  Made of stash sock stuff and using a slightly adapted pattern from Berroco.     The pattern is free - so click away and enjoy.  I love how the moss/seed stitch breaks up what should be horizontal patterning of the yarn.  

For this clutch purse, I wanted sturdy structure.  So it has a double lining with stays inset for the bottom fold line, sides and top fold line.  It all worked out perfectly and, once I settle on the proper closure, it will be ready for use as just a clutch or as a wonderful travel companion that slips easily into a larger bag or suitcase.  

Funny thing about sock yarn.  There is a lot of it - way more than is needed to make a small clutch purse.  So, I used the left over part to make this.

When I started crocheting with a little circle and no pattern, folks were asking the eternal bothersome question Whatcha makin'?  In a former life as the Queen of Sarcasm, I would have replied, "A circle."  But no more.  I am working very hard to refrain from sarcasm and politely (yes, surely I was polite each time my mouth opened) indicated that my intent was to make a reticule.


Reticule.   That one word sparked all manner of questions and explanations.  Never in my wildest imagination did it occur that I might be the last remaining person  that knows the word reticule and its proper usage.   As all manner of folks know the meaning of the word circle, perhaps that obvious answer would have been better.  (oops, is even that statement a bit of my old ways sneaking in?)


So, I took my little crochet project as an opportunity to educate all who came within my sphere of influence and explained the reticule.  Indeed, we had such fun with this new found knowledge that the bag has become known to a few chosen friends as the Ridiculous Reticule.  But I digress.  The point here is the totally different pattern that resulted from crocheting rounds of the sock yarn.  Swirls of color march up the bag and offer an almost jaunty look.  

Once completed, I put the clutch and reticule side by side just to appreciate the differences.   Knit vs crochet.  Moss vs. double.  Stable vs collapsible.  Lined vs unlined.  


I remain captivated that the same yarn can produce such variety depending on how it is used.    The only remaining issue is what to do with the still left over sock yarn!