Crocheting with Two Strands of Yarn at Once

I've blogged about the technique of crocheting two strands of yarn at once to make  a thick, reliable potholder.  In that instance, I used some cheap black yarn as my second thread, so I wasn't too impressed with the results.  That's a good potholder, I thought, but that's about it.

Then I decided to try the technique again, still using washable acrylic yarn.  This time I paired a solid apricot yarn with  a variegated yarn in pink, green, white, and brown.  You see the results above.  What a stunner!  I had chained 30 with my US 16 crochet needle, which I realized was a little too wide for an ordinary potholder.  Also, by jingo, it's too bright and pretty!  I decided to create a tote bag.

To do this, I'll crochet another 12" x 12" section like this one, and three narrower sections to form the sides and bottom.  Then I'll do a couple of lengths of 5 chain crochet for handles.  It will be easy to assemble the bag with a yarn needle, and it will make a striking product - one I hope someone might want to buy.

Using two yarns at once is a simple way to create distinctive color combinations and eye-catching accessories.