Joyful Abode

Shavasana Bag

This is a no-sew yoga mat bag with only two ends to weave in!

Note: I wrote this pattern a long time ago, and the first yoga mat bag was so ugly (in my opinion). You may have seen the ugly pictures on my old website (Hook Me Up! Crochet) or on Craftbits.

So I altered the pattern a bit, and made it with more attractive yarn for my sister’s Shavasana Bag. This is the slightly improved pattern, with much nicer pictures. Thanks to my sister Caroline for modeling her bag!

You will need:
Crochet hook, Size K (6.5 mm)
About two skeins of worsted weight yarn (you will probably not use it all, but I needed a bit more than a skein.)

Foundation Ring: ch 4, sl st to join.
Round 1: 8 dc into ring. sl st to join. (8)
Round 2: ch 3 (this counts as first dc), 2dc into each st from Round 1, sl st to join. (16)
Round 3: ch 3 (this counts as first dc again), 2 dc into each st from Round 2, sl st to join. (32)
Round 4: ch 3 (this counts as first dc, as always), 2 dc into first st, 1 dc into next st, *2dc into next st, 1 dc into next st [repeat from * all the way around ] sl st to join. (48)
Round 5: ch 3 (you know it’s your first dc), 2 dc into first st, 1 dc into each of next 3 sts, *2 dc into next st, 1 dc into each of next 3 sts [repeat from * all the way around] sl st to join (60)

At this point, you should have a circle that is slightly bigger than the end of your tightly-rolled-up yoga mat. (somewhere around 5″ in diameter). If it’s too small, continue increasing each round until your circle is the right size.

Round 6: ch 1. 1 sc in back loop only in each dc from the previous round. This will create a right angle and will add more structure to your bag.(60)
Round 7: ch 2 (this counts as your first hdc) 1 hdc into each sc from previous round. sl st to join. (60)

Repeat Round 7 until your tube is about 3″ shorter than your yoga mat’s width (the height when it is rolled up). The bag will stretch with the weight of your yoga mat inside it.

Note: I switched colors to make random-ish stripes, and I always crocheted over the ends so I wouldn’t have anything to weave in later. You can do that too, or just use one color for the whole thing.

Ribbed Drawstring Top:

Change yarns if you’d like a different color for the top. If you change yarns, crochet over the ends so you don’t have to weave them in later.
For the first round of your new color, dc in back loops only, to create another right angle and contribute to your bag’s structure and shape.
For a ribbed effect, alternate between fpdc and bpdc stitches, with one stitch in each dc from the previous row. Do NOT decrease.
After 5 rounds of fpdc and bpdc, finish off and weave in the end.
Weave a cord through the top row of fpdc and bpdc. This is your drawstring. (Two strands of worsted weight yarn chained together work quite well as a drawstring.)

Strap:

Foundation: Return to the bottom of your bag. Find the edge of your circle, and sl st along it for 15 stitches (stitching over the end so you don’t have to weave it in later), or enough to make a ridge about 3″ long. ch 1, turn.

Row 1: 1 sc in each sl st from previous row. ch 1, turn.
Row 2: 1 sc in each sc from previous row. ch 1, turn.

Repeat Row 2 until your strap is a good length (This will vary depending on your build and how you plan to carry your bag, but remember the strap will stretch with the weight of your yoga mat. My strap is the same length of the body of my bag.)

Attach the strap by sc-ing it to the place where the body of your bag ends and the top begins. Finish off. Weave in the end. (I also added a border to the strap by sc-ing around the edge.)

Extras:

You can add embellishments once your bag is finished. I cross stitched a little yogi in lotus pose onto the strap of mine, but you can do whatever suits your taste!

If you use this pattern to make a yoga mat bag, please post a link to your blog entry or your photo in the comments. I’d love to see it!

Contact me if you’re interested in using my patterns to create items to sell to raise money for charities. You may not sell items made from these patterns (even if you change them slightly) without my permission or for personal profit. Please refrain from republishing my patterns to other websites (including blogs), but feel free to link to this website!

Click here for my other patterns.

Craft News Network noticed my Beaded Choker pattern and said that it, “is actually quite lovely and could be very striking if the beads and crochet thread were in starkly contrasting colors.” Thanks, Craft News Network!

Joyful Abode has also inspired another blogger to write about her domestic adventures. Way to go, Laura! I think there should definitely be more domestic blogs.

My fiance tried to scrub my drip pans (those metal thingies under the stove burners on an electric stove) clean a while ago, but he gave up. The stuff was just too baked-on.

Girls like to “think smarter, not harder.” Have you ever seen the shirt that says, “Of course I don’t look busy. I did it right the first time.” Yeah.

So… I got to thinking there MUST be a way to get rid of the gunk easily. My fiance proved that soaking it in soapy water didn’t work, nor did scrubbing with a plastic brillo-pad type thing. I had an idea. Follow along to see if it worked.

Step 1: Remove the drip pans. First you will need to remove the burners by lifting…

and pulling straight out (sideways) to unplug them.

Gross, huh?

Step two: Marvel at the grossness. This is also a good time to clean the surface of your stove.

Step three: Put the drip pans in the sink and spray each one with a lot of WD-40. Then leave the room, so you won’t get that lightheaded feeling. Unless that’s what you’re going for.

Step four: Do some laundry, browse around on Joyful Abode, and generally forget about the drip pans in your sink.

Step five: Try to cook dinner, but realize your stove is disassembled and there are WD-40-soaked drip pans in your sink. Scrub vigorously. Make sure you get all of the WD-40 off, so you don’t explode when you replace the drip pans and turn on your stove. Stand in awe of the joy of WD-40, which by the way is not a lubricant, but a solvent.

Step six: Really, make sure you get all the WD-40 off.

Step seven. Ooh, ahh.

Step eight: Put the drip pans back on the stove, and plug the burners back in.

I bet you can’t wait to clean your drip pans now. Right?

It’s a tasty refreshing twist on a Shirley Temple.

Put a bit of rum in a glass, then fill it up the rest of the way with coconut soda (which you can find with the Mexican food in the grocery store). Add some cherries, cherry juice, and ice cubes.

And it’s delicious.  But nameless. Anyone have an idea for what this drink could be called?

This picture was actually taken last Tuesday, but I figured I could still post it today.

See how excited/crazed I am to be in Po Folks eating a bread stick? It’s blurry because I’m vibrating with happiness.

This is a guest article by my dear friend Meagan.

If you are interested in being a guest author for Joyful Abode, please send an email to “contribute at joyfulabode dot com”, and I will contact you.

I would LOVE to have a weekly or bi-weekly guest article here, so step up and make it possible!

One of the quirks I share with my boyfriend is an inordinate fondness for buying iced-blended coffee drinks at bookstore cafes and, drink-in-hand, wandering around the store for hours. He likes the late-day caffeine buzz, while I enjoy the icy-chocolaty goodness. However, those prissy coffee drinks can be expensive, and the cost really adds up when it becomes a habit. So, I broke out my blender and experimented with a recipe for a homemade version so we can enjoy this nice treat at home for a lot less!

Before I begin: I learned to cook from my mother, who has a recipe-less “everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink” philosophy on cooking. I follow in her footsteps, so this recipe is written to include everything my taste buds enjoy. It’s perfectly adaptable to whatever you can think of that you’d like to add to a coffee drink, as long as the ratio of coffee : cream : frozen stuff : “filler” stays roughly the same. It can also be increased or decreased to the number of servings you want; this recipe makes roughly 3 servings.
Here’s what you’ll need:

~ 2 c. coffee
~ 2 c. ice cream (I used cheap grocery-store brand cookies ‘n’ cream for $2 per 1/2 gallon)
~ 1 square or packet unsweetened chocolate
~ 1 tablespoon or so of vanilla extract/flavoring
~ a few shots of Kahlua (but only if you have a D.D.)
~ some ice

Brew some coffee ahead of time and throw it in the fridge or freezer to chill. I’m a massive chocoholic, so I even used chocolate-flavored coffee for this. You don’t have to add cream or sugar to it, since we’re going to add plenty later on. Once it’s cooled down somewhat, add two cups of it to your blender.

Add about the same amount of ice cream to your blender. I used 2 cups of coffee, so I added about 2 cups of ice cream as well.

(If you prefer icy drinks to creamy ones or are dieting, you can absolutely substitute ice for ice cream. But in this case, you’ll have to add some cream or milk to your mixture, probably a cup or so, to cream-up your milk and add some sugar content to sweeten the chocolate you’ll be adding later. I’ve also heard that sweetened condensed milk can be used, although I haven’t personally tried it… I’d love to hear from someone who’s willing to experiment!)

Add a tablespoon or so of vanilla extract, as well as your unsweetened chocolate. Don’t worry that it’s not sweetened; the sugar in the ice cream will more than make up for it. This step is optional and/or can be amended to your tastes.

(A lot of my friends don’t know about this, so I thought I’d throw it in: For the novice bakers out there, Nestle makes unsweetened chocolate that comes pre-melted in packets instead of squares. These are a godsend and a staple of any baker’s kitchen! You don’t have to melt them before using them, and therefore you don’t have to worry about scalding your chocolate in the midst of your baking. Also, 1 packet = 1 square, so it’s mathless. Trust me, it’s well worth keeping a box on-hand at all times if you do any cooking at all!)

A combination of a warm kitchen and already-soft ice cream made my mixture a little runny, so I added some ice to the blender. Not much, maybe 2 handfuls… just enough to make it icy again!

Now, here comes the fun part! If you want an alcoholic drink, add a few shots of a liquor of your choice to your blender. I used Kahlua on the first round, but mixed Kahlua + Bailey’s Irish Cream + a touch of Malibu (because dear god, I love Malibu in everything!) on the second round later on in the evening. These guys don’t add a lot of liquor-flavor to the drink; they just help make the existing flavors a little richer.

Once you tweak it to your tastes, pour into a glass and serve with a straw!

And there you go…A tasty, caffeinated, chocolicious beverage for those warm summer evenings!