The company I work for sponsors a trip for employees nominated for Employee of the Month and 12 others drawn randomly from a hat of people who had good reviews for the last couple of years. It’s really a nice incentive to do a good job. A woman on my team was lucky enough to be selected so I wanted to give her a little something special for her trip.She is a beginning crocheter so I wanted to surprise her with something crocheted… and something camo because that’s just how she rolls. *grins*
I admit I was inspired by a pattern I saw on Ravelry for round luggage tags so I want to give credit where credit is due. The Monkey BooBoo blog posted this pattern on Ravelry for an Initial Luggage Tag. I will say upfront that I did not make this luggage tag so I have no input on the pattern posted; however, looking at it gave me the generic idea of “LUGGAGE TAGS” and here I am… making up a new pattern and excited to give my co-worker a little token of appreciation and something to help her on her trip.
Diamond Luggage Tag
By Cris
Items Needed:
Worsted Weight Yarn of your choice to be MC
Contrasting Worsted Weight Yarn of your choice for the border (or use same as MC)
Contrasting Yarn for initial (optional)
Size H Crochet Hook
Tapestry Needle
A little embroidery skill
Abbreviations:
MC – Main Color
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
beg – beginning
sl – slip stitch
Notes:
For the images, I used Red Heart Camo as the MC and Red Heart White as the contrasting color for the initial)
To Begin:
ch 16
Row 1
sc in 2nd ch from hook in the back “bump” of the stitch
sc across the foundation ch in the back “bump” of each stitch to the end of the row
Row 2 – 8
ch 1, turn
sc across row 1 (14 sc + ch 1 at beg of row)
—
Now is the time to add the initial. If you do not want to add an initial, skip down to the instructions for the border and loop.
For the Initial:
Do not cut the yarn, but draw out the loop so your work does not come unraveled.
Cut approximately 2 feet of your contrasting yarn for the initial. You will not use a lot for 1 initial.
Thread the yarn into the tapestry needle
Placement of the initial is up to you. Keep in mind you are folding the rectangle in half and it will hang from a corner to create the diamond shape. It is your decision if you want the initial to show upright with the top lining up with the point of the square OR if you want it to be crooked by lining the top of the initial with the flat side of the square. For the example, I am aligning the initial with the diamond shape. If you are aligning the initial with the diamond point, the top of the letter needs to be at the corner that has the loop where you stopped on the last row using the MC.
Using the embroidery chain stitch or something similar to stitch across the surface, create the initial you are wanting onto one half of the fabric. Because you are folding the fabric in half, the back side does not have to be perfect, but it is nice to try to be as tidy as possible.
If you are not familiar with the embroidery chain stitch, you can find a video on YouTube. If there is enough of a request here, I will do a video showing you how to do the embroidery chain stitch.
For the pictured luggage tag, I used a baby yarn in pink and embroidered in small stitches to surface crochet across the top of the camo material.
Border and Loop:
If you are using a contrasting color, cut and finish off where the MC is and attach the contrasting color.
If you are not changing colors, just slide your H hook back into the loop of the MC and continue.
ch 28 (ch more or less to match the thickness of your luggage)
sl into first ch to create a loop
fold the material in half to create the diamond shape, going between both pieces of material, sc around with 3 sc in each corner.
On the folded side, do your best to line the stitches up but DO sc down the fold to create the illusion of 2 separate pieces being stitched together.
sl into first ch to join. cut and finish by weaving in the ends.
To secure the loop, I did take a small scrap from one of the tails and tie a tight knot around the base of the chained loop and then wove those ends in as well. This step is purely option.
To Use:
To use the luggage tag, slide the loop around the handle of your suitcase. Fold the diamond and push it through the loop and pull tight.
Other Options:
Instead of doing an initial, consider a small applique that means something to the person who will be using the tags – perhaps an applique of a flower or the face of their favorite critter.
iYarny 