The Tab-Top Purse

I first saw the purse at a ladies' luncheon on Roatan last winter. When Carol told us the purse was made from the tab tops of soda cans, we were all intrigued.  I was so fascinated that I did an online search for tab top purses and found a blog which gave intructions for crocheting a purse made of tab tops and had lots of photos. I'm a very visual person, so the photos were even more helpful to me than her directions. I began saving tab tops, but  Don and I don't drink much soda, so I knew it would take a long time to gather enough tab tops.

A short while later, Don and I took the Karla, Carlos, Leidy and Julissa to the beach to swim and have lunch. We ordered pizzas and while we were waiting, the kids' drinks were served. I jumped at the opportunity to collect more tab tops and asked them to give me theirs. This was shortly before we left the island last spring.

When we returned in the fall, Carlos greeted us and then handed me a pocketful of tab tops he had been collecting. I was surprised that he had remembered after so many months! That day, the Tab Top Hunter was born. He was so delighted that he had pleased me, that he made it his mission to bring me more every time he saw me and would proudly tell me the number each time. "Miss Jeanette, 57!" Not to be outdone, his sister, Karla, joined the search. They had a neighbor up in the colonia who collected aluminum cans, so they were able to pull the tab tops from them. By Christmas time, I had more than enough to make the purse, but no yarn! I could not find any on the island, so I asked our daughter to bring a large skein of black yarn when she came to visit. I had no idea how much yarn it would take; the instructions were somewhat vague on that point, but I figured one large skein should be enough.

I just finished the purse today, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I think I will attempt to teach some of the ladies and/or girls at church to crochet and let them try making a purse.

A few days later:
The purse was a big hit! The ladies loved it, the girls loved it, and many would like to learn how to crochet so they can make one. I will be teaching a class for them soon. Hopefully the church will have enough yarn on hand. I have several crochet hooks, and I have champion tap top hunters commissioned to go forth!