Crochet a Bag Easily
Crocheting isn't a hobby just for retired grannies: it's a craft—or even art-form—which is gaining in popularity. Crocheting is both practical and creative, and can be an excellent way to be productive while catching up on Netflix on cold and rainy days. Here we provide you with instructions on how to create a simple bag using basic crochet techniques. This pattern can be adapted to bags of almost any size and style.
Contents
Steps
Crocheting a Simple Envelope-Style Bag
- Review the basics. This bag is an excellent project for a beginner. If you haven't already reviewed our excellent wikiHow on Crochet, be sure to check it out (along with the helpful accompanying video instructions).
- For this project, you only need to know how to do the chain stitch (usually abbreviated “ch”) and a single crochet (usually abbreviated “sc”).
- Decide what kind of bag you want. This is a flexible pattern, and you can adapt it to make small envelope style clutches or even laptop or tablet sleeves.
- If you're planning on carting a particular item in your new bag, measure it in advance (e.g., your laptop) or measure a similar style bag so that you have the basic dimensions and shape in mind.
- Choose your yarn. If this is one of your first crocheting projects, it will probably be best to stick with a simple, plain yarn of cotton or soft acrylic. You may also want to choose a solid color yarn so that you can see how the stitches are made and be able to count them more easily.
- Choose your crochet hook. Most yarn labels indicate what size hook you should use; it will be best if you stick with the recommended hook size.
- As a general rule, the thicker the hook, the thicker the yarn will need to be.
- If you want to complete your project faster, choose a thicker yarn and hook. The stitches will be larger, and you'll build up rows faster.
- Make a test swatch. As with any project, creating a test swatch is a good idea. You may be impatient to get started right away on your bag, but taking the time to make a small square (approximately 4"X4") can save you time in the long-run.
- Making a test swatch can help you gauge your tension (how loose or tight your stitches are) and figure out how many stitches will be in an inch.
- Chain the amount of stitches you want the bottom and top width of your bag to be. Because this is a beginner piece, you will be creating either a rectangle or a square (the top and bottom of your bag will be equal lengths, as will the sides).
- More advanced projects will allow you to create different shapes, such as an isosceles trapezoid where the top tapers in. You'll need to learn how to decrease stitches to be able to make this shape of a bag.
- For small to medium size bags, between 30 and 60 stitches should work well.
- Be sure to remember how many stitches you included in this initial chain. You may want to write it down, and if your chain is particularly long, you may want to use markers every ten to twenty stitches to help you keep count.
- Turn your work, and then single crochet back along your chain. Once you've completed your initial chain that is as long as you want the width of your bag to be, you'll need to turn so that you can start the next row on the opposite side. You will need to do this every time you get to the end of a row.
- To turn your work, simply rotate clockwise halfway so that your last stitch in the current row becomes the first stitch in the new row you are starting.
- Continue to crochet up to the height you want your bag to be. Now that you've got the hang of single crocheting and turning, just keep going until the bag is as tall as you want it to be.
- You will be folding up the bottom part of the bag (the top will fold down as a flap). Keep this in mind as you crochet up. Don't make your piece too short.
- If you want your bag to be 12" high (when the flap is folded over) with a 6" flap, you'll want to crochet your piece to be 30" tall.
- Fasten off your yarn. Once your piece is as tall as you want it to be, you need to fasten off the yarn. Fastening off when crocheting is actually quite easy.
- Simply cut off your yarn from the skein, leaving a tail of a few inches. Draw the tail of the yarn onto your hook, remove the hook and pull on the yarn to tighten it. Then, weave the tail through the stitches in your top row. .
- Fold and sew to make your bag. Fold up the bottom half of your bag to make the pouch.
- Check to see if there is a “wrong” side of the piece; if you prefer the look of one side, make sure that is facing out as you fold up.
- Using a matching yarn (most likely the same yarn you crocheted with, unless you like the look of a contrasting seam), sew the side seams together, stopping at the point at which you want the flap to fold over.
Crocheting a Tote-Style Bag
- Review steps 1-5 from above. Instead of the simple envelope bag, you may decide you want to try your hand at a tote bag. Because this method has you crochet two pieces and sew them together, your bag will be a bit roomier on the inside, and thus will be well-suited to use as a purse or shopping bag.
- The beginning steps of this alternate project are the same as the envelope-style bag. You'll want to make sure that you are comfortable with the basic crochet stitches, have carefully selected your yarn and hook, and have thought about what you want your final project to look like. Once you've done that, you're ready to start crocheting your new bag!
- Decide if you will want your bag to have a flap. You will be creating two pieces and sewing them together. If you do not want a flap for your bag, the front and back pieces will be identical. If you want a flap, however, you'll need to crochet the back piece to be taller.
- For example, if you want a bag that is 12" tall with a flap, you'll want to make your back piece longer—crocheting to 18" will give you a 6" flap.
- Create a chain. Counting your stitches carefully, create a chain until you reach the length you'd like the bottom and top width of your bag to be. You will be crocheting either a square or a rectangle, depending upon the shape you want your tote to be.
- If your chain is particularly long, you may find it helpful to use markers every ten or twenty stitches to help you keep count.
- Turn your work, and then single crochet back along your chain. Once you've completed your initial chain that is as long as you want the width of your bag to be, you'll need to turn so that you can start the next row on the opposite side. You will need to do this every time you get to the end of a row.
- To turn your work, simply rotate clockwise halfway so that your last stitch in the current row becomes the first stitch in the new row you are starting.
- Continue to single crochet. Keep crocheting, turning, and creating new rows until you reach the desired height you are aiming for.
- Remember that if you want a flap for back, the back piece will need to be longer (taller) than the front piece.
- Fasten off your yarn. Once your front (or back piece, depending on which you are working on) is as tall as you want it to be, you need to fasten off the yarn.
- Once you've completed your last row, cut the yarn from the skein, making sure to leave a few inches. Draw the tail of the yarn onto your hook, remove the hook and pull on the yarn to tighten it. Then, weave the tail through the stitches in your top row. .
- Repeat Steps 3-6 for the second piece of your bag. Once you've finished, you'll have either two identical pieces (the front and the back of a bag with no flap), or two pieces with a longer back side piece that will flap over the front.
- Sew the front and back pieces together. With the wrong side of the two pieces facing each other, use matching yarn to sew the bottom and side pieces of your bag together.
- You'll probably want to use the same color yarn to sew your pieces together, but it may be fun to use a contrasting color.
- Make a strap for your bag. You'll most likely want to add a strap to your bag. The process for making this is very similar to what you've already been doing.
- Make a chain as long as you want your strap to be.
- Turn the chain, and single crochet back along to the end of the chain.
- Repeat the single crochet until the strap is as wide as you want it to be.
- Finish off the strap, and then sew the ends of the strap into the corners of your bag.
- Be sure to use plenty of stitches when attaching the straps to your bag; nothing is worse than having a strap break, causing you to the contents of your bag!
Related Articles
- Crochet Fingerless Sea Shell Gloves
- Crochet a V Stitch Scarf
- Crochet a Snowman
- Crochet a Hair Elastic
