In an effort to use up some of my extra yarn laying around (which of course turned into buying more yarn to finish the project), I decided to create this adorable crochet orange drawstring bag.
One difference from others that I’ve seen is the addition of the rope handle, which I’ll give a detailed explanation of below. Personally, I think that holding the bag by a crocheted handle or the drawstrings can be a little too flimsy, but the rope helps add a lot of structure to the bag.
Materials
- 3 skeins of Peaches and Creme Solid 4 Medium Cotton Yarn in Bright Orange (I bought all of my yarn for this project from Walmart)
- 1 skein of Peaches and Creme Solid 4 Medium Cotton Yarn in White
- 1 skein of Peaches and Creme Solid 4 Medium Cotton Yarn in Green
- 5 mm crochet hook
- Stitch markers
- Burlap Jute Twine Rope
Abbreviations
- mc – magic circle
- hdc – half double crochet
- inc – increase
- ch – chain
- sk – skip stitch
- sl – slip stitch
- dec – decrease
- sc – single crochet
- tc – treble crochet
Special Stitches: The Petal Stitch
This stitch is used to create the flower charm added to the handle at the end.
For the petal stitch, pull up a loop in your stitch, ch4, tc2 into the same st, and then bring your last loop through the last chain. This is similar to the popcorn stitch, but if you’re new to this technique, watch the video clip below for a demonstration. Keep in mind, this video uses double crochet instead of treble.
Crochet Orange Drawstring Bag Pattern
Difficulty: Intermediate
Base
Round 1 Create a mc
Round 2 hdc8 into the mc, mark the first stitch with the marker (move the marker with the first stitch of each round) (8)
Round 3 *inc* repeat to end (16)
Round 4 *hdc1, inc* repeat to end (24)
Round 5 *hdc2, inc* repeat to end (32)
Round 6 *hdc3, inc* repeat to end (40)
Round 7 *hdc4, inc* repeat to end (48)
Round 8 *hdc5, inc* repeat to end (56)
Round 9 *hdc6, inc* repeat to end (64)
Round 10 *hdc7, inc* repeat to end (72)
Round 11 *hdc8, inc* repeat to end (80)
Round 12 *hdc9, inc* repeat to end (88)
Body
Rounds 1-17 (or until desired length for where the bag will cinch) hdc in each stitch (88)
Round 18 *hdc5, ch1, sk st, hdc1 in next st, ch1, sk st* repeat to end (This will create gaps to weave in the drawstring later) (88)
Rounds 19-23 (or until desired length) hdc in each stitch (88)
Drawstrings
I chose to create leaves on both ends of the drawstring because 1. I thought it looked cute and 2. they secure the string in place. This is completely optional though.
Round 1 ch3
Round 2 hdc in third ch from the hook (aka the first ch you made)
Round 3 ch2, turn, inc
Round 4 ch2, turn, inc, hdc1
Round 5 ch2, turn, inc, hdc2
Round 6 ch2, turn, inc, hdc 3
Round 7 ch2, turn, inc, hdc4
Round 8 ch2, turn, inc, hdc5
Round 9 ch2, turn, inc, hdc6
Round 10 ch2, turn, inc, hdc7
Round 11 ch2, turn, hdc to end
Round 12 ch2, turn, dec, hdc7
Round 13 ch2, turn, dec, hdc6
Round 14 ch2, turn, dec, hdc5
Round 15 ch2, turn, dec, hdc4
Round 16 ch2, turn, dec, hdc3
Round 17 ch2, turn, dec, hdc2
Round 18 ch2, turn, dec, hdc1
Round 19 ch2, turn, dec
*That finishes off the first leaf*
Round 20 ch as many as needed to weave the yarn through the gaps we made in round 18 of the body
*Before beginning the next leaf, make sure you have already woven the chains through the bag. The next leaf will secure the drawstring there.*
Repeat rounds 1-19
Handle
Like the leaves, this bit is completely optional.
Round 1 ch7
Round 2 starting in the third ch from the hook, hdc5
Rounds 3-44 (or until desired handle length) ch2, turn, hdc 5
Cut your rope to be just shorter than the handle you just created (I left two rows on each end that wouldn’t be stitched around the rope)
Holding the rope in place, begin securing it by creating sl st with either side of the handle you crocheted. Repeat this all the way down the length of the rope, leaving two rows on each end flat.
Mark where you want the handle to be placed on the bag and secure with sl st
Flower charm
This is also optional, but adorable if you have some left over yarn
Round 1 create a mc
Round 2 sc5 into the mc
Round 3 In the first st, do a petal stitch (reference above), and bind off
Repeat for each st and then weave in your ends
And that’s it! This pattern definitely exercises all of your crochet skills, but it’s worth it for this adorable crochet orange drawstring bag!