Join us for this fun crochet-a-long and make a beautiful, lightweight summer crochet bag with three free crochet patterns including a purse, backpack, and tote.

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.”

Sheryl Crow

Do you find that sometimes in the most chaotic moments of life, something beautiful emerges?

Life is all about balance. We cannot appreciate joy without knowing sorrow. There is no beauty without ugliness. Laughter is enjoyed after experiencing sadness. Light shines brighter in the darkness. Likewise, it takes chaos to bring our attention to the beautiful moments of life.

About…

If you are new to Pineapple and Pine, we are a crochet community that hosts Crochet-a-longs (CALs) and Designer Spotlights. Pineapple and Pine was founded by me here at The Plush Pineapple and Kelsie of Crafting for Weeks. You can read more info about how we got our start on our information page. When we started this community, we wanted our CALs to be unique. When we host a CAL, we team up with other designers and create a pattern collaboratively!

Process…

The design process can be a bit chaotic to say the very least. So much work goes into providing a new pattern for the crochet community to enjoy. After the idea is conceived, it must be sketched, swatched, created, typed, tested, proofed, listed, published, and promoted. Whew! If it is that much work to release one design, imagine what goes into a collaborative design with a team of three designers!

Result…

As a designer, I have truly enjoyed working on a design team with Divya Bhat of Stringtierey and Shanice Laughlin of Crochetastic Boutique. We wanted a pattern that had a good contrast of stitches so that each element would stand out in its own way while still working cohesively together in one beautiful design. Believe me when I tell you that there was much deliberation, frogging, and experimenting, but as you can see, from all of the design chaos, we can now present to you…

…a beautiful crochet design!

CAL Schedule

  • Texture – Week One – April 6-10: hosted by The Plush Pineapple
  • Linen – Week Two – April 13-17: hosted by Crochetastic Boutique
  • Lace – Week Three – April 20-24: hosted by Stringtierey
  • Finishing – Week Four – April 27-May 1: hosted by The Plush Pineapple

Skill Level – Intermediate

Materials

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to the products used in this project. If you make a purchase through any of these links, we will get a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Crossbody

Backpack

Tote

  • DK/Sport (3) weight cotton yarn, Lion brand 24/7 cotton or Vardhman cotone. (Sample is made with 100% cotton yarn from Yarnkart in DK weight.)
  • Yardage required – 350 yards of colour A (base) and 300 yards of colour B of any DK weight yarn.
  • 4.00mm/size G normal hook
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Yarn needle
  • Stitch markers

Gauge

  • Crossbody:  11 hdc x 9 rows =4”
  • Backpack:  Work the gauge in linen stitch.  4” x 4” swatch = (SC, CH 1) 8x, SC 1 x 18 rows
  • Tote:  4” x 4” square is 16 stitches by 10 rows in HDC

Abbreviations

  • BEG – beginning
  • BLO – back loop only
  • CC – contrasting color
  • CH – chain
  • CM ST – camel stitch
  • DC – double crochet
  • DDM – diamond double mesh
  • FHDC – foundation half double crochet
  • FO – finish off
  • HDC – half double crochet
  • LN ST – linen stitch
  • MC – main color
  • PM – place marker
  • RS – right side
  • SC – single crochet
  • SC INC – single crochet increase
  • SL ST – slip stitch
  • SK – skip
  • ST(S) – stitch(es)
  • WS – wrong side
  • YO – yarn over

Notes

Crossbody

  • This pattern is worked in one piece starting from the base in rounds then the body is worked in rows. Flap and strap are attached separately. 
  • Beginning chains will not count toward stitch counts unless otherwise noted. 
  • Asterisks ** mean to repeat indicated stitch.

Backpack

  • This backpack is begun with an oval-shaped base.  The base is worked in the round by working down one side of a foundation CH and then around the end and back up the other side.  After the base is completed, a long CH is worked equivalent to the height of the bag. The bag is then worked back and forth in rows up and down the height of the bag, each row is joined to the base with a SL ST, and the beginning and ending rows are seamed together.  Yarn is joined to the top to work open stitching around the circumference of the top. A cord is made to weave through the top open stitching to cinch the bag closed. Yarn is joined to the back of the bag and the straps are worked back and forth in rows down the length of each strap.
  • Beginning chains do not count as a stitch unless otherwise noted.

Tote

  • The Ch1/Ch2/Ch3 and slip st at the start of any round doesn’t counts as a stitch.
  • This bag is constructed bottom up and is worked in rounds.
  • Stitch count is mentioned in parenthesis as [#] at end of round.
  • The DDM st is a 2 round repeat set, Kindly read the instructions carefully.
  • The number before a st indicates, how many times the stitch has to be done in one st. eg. 2HDC means 2 HDC stitches to be done in one stitch (increase).
  • The number after a st indicates, how many stitches need to be done. Eg. HDC 7 means that a single HDC has to be done in each of the next 7 stitches.

Measurements

  • Crossbody:   11½” x 9” (ex. strap) 
  • Backpack:  Height – 11”, Circumference – 26 ½”, Base – 11 ½” x 6”, Strap length – 32”
  • Tote:  18” long from top of body to base. 14” width at the center. Handles measure 10” in height from center in between 2 start points of the handle.

Special Stitches

  • Camel Stitch – a tutorial for working this stitch is included in this blog post below
  • Linen Stitch – a tutorial for working this stitch can be found at Crochetastic Boutique
  • Diamond Double Mesh Stitch – a tutorial for working this stitch can be found at Stringtierey
  • Crab Stitch – Insert hook into stitch to the right, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.

Week One – Texture

Texture. I absolutely love a project that has good texture. After all, that is what draws our eye’s attention to a great crochet pattern!

When we were deciding on stitches to use in this summer bag CAL, I knew that I wanted my stitch to bring some contrast to the project. I wanted it to highlight the other areas of the bag. The camel stitch seemed like the perfect choice!

About this stitch…

Camel stitch is traditionally worked in rounds. Typically, the third loop is always on the wrong side of the work, and you just work into it to get that nice texture. However, there is a way to work it back and forth in rows! I even created a video tutorial to help you through it!

Depending on the bag you choose to make, you may not get to the camel stitch portion this week, but the video will be here waiting on you when you are ready for it!


Crossbody Purse Pattern

Base

Round 1: Ch 21, 2hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next 18 sts, 4hdc in last ch, working opposite side: hdc in next 18 sts, 2hdc in first st, sl st to beg. (44) 

Round 2: Ch 1, 2hdc in first and next 2 sts, hdc in next 18 sts, 2hdc in next 4 sts, hdc in next 18 sts, 2hdc in last st, sl st to beg. (52) 

Round 3: Ch 1, hdc in first st, 2hdc in next 6 sts, hdc in next 18 sts, 2hdc in next 8 sts, hdc in next 18 sts, hdc in last st, sl st to beg. (66) This completes your base. Move to body.

Body 

*Ch 1 at begin rows using the linen stitch will count towards st count* 

Row 4: Ch 37, sc in 2nd ch from hook, linen st (see Special Stitches) down to base, sl st in same space as ch began and next st, turn. (36)  

Row 5: Working into the row we just finished, linen st up to the top of the row, turn. (36) *Note: On rows where you are working up the row, you will finish with a sc in the turning ch. 

Row 6: Linen st down to base, sl st in next 2 sts of base, turn. (36) *Tip: Placing a stitch marker in first ch 1 helps to identify where you will place your last st in the next row. 

Rows 7-16: Repeat Rows 5 & 6, ending with Row 6, turn. (36)  


Backpack Pattern

Oval Base

Round 1:  CH 21, SC in 2nd CH from hook and in the next 18 CH, 3 SC in last CH, (now working up the other side of the CH), 18 SC, SC INC in last CH.  Do not join to first SC, PM. (42)

Round 2:  SC INC, 18 SC, SC INC 3x, 18 SC, SC INC 2x.  (48)

Round 3:  SC, SC INC, 19 SC, (SC INC, SC) 2x, SC INC, 19 SC, SC INC, SC, SC INC.  (54)

Round 4:  SC in every stitch around.  (54)

Round 5:  SC INC, SC, SC INC, 20 SC, (SC INC, SC) 3x, SC INC, 20 SC, (SC INC, SC) 2x.  (62)

Round 6:  SC in every stitch around.  (62)

Round 7:  (SC, SC INC) 2x, 22 SC, (SC INC, SC) 4x, SC INC, 22 SC, (SC INC, SC) 2x, SC INC.  (72)

Round 8:  SC in every stitch around.  (72)

Round 9:  (SC, SC INC) 3x, 25 SC, (SC INC, SC) 5x, SC INC, 25 SC, (SC INC, SC) 2x, SC INC.  (84)

Round 10:  SC in every stitch around.  (84)

Round 11:  (SC INC, SC) 3x, SC INC, 29 SC, (SC INC, SC) 6x, SC INC, 29 SC, (SC INC, SC) 3x.  (98)

Round 12:  SC in every stitch around.  (98)

Round 13:  (SC, SC INC) 5x, 34 SC, (SC INC, SC) 7x, SC INC, 34 SC, (SC INC, SC) 2x, SC INC.  (114)

Round 14:  SC in every stitch around.  (114)

Body

Row 1:  CH 43, SC in 2nd CH from hook and in every stitch across, SL ST in BLO to the same stitch as the CH on the oval base.  (42)

*Rows 2-24 will be worked in Linen Stitch*

Row 2:  SL ST in BLO to next stitch on the oval base, turn, SC, *CH 1, SK 1, SC,* across until 1 stitch remains, SC in last stitch.  (42)

Row 3:  CH 1, turn, SC, *CH 1, SK 1, SC,* across until 1 stitch remains, SC in last stitch, SL ST in BLO to next stitch on the oval base.  (42)

Row 4-24:  Repeat Rows 2-3.


Tote Pattern

Part 1 – BASE

BASE: With colour A

Make 32 FHDC.

ROUND 1: Ch1, Turn. 5HDC in the first St, HDC in each st across till the last stitch, 5HDC in the last stitch, continue working in the back chains of the FHDC, 5HDC in the first St, HDC in each st across till the last stitch, 5HDC in the last stitch. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [80]

NOTE: WHEN YOU TURN AND WORK INTO THE STITCHES OF THE PREVIOUS ROUND, THE FIRST ST YOU SEE IS THE SL ST, USED TO JOIN THE ROUND. DO NOT WORK INTO THE SLIP STITCH. START WORKING INTO THE NEXT ST WHICH IS THE LAST STITCH FROM YOUR PREVIOUS ROUND.

ROUND 2: Ch1. Turn. 2HDC in each of the next 5 Sts, HDC 30, 2HDC in the next 10 sts, HDC 30, 2HDC the next 5 sts. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [100]

ROUND 3: Ch1. Turn. *HDC in 3 sts, 2HDC in the next* repeat from * to * for total of 3 times. HDC 26, repeat from * to * for a total of 6 times. HDC 26, repeat from * to * 3 times. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [112]

ROUND 4: Ch1. Turn. *HDC in the 5 sts, 2HDC in next* repeat from * to * for total of 2 times. HDC 32, repeat from * to * for a total of 4 times. HDC 32, repeat from * to * 2 times. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [120]

ROUND 5: Ch1. Turn. *HDC in the 7 sts, 2HDC in next* repeat from * to * for a total of 3 times. HDC 12, repeat from * to * for a total of 6 times. HDC 12, repeat from * to * for a total of 3 times. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [132]

Part 2 – BODY

1. BOTTOM OF BODY.

Continuing with colour A.

ROUND 1 (WS): Ch1, turn. HDC in each stitch across in the (3rd loop in the Front and the front loop together) of the HDC from previous round. Sl st to the 1st HDC to close. [132]

ROUND 2 (RS): Ch1, turn. HDC 5, CM st 3 in the 3rd loop in the front, *HDC 9, CM st 3 in the 3rd loop in the front* Repeat * to * till last 4 st. HDC in last 4 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 3 (WS): Ch1, turn. HDC 3, CM st 5 in the 3rd loop in the back, *HDC 7, CM st 5 in the 3rd loop in the back* Repeat * to * till last 4 st. HDC in last 4 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 4 (RS): Ch1, turn. HDC 3, CM st 7 in the 3rd loop in the front, *HDC 5, CM st 7 in the 3rd loop in the front* Repeat * to * till last 2 st. HDC in last 2 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 5 (WS): Ch1, turn. HDC 1, CM st 9 in the 3rd loop in the back, *HDC 3, CM st 9 in the 3rd loop in the back* Repeat * to * till last 2 st. HDC in last 2 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 6 (RS): Ch1, turn. CM st 11 in the 3rd loop in the front, *HDC, CM st 11 in the 3rd loop in the front* Repeat * to * till last st. HDC in last st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 7 (WS): Ch1, turn. HDC 2, CM st 9 in the 3rd loop in the back, *HDC 3, CM st 9 in the 3rd loop in the back* Repeat * to * till last st. HDC in last st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 8 (RS): Ch1, turn. HDC 2, CM st 7 in the 3rd loop in the front, *HDC 5, CM st 7 in the 3rd loop in the front* Repeat * to * till last 3 st. HDC in last 3 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 9 (WS): Ch1, turn. HDC 4, CM st 5 in the 3rd loop in the back, *HDC 7, CM st 5 in the 3rd loop in the back* Repeat * to * till last 3 st. HDC in last 3 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]

ROUND 10 (RS): Ch1, turn. HDC 4, CM st 3 in the 3rd loop in the front, *HDC 9, CM st 3 in the 3rd loop in the front* Repeat * to * till last 5 st. HDC in last 5 st. Sl st to the 1st St to close. [132]  Fasten off.


Week Two – Linen

For Week Two, we will be delving into the gorgeous linen stitch! Week Two is hosted by Shanice at Crochetastic Boutique! She will be sharing all about the linen stitch, and she even has a video tutorial to help guide you through this next phase of the pattern!


Week Three – Lace

Week Three brings us to the lovely lace aspect of this fun crochet-a-long! This week, we will be at Divya’s blog Stringtierey! She will be giving us all the amazing details on this beautiful stitch as well as a tutorial video to help you along!


Week Four – Details

Welcome back to The Plush Pineapple for Week Four of this crochet-a-long! Wow, it’s been an amazing journey hasn’t it? I have truly enjoyed this CAL and watching everyone’s bags come to life!

This week is all about the DETAILS! Finishing details can make or break a project in my opinion. I just love how each of these bags has its own beautiful finishing details to make the design stunning and original! The crossbody bag incorporates the use of the lace stitch for the flap which is so eye-catching. The backpack has a great drawstring cord and optional lining to polish off the look, and I absolutely love how the lace stitch works its way up into the handles of the tote bag! With these gorgeous details, all you will need when you are done is some…

…sun, sand, and waves!

Crossbody Finishing

Flap 

Row 68: Ch 1, turn work right side in, sl st both ends together down to base. Finish off and weave in ends. Turn right side out. 

Row 69: Front side facing you, place a stitch marker 6 rows from the last camel stitch row on each side. Starting on the back-right side, attach color B and evenly space 30 scs from one stitch marker to the next, join color A in 30th st. Without turning your work, crab st (See Special Stitches) across the front of crossbody to color B, sl st to first st. Finish off color A. (30) See photos 1 & 2. 

Photo 1
Photo 2

Row 70: Turn your work so the front is facing away from you. Picking up where you left off with color B, ch 3, place (2dc, ch 2, 2dc) in 3rd sc, *skip next 5 sts, (2dc, ch 2, 2dc) in next st*. Repeat from * until last 3 sts, sk 2, dc in last, turn. (30) See photo 3.

Photo 3

Row 71: Ch 1, sc in first st, *ch 3, dc in next ch sp, ch 3, sk next 2 dc, sc between last skipped dc and skipped st.* Repeat from * across, ending with a sc in turning ch. (30) See photo 4. 

Photo 4

Row 72: Ch 4, (counts as tr), sk next ch 3, (2dc, ch 2, 2dc) in next dc, *sk next 2 ch 3, (2dc, ch 2, 2dc) in next dc*. Repeat from * across to last ch 3, sk next ch 3, tr in last sc, turn. (30) See photo 5. 

Photo 5

Rows 73-78: Repeat Rows 71 & 72, ending with Row 72. (30) Finish off, weave in ends. See photo 6. Flap complete. Move to Strap.

Flap complete

Strap 

Row 1: With color A, ch 5, hdc in 2nd ch from hook and across, turn. (4) 

Rows 2-80: Ch 1, hdc in each st across, turn. Finish off leaving a tail. (4) You may shorten or lengthen strap by decreasing or increasing rows. 

Assembly: Place about an inch of the end of strap inside of the body, taking care not to interfere with the actual folding of the flap. Using your tapestry needle, secure the strap to the side of the crossbody. Repeat on the opposite side. Weave in all ends. 


Backpack Finishing

Top of Bag

Join yarn in MC to the top of the bag at the beginning of Row 1 and work the top of the bag in the round.

Round 1:  CH 1, SC in the end of each row of linen and camel stitch, when you get to the diamond double mesh rows, place 2 SC in the CH 2 space of Row 29, 1 SC in Row 30, 2 SC in the CH 2 space of Row 31, 1 SC in Row 32, 2 SC in the CH 2 space of Row 33, and 1 SC in Row 34, continue SC in the end of each row of linen and camel stitch.  (114)

Round 2:  CH 2 (counts as 1st DC), DC in the stitch after the CH, *CH 1, SK 1, DC 2,* repeat from * to * until 1 stitch remains, CH 1, SK 1, join to top of CH 1 with a SL ST.  (76 DC)

Cord

Make one in CC.

CH 2, SC in 2nd CH from hook.
Rotate SC so you are looking down at the top of the stitch.
Insert hook into the bar behind the stitch.
Pull up a loop and complete a SC stitch.
Rotate SC so you are looking down at the top of the stitch.
Now and for the remainder of the cord, there will be TWO bars behind the stitch. Insert the hook under BOTH bars, pull up a loop, and complete a SC stitch.
Repeat last step until the cord reaches 45″ in length. Cut yarn. FO.

Beginning in the front center of the bag above the double diamond mesh section, weave the cord around each set of 2 DC to cinch the bag closed.

Straps

*Note: Straps are worked across the LENGTH of the strap not the width. This method creates a sturdier strap as well as better texture than working the width in linen stitch.*

Strap 1

With the back of the bag facing you, start at the bottom of the bag where the body meets the base and count over 10 stitches from the seam towards the center of the bag.  Join yarn in MC to the front loop of the 11th stitch.

Row 1:  CH 120, find the top center of the bag on the SC round (under the DC round) and join with a SL ST to the front loop only, SC in each CH across, SL ST to front loop only in the same stitch as the CH.  (120)

Row 2:  SL ST to front loop only of next stitch on oval base working away from the center of the bag, turn, SC in 1st stitch, *CH 1, SK 1, SC,* repeat from * to * across until one stitch remains, SC in last stitch, SL ST to front loop only of next stitch at the top working away from the center of the bag.  (61 SC, 59 CH 1 spaces)

Row 3:  SL ST to front loop only of next stitch at the top, turn, SC in 1st stitch, *CH 1, SK 1, SC,* repeat from * to * across until one stitch remains, SC in last stitch, SL ST to front loop only of next stitch on oval base.  (61 SC, 59 CH 1 spaces)

Row 4:  Repeat Row 2.

Row 5:  SL ST to front loop only of next stitch at the top, turn, SC in each SC and CH 1 space across, SL ST to front loop only of next stitch on oval base.  (120)

Cut yarn, FO.

Strap 2

Count over 28 stitches from the first row of Strap 1, and join yarn in MC to the front loop only of the 29th stitch.

Repeat Rows 1-5 of Strap 1.  When joining the CH to the top center of the bag, join to the very next stitch beside Row 1 of Strap 1.  Be sure to work away from the center of the bag when joining to the next stitch of each row.

Weave in all tails and cut yarn.

Lining (optional)

Check out my tutorial for adding a fabric lining if you wish to have an even more finished and polished look!


Tote Finishing

PART 4 – HANDLE

Instruction remain same for all the four sections of colour B.

@tharana.s

Remove stitch marker and work in rows in colour B.

Row 1: ch1, turn. Sc , ch3, dc in the ch2 space, ch3, sc. [1 cluster,2]

Row 2: Turn. ch2, dc in the sc, sk all st till the next dc (2dc,ch2,2dc) in the dc, dc in the sc. [1 cluster,2]

Row 3: Repeat row 1.

Row 4: repeat row 2.                                    

Row 5 – 8: repeat row 1 and 2 alternatively.

Row 9: repeat row 1. FASTEN OFF.

Switch colour to Colour A.

Row 10: Turn. Ch2, HDC in sc, 2HDC in ch 3 space, HDC, 2 HDC in ch 3 sp, HDC in sc. [7]

Row 11: Turn. Ch1, HDC in every st till end. [7]

Row 12 to 20: repeat row 11. [7]

Fasten off and leave a long tail for joining the handles.

ASSEMBLY:

Seam with mattress stitch the handles of Section 2 and 4 together.

Seam with mattress stitch the handles of Section 6 and 8 together.

Weave in all the ends.

@craftsandcrochet17

All Finished

I truly hope that you enjoyed this CAL as much as I did! It was truly a joy to work alongside Shanice and Divya! Be sure you check them out on Instagram and Facebook! Follow their accounts and show them some love because they are truly talented designers!

Crochetastic Boutique on Instagram and Facebook

Stringtierey on Instagram and Facebook

We will be making the PDF version of each pattern available for sale soon, so stay tuned to our Instagram and newsletters for that upcoming announcement!

The photographs and pattern contained in this document are the property of Pineapple and Pine, The Plush Pineapple, Stringtierey, and Crochetastic Boutique.  Unauthorized reproduction, in whole or in part, or distribution of this pattern or content is prohibited. ALL FINISHED PRODUCTS created using this pattern may be sold locally or online.  If selling finished products online, please give our blogs credit for the pattern by posting a link to this website. 

Written by

Sarah

Sarah is the maker and designer behind A Plush Pineapple. She is a wife of thirteen years to her college sweetheart and momma to two awesome kiddos. When she is not crocheting, designing, or blogging, you can probably find her soaking up the sun or eating seafood. Her goal as a designer is that love, sunshine, and pineapples make their way into the hearts and homes of all who make her designs.