This is a simple crochet pattern to make a string bag that can be adapted to make a bag in almost any shape and size. It started life as a bag to hold a felted soap. Alongside some of our crafty friends, we set up a crafting tent at a local festival. We had great fun for a weekend showing people some manding techniques, making LOTS of colourful patches for our clothes, and making felted soaps. The felted soap is really the ideal festival camping companion. Soap and flannel all in one, it exfoliates whilst stripping off any residue of the night before in a damp field! Et voila! You are as fresh as a daisy and ready to party for another day... or two.
And your soap ideally needs a place to live where the felt can dry and be ready for your next trip to the shower block. Hence the quick and simple crocheted bag - which has a zillion other handy uses too. So here is a little pattern for one - you can knock them up in an hour or less from scraps of cotton yarn. enjoy!
This pattern is written using ENGLISH crochet terms. I use dc (double crochet) to mean what AMERICAN crocheters call sc (single crochet).
Double crochet stitch:
Step1: hook through stitch below, yarn over, bring back through stitch below (two loops on hook)
Step 2: Yarn over, bring through two loops on hook. (one loop remains on hook)
Two steps/yarn overs = double crochet.
You will need:
Approx 10g of 4ply crochet cotton and a 3.5mm hook
Tension: Over 10cm in double crochet (dc): 22sts & 28 rows.
This makes a bag to take a soap approx 3.5 x 6.5 cm and 10cm high.
No need to get too hung up with tension, but be aware that your bag will likely end up larger or smaller than mine if you have a looser (smaller numbers) or tighter (larger numbers) tension than me. If you want to make your bag smaller, make less loops around the foundation stitches. To make your bag bigger, make more loops in the foundation stitches. And don't be afraid to change the number of foundation stitches if you feel that you need to.
Be prepared to experiment to get the size as you want it. Once you have worked this out, you will be able to easily expand the bag pattern to make larger or smaller bags as you choose.
Foundation stitches:
chain (ch) 6, join in the round with a slip stitch (ss), ch 6, join to the previous round with ss. Gives a figure of 8 shape.
Making the first set of loops:
*ch 3, dc into centre of first ring.* Repeat * to * 6 times around first ring. (6 loops).
*ch 3, dc into centre of first ring.* Repeat * to * 6 times around second ring. (6 loops).
You now have two circles (the original figure 8), with 12 chain loops hanging off it.
Putting a stitch marker into the FIRST loop is likely helpful!
Move straight on to the next instruction: there is no need to ‘finish’ the round.
*ch 3, dc in next loop.* Repeat * to * until you have been around the entire shape 16 times.
The shape should be there by now, next bring the top edge in a bit and give it some rigidity:
*ch 2, dc in next loop.* Repeat * to * until you have been around the entire shape 2 times.
Base of strap:
dc in same loop, 2 dc in next loop. TURN.
Make strap:
*ch 1, dc in next stitch, dc in next stitch. TURN.* repeat 24 times.
Secure end of strap to start of strap with slip stitches.
Cut yarn and pass through loop on hook. Pull tight. Sew in ends.
The video below shows one of these bags being crocheted.
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