Crochet drawstring bag with a ghost

Here is a free crochet pattern for a tapestry crochet drawstring bag with a ghost. It is such a great project for Halloween! 🙂 I have a few more patterns that fit perfectly for Halloween: the drawstring bag with a bat, the drawstring bag with a skull, the tapestry crochet drawstring bag with a cat, the tapestry crochet moon bag and the spider coasters.

If you haven’t tried tapestry crochet before, you can take a look at my tutorial here.

You can find my other free patterns here.

Good luck!

Crochet drawstring bag with a ghost

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PDF pattern: Crochet drawstring bag with a ghost

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Materials

Yarn: any thin yarn will work. I used DIAMOND mercerized cotton 100% 8/4 50g. Colors: 1361 (grey) and 100 (white).
Hook: as suggested on your yarn label. I used hook size 2.0.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
msc: modified single crochet
prev: previous
st: stitch

Notes

The size of my bag is 6.5 x 13.0 cm.

For this pattern you should be familiar with the tapestry crochet (you can find the tutorial here). Photo instructions below show the main steps how to make a bag. This pattern uses a modified single crochet: make a single crochet back loop only, just instead of yarning over for the last step, yarn under (see the tutorial here).

You will work in continuous rounds, which means that in the end of a round you don’t join with a slip stitch, but instead continue making modified single crochets in the top of the first stitch of the round. Remember to use a marker showing the beginning of each round. Follow the color chart showing how you should change colors.

Pattern

The bag

Start by making a magic (adjustable) ring with your grey yarn.

Round 1: 8 sc in the magic ring. (8 st in total)

Introduce the white yarn.

Round 2: msc inc in every st. (16 st)

Round 3: *msc inc, 1 msc in the next st*, rep ** 8 times. (24 st)

Round 4: msc; *msc inc, 2 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 1 msc. (32 st)

Round 5: 2 msc; *msc inc, 3 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, msc. (40 st)

Round 6: msc; *msc inc, 4 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 3 msc. (48 st)

Round 7: 4 msc; *msc inc, 5 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, msc. (56 st)

Round 8: msc; *msc inc, 6 msc*. rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 5 msc. (64 st)

The bottom of the bag is finished.

Round 9-36: msc in every st of the prev round. (64 st)

Making the holes for the string:

Round 37: msc, *ch 2, skip 2 st of the prev round, 2 msc*, rep ** 15 times, ch 2, skip 2 st of the prev round, msc. (64 st)

Round 38: msc, *2 msc in the ch2 space of the prev round (make sure to grab the loose yarn hanging in the ch2 space in the prev round too), 2 msc*, rep ** 15 times, 2 msc in the ch2 space of the prev round, msc. (64 st)

Round 39-43: msc in every st of the prev round. (64 st)

In the end make 4 additional sl st in the back loop only in the next 4 st to even out the edge. Fasten off.

Making the string

Start by chaining. The length of the chain should be around 28-30 cm long. Make a row of slip stitches in the third loop of the chain as it is shown in photo instructions below. When you reach the end of the row, fasten off. You are ready to weave in the string into your bag. Done!

Color chart

How to read the chart

Each square represents a stitch and its color. In each round you have 64 stitches (64 columns in the chart). Rows represent rounds. First 8 rounds are the bottom of the bag (the bottom of the bag is grey) and the color chart starts from round 9. For each round you have to read the row in the chart from right to left.

In the chart, empty squares indicate where you should make holes for the string. When you chain 2 for a hole, you cannot hide the yarn you are not working with: it will be ‘hanging’ in the hole. Don’t worry, when you will make round 38, you will grab both yarns you need to hide: the one in round 38 and the one in round 37. See photo instructions.

Photo instructions for the crochet drawstring bag with a ghost

Round 1

1. Start by making a magic ring. Then make 8 single crochets in the magic ring. Tighten the ring by pulling the end of the yarn.

Round 2

2. Don’t make a slip stitch. Make a modified single crochet in the top of your first stitch of round 1: insert your hook in the top of the first stitch of round 1 grabbing just the back loop.

3. Yarn over.

4. Pull the yarn through. Now you have two loops on your hook.

5. In round 2 you have to introduce white yarn. So, put the white yarn behind your hook and in front of the grey yarn like it is shown in the picture.

6. Then yarn under the grey yarn.

7. Pull the yarn through. You have just made a modified single crochet.

8. To make a modified single crochet increase you have to make the second modified single crochet in the same stitch. So, insert your hook in the same stitch.

9. Yarn over.

10. Pull the yarn through. Now you have two loops on your hook.

11. Yarn under the grey yarn.

12. Pull the yarn through. You have just made a modified single crochet increase. Notice how the white yarn is wrapped around with the grey yarn. Make another modified single crochet increase in the next stitch. Remember to mark the first stitch in a round.

13. Continue making modified single crochet increases until the end of the round.

Round 8

14. Follow the written pattern until the end of round 8.

Round 9

15. From round 9 you have to follow the color chart.

Round 10

16. In round 10 the 7th stitch is white. So, make 5 full modified single crochets with the grey yarn, start making the 6th one, but stop when you have two loops on your hook.

17. Then put the white yarn up and yarn under.

18. Pull the white yarn through. Now the white yarn is ready to use.

19. The 9th stitch in round 10 should be grey. So, make one full modified single crochet with the white yarn, start making the second one, but stop when you have two loops on your hook.

20. Then put the grey yarn up, yarn under and pull the yarn through. The grey yarn is ready to use again.

21. Keep following the color chart.

Round 37

22. In round 37 you have to make holes for a string. So, make one modified single crochet.

23. Then chain two.

24. Skip two stitches and make a modified single crochet. Don’t worry that the grey yarn is ‘hanging’ in the hole, you will hide it when you will make the next round.

25. Make the second modified single crochet in the next stitch.

26. Then chain two, skip two stitches and make two modified single crochets in the next two stitches.

27. Keep working in the same way until the end of the round.

Round 38

28. Make one modified single crochet in the next stitch.

29. Then insert your hook in the chain two space of the previous round grabbing both grey yarns like it is shown in the picture.

30. Yarn over the white yarn.

31. Pull the yarn through. Now you have two loops on your hook.

32. Yarn under.

33. Pull the yarn through both loops. Notice that both grey yarns are wrapped with the white yarn.

34. Make another modified single crochet in the same chain two space.

35. Then make two modified single crochets in the next two stitches.

36. Keep working in the same way until the end of the round. Notice that the holes are not completely aligned, but that is normal when you work in continuous rounds.

Round 43

37. In the end of round 43, to even out the edge you will have to make a few slip stitches. Now you can leave the white yarn aside. Insert your hook in the next stitch grabbing just the back loop.