Drawstring bag with hearts

Valentine’s day is just around the corner, so here is a free pattern for a drawstring bag with hearts. It is quick to make and quite cute 🙂

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!

Drawstring bag with hearts

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Materials

Yarn: any thin yarn will work. I used Madame Tricot Paris Almina 8/4 mercerized cotton 100% 50 g = 169 m. Colors: 5313 (rose) and 5306 (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
rep * *: repeat from * to *

Notes

The size my bag is 7.0 x 10.5 cm. You will be working in rounds.

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 chaining 24 with rose yarn.

Round 1: To make the first round, you will work down the chain, then turn and work in the other side of the chain. Make sc in every st of the chain starting from the second chain from your hook. Turn. 1 sc in the end of the chain, make sc in every st (starting with the one you have just worked into; now that st has 3 sc in total) until you come back to the beginning of the chain. 1 sc in the end of the chain. In total you should have 48 st. Don’t join with a sl st, instead continue with the next round.

Now add the white yarn and follow the color chart for all rounds until the end.

Round 2-24: msc in every st of the prev round.

Making the holes for the string:

Round 25: msc, *ch2, skip 2 st of the prev round, 2 msc*, rep ** 11 times. ch 2, skip 2 st of the prev round, msc.

Round 26: 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 ** 11 times. 2 msc in the ch2 space of the prev round, msc.

Round 27-31: msc in every st of the prev round.

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 with rose yarn. The length of the chain should be around 25 cm long. Make a row of slip stitches in the third loop of the chain (see the tutorial here). 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 48 stitches (48 columns in the chart). Rows represent rounds. 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 26, you will grab both yarns you need to hide: the one in round 26 and the one in round 25. See photo instructions.

Photo instructions for the drawstring bag with hearts

Round 1

1. Start by chaining 24 with rose yarn. You will start working in the second chain from your hook.

2. So, make a single crochet in the second chain from your hook.

3. Keep making single crochets in every stitch until the end of the row.

4. Then make one single crochet in the end of the chain.

5. Turn your work and make one more single crochet in the same stitch.

6. Then continue making single crochets in every stitch until you reach the end.

7. Make one single crochet in the end of the chain. In total you should have 48 stitches.

Round 2

8. Don’t join with a slip stitch. Instead insert your hook in the top of the first single crochet of the first round grabbing just the back loop.

9. Yarn over.

10. Pull the yarn through. Now you have two loops on your hook. In round 2 you have to introduce the white yarn. So, take your white yarn and put it behind your hook and in front of the rose yarn like it is shown in the picture.

11. Yarn under the rose yarn.

12. Pull the yarn through. Notice how the white yarn is wrapped around with the rose yarn.

13. Then insert your hook in the next stitch grabbing just the back loop.

14. Yarn over the rose yarn.

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

16. Yarn under the rose yarn.

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

18. Keep working in the same way until the end of the round. When you make the last modified single crochet, don’t finish it, stop when you have two loops on your hook. The first stitch in round 3 should be white, therefore, you need to change yarn color.

19. So, put the white yarn up and yarn under.

20. Pull the yarn through. Now your white yarn is ready to use.

Round 3

21. Continue making modified single crochets with the white yarn until the end of the round.

Round 4

22. The fourth stitch in round 4 is rose. So, make 2 full modified single crochets in round 4, start making the third one, but stop when you have two loops on your hook.

23. Then put the rose yarn up, yarn under and complete the third modified single crochet with the rose yarn.

24. Start making the fourth stitch with the rose yarn, but don’t complete it, because you have to change color again.

25. So, complete the fourth stitch with the white yarn.

26. Make three modified single crochets with the white yarn, start making the fourth one, but complete it with the rose yarn.

27. Follow the color chart showing how to change colors.

Round 25

28. In round 25 you have to make holes for a string. Make one modified single crochet.

29. Then chain two.

30. Then skip two stitches of the previous round and make two modified single crochets in the next two stitches. You can see that the white yarn is hanging in the hole. That is fine.

31. Chain two, skip two stitches and make two modified single crochets in the next two stitches.

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

Round 26

33. Make one modified single crochet.

34. Then insert your hook in the chain two space grabbing both white yarns like it is shown in the picture.

35. Yarn over the rose yarn.

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

37. Yarn under the rose yarn.

38. Pull the yarn through both loops on your hook.

39. Make one more modified single crochet in the chain two space of the previous round.

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

41. Make two modified single crochets in the next chain two space of the previous round and two modified single crochets in the next two stitches.

42. Continue working in the same way until the end of the round. Remember to finish the last stitch of the round with the white yarn. Notice that the holes are not perfectly aligned, as well as the color pattern, but that is normal when you work in continuous rounds.