Steps crochet drawstring bag
Bags and pouches

Steps crochet drawstring bag

Here is my new free pattern for a crochet drawstring bag. This is a quick tapestry crochet project suitable for beginners. I cannot get enough of making these cute crochet bags. I think that they are great for packing small gifts or just for organizing and keeping all small thingies in one place. If you like them too, you can also take a look at my other patterns for these small pouches with a string: a tapestry crochet moon bag, a bag for glasses, a music note bag for headphones, a mini green diamond bag, a small star stitch bag and a small alpine stitch bag.

When I make tapestry crochet bags, I work in rounds and I end each round with a sip stitch. Then I chain one, which counts as the first stitch of the next round, and continue till the end of the round. However, you are free to choose if you want to end your rounds with a slip stitch or just to continue working in rounds without connecting – the color pattern will work for both options. Personally, I prefer to make a slip stitch at the end of each round because in this way the color pattern does not break. If you are not familiar with tapestry crochet, you can take a look at my detailed tapestry crochet tutorial here.

So, grab your hook and enjoy making this tiny crochet drawstring bag. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me on the website or on social media.

Good luck!

Crochet drawstring bag

Steps crochet drawstring bag

PDF: If you prefer a printable PDF pattern without ads, you can buy it here.

Pinterest: Also, you can save it to Pinterest for later here.

Materials

  • Yarn: any thin yarn will work. I used Järbo 8/4 100% Cotton “Mercerized & Gassed” 50 g (offwhite and frosty green).
  • Hook: as suggested on your yarn label. I used hook size 2.0.

Abbreviations (US terms)

Notes

The diameter of my crochet drawstring bag is 7.0 cm, the height is 11.5 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 and a string. 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). To make a modified single crochet increase you need to make two modified single crochets in the same stitch.

Except the bottom part (rounds 1-8) and the two rounds where you make holes for a string (rounds 32-33), every round is made in the same way: chain one, make 63 modified single crochets, join with a slip stitch (to the chain your make in 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 gray yarn. You will not need your white yarn until round 9.

Round 1: 8 sc in the magic ring, join with a sl st. (8 st in total)

Round 2: ch 1, 1 msc in the first st, msc inc in every following st, join with a sl st. (16 st)

Round 3: ch 1, 1 msc in the first st, 1 msc in the next st; *msc inc, 1 msc in the next st*, rep ** 7 times, join with a sl st. (24 st)

Round 4: ch 1; *msc inc, 2 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 1 msc, join with a sl st. (32 st)

Round 5: ch 1, msc; *msc inc, 3 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, msc, join with a sl st. (40 st)

Round 6: ch 1; *msc inc, 4 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 3 msc, join with a sl st. (48 st)

Round 7: ch 1, 3 msc; *msc inc, 5 msc*, rep ** 7 times, msc inc, msc, join with a sl st. (56 st)

Round 8: ch 1; *msc inc, 6 msc*. rep ** 7 times, msc inc, 5 msc, join with a st st. (64 st)

The bottom of the bag is finished. You will introduce your white yarn in round 9.

Round 9-31: ch 1, msc in every st of the prev round. Join with a sl st. (64 st)

Making the holes for the string:

Round 32: ch 1, msc *ch 2, skip 2 st of the prev round, 2 msc*, rep ** 15 times, ch 2, join with a sl st. (64 st)

Round 33: ch 1, 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, join with a sl st. (64 st)

Round 34-39: ch 1, msc in every st of the prev round. Join with a sl st. (64 st)

Fasten off.

Making the string

Start by chaining. The length of the chain should be around 30-32 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.

Color chart

crochet drawstring bag color chart
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 scheme). Rows represent rounds. First 8 rounds are the bottom of the bag and the color scheme starts from round 9. For each round you have to read the row in the scheme from right to left. The chain that you make in the beginning of each round counts as a stitch.

After finishing round 9 you have 64 green stitches. Before joining with a sl st, check what is the color of the first st in the next round. Round 10 starts with a white st, therefore, the sl st should be white (if the round would start in green, the sl st would be in green). Round 10 says you need 8 white stitches, then 8 green, 8 white, etc. So, chain 1, make 6 full msc, start the 7th msc and since the next st should be green, finish the 7th msc (which is your 8th stitch) with your green yarn. Make 7 msc in green, start the 8th msc in green and finish it with your white yarn. Keep working in the same principle till the end.

Rules for changing color

  • The last msc of the round

Finish making your last msc of the round with the same color yarn as the first st of the round. For example, round 10 ends with a green st and starts with a white st, therefore, finish the last st of round 10 with white yarn. Round 12 starts with a white st, ends with a white st too, therefore, finish the last msc of round 12 with white yarn.

  • The slip stitch

The color of a sl st depends on the color of the first st in the next round. For example, round 9 starts and ends with a green st, so finish making your last msc in round 9 with green yarn; round 10 starts with a white st and it means that you should make a sl st in round 9 in white.

Making holes

In the scheme, red rectangles indicated where you should make holes for the string. So, finish round 31 by making a slip st in white, then ch1, 1 msc, ch 2, skip two st of the prev round, 1 msc, start making the second msc in white and finish it in green because the next st is supposed to be in green. In short, before finishing your stitch you should always check what color is the next stitch.

When you chain 2, 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 33, you will grab both yarns you need to hide: the one in round 32 and the one in round 33. See photo instructions.

Photo instructions

Making the crochet drawstring bag

1. Round 1. Start with a magic ring. Make 8 sc to the magic ring and join with a sl st.

2. Round 9. In round 9 you have to add your white yarn. So, put your white yarn in between your hook and the green yarn like it is shown in the picture.

3. Round 9. Chain one with the green yarn. Now the white yarn is secured.

4. Round 9. Insert your hook in the back loop of the next stitch of the prev round.

5. Round 9. Yarn over the green yarn and pull the yarn through. Now you have two loops on your hook.

6. Round 9. Yarn under the green yarn like it is shown in the picture.

7. Round 9. Pull the yarn through both loops on your hook. 

8. Round 9. Continue making msc in every stitch of the previous round until you reach the end of the round. Finish the last msc with the green yarn because the first st in this round was also green.

9. Round 10. The first st in round 10 is white, therefore, make the sl st with the white yarn.

10. Round 10. In round 10 the first 8 stitches are white. So, ch 1, make 6 full msc and start making the 7th msc with the white yarn.

11. Round 10. Finish the 7th msc (which is your 8th st in this round) with the green yarn because the next st should be green.

12. Round 10. Follow the color pattern until the end of the round. Start making the last msc in this round with the green yarn.

13. Round 10. Finish it with the white yarn because the first st in this round is white.

14. Round 10. Make a sl st with the white yarn because the first st in round 11 is white.

15. Round 13. Finish making the last msc in round 13 with the white yarn because the first st in this round is white.

16. Round 13. Make a sl st with the green yarn because the first st in round 14 is green.

Making the holes

17. Round 32. In round 32 you have to start making holes. So, ch 1, msc, then ch 2.

18. Round 32. Skip two st of the prev round, msc. Start making the next msc with the white yarn but finish it with the green yarn because the next st is green.

19. Round 32. Ch 2, 2 msc with the green yarn.

20. Round 32. Continue following the color pattern until the end of the round. Your two last chains in the end of the round should be in white. Also, make a sl st with the white yarn because the first st in the next round is white.

21. Round 33. Ch 1 and make an msc.

22. Round 33. Insert your hook in the ch2 space of the previous round grabbing both green yarns like it is shown in the picture.

23. Round 33. Yarn over your white yarn and pull through the hole. Now you have two loops on your hook. Finish making an msc with the white yarn.

24. Round 33. Make a second msc in the ch2 space of the prev round. Then make an msc in the next st with the white yarn. Start making the next msc with the white yarn but finish it with the green yarn because the next st should be green.

25. Round 33. Continue following the color pattern.

26. Your crochet drawstring bag is done!

Making the string

1. Start with a chain.

2. Now you will be working in the third loop of your chain which is behind ‘v’.

3. Insert your hook in the third loop of the chain and yarn over.

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

5. Pull the first loop through the other one. Now you have one loop on hour hook. You have just made your first slip stitch.

6. In the photo you can see that after several stitches it starts looking like two chains stuck together. Continue making slip stitches in the third loop of the chain until the end of the row. Fasten off. Done!

Enjoy your crochet drawstring bag!

PDF: If you prefer a printable PDF pattern without ads, you can buy it here.

You can save this pattern to Pinterest here.

Steps crochet drawstring bag

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  • Anuradha
    December 1, 2022 at 7:57 am

    round 2 to 5,total st counts seems wrong.please check that

    • Nordic Hook
      January 12, 2023 at 11:00 am

      Hello! It seems to be correct, as every round increases with 8 stitches. Please notice that in round 2 you start making msc increases. I hope this helps 🙂