This pack is basically a tube crocheted in one piece, with straps attached. Once you get a feel for the basic form you can play around with all the elements. I’ve made this same basic pack in different sizes from Barbie-doll sized to adult human sized, and with all kinds of variations including color, stitch pattern, variations in the straps, or using embellishments such as beads and shank buttons.

Notes:

If you liked the hot pink cord in this one, it’s the same as the orange mason line used in this pattern.

All the ch 1 and ch 3 at the begining of rounds are counted as the first stitch in that round.

Nylon cord frays easily and its smoothness means the woven-in ends can come undone more easily. You can help remedy both those issues by taking a lighter and carefully melting the ends just a little bit, or by just taking more care with weaving in the ends. I haven’t had much trouble with this with the bags I’ve kept and used. You can also incorporate these tendencies into your designs, like I did with the fringed ends on the drawstring here.

All the abbreviations are standard U.S. and you can find a list of them here. If you have any questions let me know.

Materials: Coats & Clark nylon cord – (150 yards each) 1 tube white, 1 tube beige, 1 tube taupe. Generic hardware store nylon mason line – 1 tube (50 meters) in orange.

Size F crochet hook, yarn needle

Gauge: Um, yeah, I didn’t measure that before it ended up becoming a birthday gift, so, well, hey, gauge really isn’t that important here anyway, it’s just a bag.

Pattern:

Starting at the bottom with the taupe, ch 35 and work 10 rows in sc. Then turn and working all the way around the rectangle you’ve got now, sl st in each sc and end of row around. Join to beginning sl st. This is what makes the nice little ridge around the bottom of the pack (see closeup photo above). Cut cord.

Now working in rounds:

Round 1: Working again in the sl sts and ends of rows behind the previous sl st round, join beige with sl st in any corner. Ch 1, work 1 sc in each sc and end of row around. Join with sl st to first chain in the round. (88 stitches)

Rounds 2 – 12: Ch 1, work 1 sc in each sc around and join with sl st to first ch. Cut cord.

Round 13 – Join orange with sl st, ch 3, and work 1 dc in each sc around, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

Rounds 14-25: With orange, repeat round 13 twelve times. Cut cord.

Round 26: Join white with sl st, ch 1, work 1 sc in each dc across and join with sl st to the first ch.

Rounds 27-38: With white, repeat round 26 twelve times.

Round 29 (drawstring loop round): ch 3, dc in next st, *ch 2, skip next 2 st, 2 dc in next 2 st.* Repeat from * to * around and end with ch 2, skip 2 next 2 st, join with sl st to first ch 3.

Round 30: ch 3 and work 1 dc in each dc and ch around. Cut cord.

Finishing: Weave in all ends. For drawstring, cut two pieces of taupe the same length and tie together at the ends, leaving a couple inches to unwind for the fringes. Weave through the drawstring loops.