For a while, I have wanted a project backpack to carry some yarn and a stitch dictionary on car trips or to crafting circles. I could have used one of my cute Portland corduroy backpacks, or…I could make one. And really, can one ever have too many bags? This crochet backpack will comfortably carry 6-8 large skeins of yarn and a stitch dictionary. Alternatively, one can throw a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt into the bag for an overnight outing. The flowers and leaves give it a fun (end of) summer feel and the green drawstrings add a vine-like touch to the purple and lavender bag. Here is a free crochet pattern for this Easy Crochet Backpack. This is Part I, where we crochet all the pieces needed for the backpack. Part II is available here, where we assemble all the pieces into the backpack!

Crochet Pattern for Easy Crochet Backpack

This body of the backpack is crocheted in five pieces: the bottom, back/top, front, and two sides. They are all done in the same paired single crochet stitch. There are seven small pieces that make up the straps, drawstrings, and top hanger. Two of those are in paired single crochet, while the rest are in single crochet. The leaves and the flower are optional, but both are easy to make.

Pattern Notes

1. The pattern is in U.S. terms.
2. Starting chain does not count as a stitch for that row.
3. Stitches used:
   • Ch = Chain
   • Sc = Single crochet
   • Sc2tog = 2 single crochet together. This is the stitch made to do the paired single crochet stitch. Photo tutorial on how to do this stitch is below.
4. Gauge: A particular gauge isn’t important so much as a consistent gauge. Make sure your gauge for each piece of the body is the same or you’ll have some puckering or unevenness when you assemble the pieces.
5. Yarn used: Worsted weight acrylic and polyester yarns. Caron Symphony in deep violet, Red Heart Super Saver in orchid, and Mainstays Home in olive twist.
6. Hook used: G/6 (4.25 mm) This is smaller than most worsted-weight yarns call for, but I wanted the stitches to be a little tighter, so as to make the fabric slightly denser.

Paired Single Crochet Stitch: Photo Tutorial

I used the paired single crochet stitch for the body of the backpack. The paired single crochet stitch gives the fabric of the backpack a firm, textured feel. A paired single crochet stitch has more thickness than a regular single crochet stitch because it is actually two stitches together, but spread out over two stitches.

You can see the difference between the single crochet and the paired single crochet here.  Both pieces shown are in the same yarn and the same hook and are both six rows of stitches.

After completing your chain, single crochet in second chain stitch from hook. (The picture of the stitch is for a subsequent row, but the process is the same.)

Now we are going to work the sc2tog over this stitch and the next stitch. In the same stitch where you just made a single crochet, insert hook and pull up a loop.

Leaving this loop on your hook, insert your hook into the next stitch and pull up a loop.

You should have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all three loops.

Complete the row following the same process. Make your next sc2tog in the same stitch where you just finished your last two sc2tog and the next one. Essentially, you’re making half a single crochet in one stitch and half of it in the next stitch. But because two half stitches wind up in each stitch, it all works out!

The last stitch of the row will have just the half of the finished sc2tog for that stitch. When you chain 1 and turn, the next row starts with a full single crochet in the first stitch. This might seem a little unbalanced, but it ends up working out because you turn each row. It looks balanced and the edges come out beautifully even.

Pattern for the bottom of the backpack

Chain 36.

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc. In that same stitch (2nd ch from hook) and the next stitch (3rd ch from hook), sc2tog. Repeat sc2tog across the 3rd ch and 4th ch, the 4th ch and 5th ch, and so on, across to the last ch. (As noted above, each row ends with the sc2tog for the second to last and last stitch for that row.)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch, across the 4th and 5th stitch, and so on across to the last stitch.

Repeat Row 2 until you have 25 rows. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Pattern for the back/top flap of the backpack

(This piece uses the same stitch as the bottom, but with more rows. You’ll want to make sure that you have the same gauge for the back/top flap as you do for the bottom because you are going to sew this to the bottom and it is nicer when the stitches line up.)

Chain 36

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc. In that same stitch (2nd ch from hook) and the next stitch (3rd ch from hook), sc2tog. Repeat sc2tog across the 3rd ch and 4th ch, the 4th ch and 5th ch, and so on, across to the last ch. (As noted above, each row ends with the sc2tog for the second to last and last stitch for that row.)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch, across the 4th and 5th stitch, and so on across to the last stitch.

Repeat Row 2 until you have 85 rows. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Pattern for the front of the backpack

(The front also uses the same stitch as the bottom and the back/top flap pieces. You’ll also want to make sure your gauge matches that of the first two pieces. The differences in the piece for the front include an optional color change and a less optional set of vertical buttonholes. I did a color change from deep violet to orchid at row 17, back to deep violet at row 23, back to orchid at 29, and back to deep violet at row 35 for the rest of the front. At row 46, I did two vertical buttonholes, which we also do on the sides.)

Making rows 1-45 with optional color changes

Chain 36

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc. In that same stitch (2nd ch from hook) and the next stitch (3rd ch from hook), sc2tog. Repeat sc2tog across the 3rd ch and 4th ch, the 4th ch and 5th ch, and so on, across to the last ch. (As noted above, each row ends with the sc2tog for the second to last and last stitch for that row.)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch, across the 4th and 5th stitch, and so on across to the last stitch.

Row 3-45: Repeat row 2.

Optional color change at Row 17. I joined a new color at the turning chain to start Row 17, crocheted in orchid for 6 rows, deep violet for six rows, orchid for six rows, and then back to deep violet. You can create whatever pattern you want to create with color changes. I do recommend crocheting an even number of rows before switching colors.

Rows 46-50: making the vertical buttonhole

(There are step-by-step photos of this process in the next section of the pattern. The sides have 4 holes and the front only has two, but the process is the same. The front has three sections of rows 46-48. The pattern breaks this down by section and is written in the order you crochet it.)

Section 1

Row 46 (Section 1): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across, the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch until you get to stitch 8. At stitch 8, stop. (You are going to turn and do Row 47 just for these first 8 stitches.)

Row 47 (Section 1): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch after the turn. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, the 2nd and 3rd stitch, etc, across to the end of the row.

Row 48 (Section 1): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the first stitch. Work Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, the 2nd and 3rd stitch, etc, across to the end of this 8-stitch section. Fasten off.

(So what you have just done is made an 8-stitch section of three rows, starting and ending each of these rows the same way you start and end a whole row.)

Section 2

Row 46 (Section 2): Make a slip knot and put loop on your hook. Insert hook into the 10th stitch of row 45. (Basically, skip a stitch after your 8-stitch block of three rows and begin as if continuing to make row 46.) Make a single crochet in the 10th stitch. Sc2tog over stitch 10 and stitch 11 and continue on until you get to stitch 27. At stitch 27, stop. (This section should have 18 stitches in it).

Row 47 (Section 2): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch after the turn. Work sc2tog across 1st and 2nd stitch. Work sc2tog across 2nd and 3rd stitch, and so on until you reach the end of that section.

Row 48 (Section 2): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the first stitch. Work sc2tog across 1st and 2nd stitch and so on until you reach the end of that section. Fasten off.

(Now you have an 8-stitch section and an 18-stitch section of three rows each.)

Section 3

Row 46 (Section 3): Make a slip knot and put loop on your hook. Insert hook into the 29th stitch of row 45 (or skip the stitch after your 18-stitch section and begin the rest of row 46 in stitch 29). Make a single crochet in the 29th stitch. Work sc2tog across the 29th stitch and the 30th stitch. Work sc2tog across the 30th stitch and the 31st stitch. Continue paired single crochet stitches across to the end of the row. You should have an 8-stitch section here.

Row 47 (Section 3): Chain 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch. Work sc2tog across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, and so on until you get to the end of this 8-stitch section.

Row 48 (Section 3): chain 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch. Work sc2tog across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, and so on until you get to the end of the row.

Finishing the front piece: Row 49-50

Row 49: Chain 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch. Work sc2tog across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, and so on until you get to the end of your 8-stitch section. At this point you are going to chain 1 and single crochet into the first stitch of the next section. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch of this section, and so on across to the end of that 18-stitch section. Chain 1 and single crochet in the first stitch of the 8-stitch section. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch of this section, and so on across to the end of the row.

Row 50: Repeat row 2, treating the ch1 between each section as a regular stitch. Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Pattern for the sides of the backpack (Make 2)

(For the side pieces, you want to make sure you have enough fabric to meet the front and the back with a little seam allowance on each side. I found that a starting chain of 25 worked great. You use the same stitch pattern used for the other pieces of the body, but we are going to make four vertical buttonholes starting at row 46.)

Rows 1-45

Chain 25

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc. In that same stitch (2nd ch from hook) and the next stitch (3rd ch from hook), sc2tog. Repeat sc2tog across the 3rd ch and 4th ch, the 4th ch and 5th ch, and so on, across to the last ch. (As noted above, each row ends with the sc2tog for the second to last and last stitch for that row.)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch, across the 4th and 5th stitch, and so on across to the last stitch.

Rows 3-45: repeat row 2.

Rows 46-48: Starting the vertical buttonholes

(This step is the same as for the front piece buttonholes, except that instead of doing 3 sections of 8, 18, and 8 stitches, you are doing 5 sections of 4 stitches each. The pictures below should make this clear.)

Row 46: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch and stop.

Row 47 (each section in turn): Chain 1 and turn.  Sc in first stitch after the turn. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, the 2nd and 3rd stitch, the 3rd and 4th stitch. Stop.

Row 48 (each section in turn): Chain 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch after the turn. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, the 2nd and 3rd stitch, the 3rd and 4th stitch. Stop. Fasten off all sections but the last one.

Just like you did for the front, you’ll start the 2nd and subsequent sections for rows 46-48 by doing a single crochet join. Make a slip knot and put loop on your hook. Insert hook into the stitch 2 after the last section you have finished (leave an empty stitch between each section, just like you did for the front piece buttonholes). Make a single crochet in that stitch and continue with paired single crochet like you have been before. Each section should stop after you’ve done a sc2tog over the 3rd and 4th stitch of the section.

When you have finished the last section’s row 48, it should look like this:

I know, there are a million ends to weave in. I’m sorry!!

Rows 49-50: Finishing the vertical buttonholes

Row 49: Chain 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Work sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch. Work sc2tog across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, and so on until you get to the end of your 4-stitch section. At this point you are going to chain 1 and single crochet into the first stitch of the next section. Work sc2tog across this section as you did for others, making a ch 1 to get over the space between sections and starting and ending each section like you do rows in the paired single crochet pattern.

Row 50: Repeat row 2, treating the ch1 between each section as a regular stitch. Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Pattern for the drawstrings (Make 2)

Chain 76

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc in each ch across to the end.

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc in each ch across to end.

Row 3-4: Repeat row 2. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Pattern for the backpack straps (Make 2)

Chain 106

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc in each ch across to the end.

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc in each ch across to end.

Row 3-6: Repeat row 2. Fasten Off, weave in ends.

Pattern for the hanger strap

Chain 26

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc in each ch across to the end.

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc in each ch across to end.

Row 3: Repeat row 2. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Pattern for the strap-fastening plates (Make 2)

(Because you are going to sew this plate to the back of the backpack to reinforce the straps and cover up some stitches, we are going to do it in the same paired single crochet stitch that we did for the body of the backpack.)

Chain 32.

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc. In that same stitch (2nd ch from hook) and the next stitch (3rd ch from hook), sc2tog. Repeat sc2tog across the 3rd ch and 4th ch, the 4th ch and 5th ch, and so on, across to the last ch. (As noted above, each row ends with the sc2tog for the second to last and last stitch for that row.)

Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first stitch. Sc2tog across the 1st and 2nd stitch, across the 2nd and 3rd stitch, across the 3rd and 4th stitch, across the 4th and 5th stitch, and so on across to the last stitch.

Rows 3-6: Repeat row 2. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Pattern for the leaves (optional, but fun!)

Find the my leaf pattern here! I used two of the leaf pattern #1 for this bag. I will probably add more to the backpack later. Check back Friday to see if I added leaves to the straps or anywhere else!

Pattern for the flower (optional, but also fun!)

I did not design the flower, but found it on Pinterest. The pattern is SkaMama’s and can be found here.

 

Crochet Backpack Assembly

When you have finished crocheting the pieces of your crochet backpack, hop on over to Part II for instructions on how to assemble the Easy Crochet Backpack.