Frida's Flowers project bag 2016 Stylecraft Crafternoon Treats Crochet Along Bag showing the bag

Joining your squares to assemble your bag is the exciting part and it happens quite quickly! You will use Stylecraft Special chunky in black to join the squares together using UK dc stitches (US sc stitches).

For all the pattern and tutorial links please visit:

Laying out your squares and then joining

You will join all four squares to the base square first by holding each side square, wrong side to wrong side, with the base square. Start by laying our your squares all around the base. The bottom of each square will be adjacent to the base, with the pockets facing outwards. I once joined a bag with the side squares the wrong way up and its annoying…

Frida's Flowers project bag Crafternoon Treats Stylecraft CAL 2016 bag laying out squares

 

Joining the squares

This is one of the photos from my  previous tutorial to show better what you need to do (black does not show up well in photos): the square need to be held together, matching their position stitch for stitch.

Chunky granny bag tutorial 1

  • Use UK dc stitches (US sc stitches) and work through both loops of the outer stitches of both squares. Make one stitch into the first corner and then work from that corner along the base and first side square until you reach the next corner. Make one stitch into this corner.
  • Then position the bottom of the next square to the next side of your base (wrong side to wrong side again). Work one stitch into the first corner (so that the corner will have 2 stitches in it now). Carry on making a UK dc (US sc) into each stitch along.
  • Repeat for all four sides of the base until the bottom of all 4 squares are joined to the base. Do not fasten off.

Using the same black yarn, crochet the two sides together, from bottom to top and then fasten off. Join the black yarn to the next corner along where the base square meets the next side square and crochet up to join those two sides. Repeat two more times so that you produce a cube.

Frida's Flowers project bag 2016 Stylecraft Crafternoon Treats Crochet Along Bag assembly

 

Leave your working yarn in place for the last side seam, but you can weave in the other tail ends now.

Finishing the top of the bag and making the handles

Frida's Flowers project bag 2016 Stylecraft Crafternoon Treats Crochet Along Bag close up 2

The top of the bag

  • Using black yarn, make 3 rounds of UK dc stitches (US sc stitches) all around the top of the bag.

Starting the handles

  • Change your yarn colour. I chose to use plum for my second handle colour, but you can choose any of the Stylecraft Special chunky colours – gold, meadow, denim, parchment or spice.
  • Decide which squares you want to form the front and back of your bag. Starting in the corner to the right of the front, join the new colour yarn and work 8 UK dc stitches (8 US sc stitches, then miss (skip) 25 stitches and make 50 chains. Rejoin the yarn 7 stitches from the next corner. This chain forms the base of your first handle.
  • Continue around the second side making a UK dc (US sc) into every stitch. Starting from the next corner, work 8 stitches before missing 25 stitches and making 50 chains again. Rejoin the yarn 7 stitches from the next corner, then complete the round along the fourth side. Join with a sl st. Do not fasten off.
  • Using plum work another complete round of UK dc stitches (US sc stitches). Work in the first 8 stitches and then in each chain of the handle, the final 7 stitches and then along the top of the bag side. Work in the next 8 stitches and then in each chain of the handle, the final 7 stitches and the final bag side. Join with a slip stitch.

Finishing the top of the bag and expanding the handles

  • Work 3 more rounds of UK dc stitches (US sc stitches) in plum, going along the bag sides and over each handle.
  • You now need to change back to black and work inside the handles. Join the yarn at the top of the bag and work UK dc stitches (US sc stitches) into each stitch, working up into the bottom of the chain of the first handle.
  • Complete 3 more complete rounds inside this handle and then repeat for the second handle.

Strengthening the handles

  • Using a darning needle threaded with black yarn, sew the edges of the handles together so that they form a tube. Fold over the top of the bag and sew in place using plum yarn. For additional strength you can insert piping cord into the handles and around the top of the bag.

This photo is from my small project bag – the piping cord is completely enclosed when the top of the bag is folded over and sewn into place.

Small bag handles14

  • When you are almost at the end of your folding and sewing, join together the two ends of the piping cord using sewing thread and wrap some yarn around the joint to keep it secure. For the Frida’s Flower’s project bag I used a black cord and black yarn for the joint.

Small bag handles1

When you have finished, your bag is complete. The handles are sturdy but not stiff and the top of the bag is neatend and strengthened.

The only thing that remains to do, if you would like, is to make some extra flowers and embellish. I made some but still haven’t really decided whether to add them or not. I like the the look of the bag as it is – and they will always make a very colourful garland.

For all the pattern and tutorial links please visit:

FInished bag 23-tile