Feb
Starting With The Actual Sketch Part
So the first time I really tried to map out a bag pattern from scratch was February 2023 when I had way too much time on my hands after ending a three-year relationship. I needed something to do with my hands that wasn’t checking my phone every five minutes and I’d been wanting to make a bag that actually fit my laptop without looking like a grocery tote.
The sketch part is honestly kinda backwards from what you’d think. I didn’t start with some beautiful drawing. I started with measurements. Like, get your tape measure and figure out what you actually need. My laptop was 13 inches so I needed the bag to be at least 14 inches wide with some depth. I wrote all this down on the back of an envelope because I couldn’t find my notebook.
Then you draw it but not like an artist draws. You’re drawing rectangles and circles mostly. The base of the bag, the sides, where the handles attach. I used graph paper eventually because trying to figure out stitch counts without it was making me lose my mind. Each square can equal like one or two stitches depending on your gauge.
Figuring Out The Math Which Is The Worst Part
This is the thing that annoyed me the most about creating patterns – you gotta do math and then your gauge is gonna be different than you planned and you have to do the math again. I was using Wool-Ease Thick & Quick at first because I wanted it done fast, but then I realized it was making the bag too stiff and bulky for what I wanted.
You need to make a gauge swatch. I know everyone says skip it but you actually can’t when you’re designing. Crochet a 4×4 inch square in whatever stitch you’re planning to use. Count how many stitches across and how many rows. This tells you how many stitches you need for your measurements.
For my bag the base was gonna be 14 inches by 4 inches. My gauge with the Wool-Ease was like 3 stitches per inch in half double crochet. So 14 inches meant I needed about 42 stitches across. But then you have to account for the sides and whether you’re working in rows or rounds and…
I switched to Lion Brand Jeans yarn partway through planning because I wanted something with more drape. Had to redo my gauge swatch. The Jeans yarn gave me closer to 3.5 stitches per inch so my numbers changed. Kept the graph paper though and just crossed out the old numbers.
The Foundation Chain Decision
You have to decide if you’re starting from the base and working up or starting from the top. I went with base-up because it made more sense in my brain. Foundation chain of 42 stitches, then you work back and forth in rows to create the rectangular base.
I did 10 rows for the 4-inch depth I wanted. Here’s where it gets weird – when you transition from the flat base to the sides of the bag, you’re essentially working in the round but still in rows if that makes sense? You pick up stitches around the entire perimeter of your base rectangle.
My cat knocked over my coffee right onto my graph paper during this phase and I had to redraw everything. Still annoyed about that.
The Side Panel Problem
The sides of a bag need structure or they just flop around. I learned this the hard way by making the first version too loose. You can either use a tighter stitch, go down a hook size, or double up your yarn. I ended up using single crochet instead of half double for the sides because it created a tighter fabric.
I worked in continuous rounds for about 12 inches of height. You have to keep track of where your rounds start and end with a stitch marker. I use a piece of different colored yarn because I always lose the actual markers.
The increases at the corners are important. Since your base is a rectangle not a circle, you need to add a few extra stitches at each corner when you transition or the bag will pucker. I did 2 increases at each of the four corners on the first round after the base.
Handle Placement Is Harder Than It Looks
I watched probably two episodes of that baking show, the British one, while trying to figure out where to attach handles. You want them centered obviously but also positioned so the bag hangs right when you carry it.
I marked where I wanted them with pins – about 4 inches in from each side edge. Then I crocheted the handles separately using double crochet for length. Made them about 20 inches long each which felt right for an over-the-shoulder bag.
The attachment method matters. You can’t just sew them on loosely or they’ll rip off when you load the bag with your laptop and whatever else. I crocheted through both the handle and the bag edge, going through multiple times to reinforce it, then wove in the ends really really well with a tapestry needle.
Writing Down What You Actually Did
This is the part where you think you’ll remember everything but you won’t. I tried to make a second bag using the same pattern two months later and couldn’t remember if I’d done 10 or 12 rows for the base. So annoying.
Write it down as you go. I started keeping a composition notebook next to me and every time I completed a section I’d write: “Base – ch 42, hdc 10 rows” or whatever. Include your hook size (I used a J hook for the Jeans yarn). Include the yarn brand and color if you care about that.
You don’t have to write it like a published pattern with all the abbreviations and parentheses right away. Just make notes that you can understand. My notes looked like: “worked sc around base perimeter, added 2 sc at each corner, then sc in continuous rounds for 12 inches, switched to my TV watching yarn for last 3 rounds because I ran out.”
The Prototype Is Gonna Be Ugly
Your first version will not look like what you pictured. Mine was lopsided because I hadn’t increased evenly at the corners. The handles were too long. I hadn’t left any opening at the top so it was just a tube and getting stuff in and out was awkward.
I frogged it partially – kept the base and redid the sides. Added a simple flap closure by working back and forth in rows on one side for an extra 4 inches, then making a button loop. Used a big wooden button from my random button jar.
The second version was better but still not right. The sides were too tall and it looked saggy. I took out 3 inches of height. Adjusting as you go is part of the process and I don’t care what anyone says you can’t fully design something in your head without making it physically.
Testing Different Construction Methods
For the third attempt I tried starting from a magic ring base instead of a rectangle, working in a circle and then into a cylinder shape. This actually worked better for a more casual slouchy bag but wasn’t what I wanted for my structured laptop bag idea.
But like, this is good to know – you might sketch one thing and then discover a different construction method works better. The circular base meant no corners to deal with and it grew naturally into the round shape. I used Caron Simply Soft for this version just to try something different.
You should probably make small test versions of different construction ideas before committing to a full-size bag. I didn’t do this because I’m impatient but I should have. Would’ve saved yarn.
Details That Make It Actually Usable
A bag pattern isn’t just about the shape. You need to think about closures, pockets, lining maybe. I added an interior pocket by crocheting a smaller rectangle and sewing it inside with regular thread. Just single crocheted a rectangle about 6×6 inches and stitched it to the inside of one side.
For closure I tried a few things – buttons, a zipper which was a nightmare to hand-sew in and I gave up halfway, and finally just a simple drawstring through the top row. Made the drawstring by chaining a long chain and weaving it through gaps in the top edge.
If you want a liner you have to learn basic sewing or find someone who knows how. I used some canvas fabric from the craft store, measured the bag dimensions, and sewed a simple pouch shape on my mom’s old sewing machine. Stitched it into the bag by hand around the top edge. Makes it more durable and your stuff doesn’t catch on the yarn.
When You Finally Write The Pattern For Real
Take all your messy notes and organize them into sections. Foundation, base, sides, handles, finishing. Use consistent abbreviations – there are standard ones like sc for single crochet, hdc for half double crochet, ch for chain.
Include your materials list at the beginning: yarn amount (I used about 400 yards of the Lion Brand Jeans), hook size, other notions like buttons or tapestry needle. Be specific about gauge with actual measurements.
Number your rows or rounds so people can keep track. Test your written pattern if you can by having someone else try to follow it, or at least by making it again yourself from your written instructions without looking at your prototype. I did not do this and definitely should have because I realized later I’d skipped writing down an entire section about decreasing for shaping.
You’re gonna forget things. Build in some flexibility by saying stuff like “or adjust to desired length” instead of being too rigid. Different people have different tension and yarn behaves differently.
