Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Bags & Totes 12 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Boxy sage green tote with botanical granny square panels
A boxy single crochet tote (36 joined rounds, H-8 hook) with raised botanical granny square panels.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 18-25 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 4.0 mm
- Rounds
- 12
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
12
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This tote builds a firm, boxy base from single crochet worked first in flat rows, then in thirty-six tight rounds that lend the fabric strength without the stretch most crochet bags lack. Sage green botanical granny squares, worked center-out with front post stitches for raised texture, are whip stitched onto the front and back panels afterward. Before starting, have both colors of cotton yarn wound, a G-6 and an H-8 hook on hand, four D-rings, and two lengths of rope ready for the braided handles threaded through sewn-on tabs.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Loose single crochet gauge
- Check your swatch against 16 sc and 18 rows per 4 inches with the H-8 hook before starting the body, since a loose gauge will not hold the boxy shape.
- Front post stitches worked through top loops
- Insert the hook around the post of the stitch below, from front to back, rather than under the top two loops, to get the raised texture the motif needs.
- D-ring tabs placed at the wrong stitch
- Mark stitches 22, 68, 92, and 137 with stitch markers before working the tabs, since they must sit three stitches in from each corner to align front and back.
The materials list
- Color A (Cream/Natural): approximately 650 yards (594 m) of worsted weight cotton yarn
- Color B (Sage Green): approximately 300 yards (274 m) of worsted weight cotton yarn
- Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in Ecru and Sage works beautifully. This mercerized cotton gives excellent stitch definition and body.
- Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran in Vanilla Cream and Pistachio Green is slightly heavier than standard worsted and creates a wonderfully dense fabric.
Important note
- Stick with 100 percent cotton yarn. Avoid acrylic blends as they will not hold the structured boxy shape this design requires.
- US size G-6 (4.0 mm) crochet hook for applique and detail work
- US size H-8 (5.0 mm) crochet hook for bag body
- Tapestry needle for weaving ends
- Four D-rings, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide
- Two lengths of natural cotton rope or braided cord, each approximately 22 inches (56 cm) long
- 4 stitch markers
- Scissors
Optional
- fabric lining, approximately 1/2 yard
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 21 short forms
Main Pattern
Round 1
Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (52 sc)
Round 2
through 18: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (52 sc) Do not fasten off. Checkpoint: Your bottom panel should measure approximately 13 inches wide by 4 inches tall. If measurements are off, check your gauge and adjust hook size.
Main Pattern
Round 1
through 36: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st to first sc. (140 sc) After Round 36, your side walls measure approximately 8 inches, giving a total bag height of 12 inches including the bottom.Do not fasten off.
D-Ring Tabs (Make 4)
Each tab wraps around a D-ring and attaches at the handle positions.
Position tabs at stitches 22, 68, 92, and 137 (3 stitches in from each corner on the front and back panels).
With Color A and H-8 hook, ch 8.
Round 1
Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (7 sc)
Round 2
through 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (7 sc) Fold the tab around a D-ring, aligning both edges. Whip stitch the tab to the inside of the bag at the marked position, sewing through both tab layers and the top two rounds of the bag body.Repeat for all four tabs.
Part 1: Square Background
Work with Color B (sage) and G-6 hook unless otherwise noted.
Round 1
With Color B, make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 2 dc in ring, ch 2, (3 dc in ring, ch 2) 3 times. Join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. Tighten magic ring. (4 groups of 3 dc, 4 ch-2 corner spaces)
Round 2
Join Color A in any ch-2 corner sp. Ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same corner sp. Ch 1. (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in each remaining corner sp. Ch 1 between each corner group. Join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off Color A. (8 groups of 3 dc, 4 ch-2 corners, 4 ch-1 side spaces)
Round 3
Join Color B in any ch-2 corner sp. Ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same corner sp. Ch 1, 3 dc in ch-1 side sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in corner sp, ch 1, 3 dc in ch-1 side sp, ch 1. Rep around. Join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off. (12 groups of 3 dc, 4 ch-2 corners, 8 ch-1 side spaces)
Round 4
through 8: Continue the granny square pattern, alternating Color A and Color B each round. Each round adds one 3-dc group per side.
Round 9
Join Color B in any ch-2 corner sp. Ch 1, 3 sc in corner sp, sc in each dc and 1 sc in each ch-1 sp across each side, 3 sc in each corner sp. Join with sl st to first sc. Target: (144 sc)
Round 10
Join Color A in any corner center stitch. Ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same corner sc. Sk 1 sc, dc in each sc across to 1 sc before next corner, sk 1 sc, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in corner sc. Rep around. Join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off.
Block square to 9 inches by 9 inches before adding the raised motif.
Top Edging
Round 37
Crab Stitch Do not turn. Working from left to right (opposite direction), ch 1, reverse sc in each st around. Join with sl st to first reverse sc. (140 reverse sc)Fasten off. Weave in end.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Center each botanical square on the front and back panels of your bag. The square should have approximately 2 inches of cream bag body visible on all sides. Pin in place and whip stitch around the entire perimeter using Color A.
Step 2Weave in all remaining ends.
Step 3If using a bottom insert, slip it inside the bag before adding a lining.
Check these before you start
- Keep single crochet tension even and tight throughout the body; a looser gauge will undersize the finished 13 by 12 by 4 inch shape and leave the sides unable to stand on their own.
- Use 100 percent cotton, not an acrylic blend, since the structure of the boxy base depends on the stiffness cotton holds after blocking.
On one line
| Rounds | 12 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 5 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 18-25 hours |
| Hook | 4.0 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Wind both colors before you begin: 650 yards of Color A and 300 yards of Color B, so you are not caught short mid-round.
- Work a swatch with the H-8 hook in Color A and check it against gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows should each measure 4 inches.
- Place stitch markers at stitches 22, 68, 92, and 137 on the bag body before you reach the D-ring tab round, so you are not counting stitches twice.
- Read through Part 1 of the botanical square once before you start it, since the front post stitches and color changes come in close succession.
Finishing
- Center each botanical square on the front and back panels, leaving approximately 2 inches of cream bag body visible on all sides, then pin and whip stitch around the perimeter using Color A.
- Weave in all remaining ends, including those left from the color changes on the botanical motifs.
- Thread the rope handles through the D-ring tabs, then slip in a bottom insert and fabric lining if you are using one.
Construction
The D-ring tabs land at stitches 22, 68, 92, and 137, each three stitches in from a corner on the front and back panels, which keeps the four handle attachment points symmetrical on both sides of the bag.
Time per section
| Bag body (bottom panel and 36 joined rounds) | about 6 to 8 hours, because the bottom panel works 18 rows flat before 36 rounds are joined for the sides. |
|---|---|
| Botanical granny square panels | about 4 to 6 hours each, because of the center-out construction, color changes, and raised front post stitches. |
| D-ring tabs and finishing assembly | about 2 to 3 hours, because four tabs must be made, folded around D-rings, and whip stitched through the top two rounds before the squares are attached. |
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.