Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Bags & Totes 14 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Oval-Base Crochet Backpack Pattern With V-Stitch Texture
Oval-base crochet backpack with V-stitch body texture and a drawstring closure, worked with an H hook and a G hook for
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5 mm
- Rounds
- 14
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
14
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This backpack starts flat, with a chain 26 base shaped into an oval by working single crochet across both sides and increasing at each tip. Four rounds of plain single crochet, with a 3-sc increase at every tip stitch, build the base out to its full 9.5-inch width and 2.25-inch height before the sides rise with V-stitch texture and a drawstring closure at the top. Have 400 yards of medium weight acrylic on hand, along with an H hook for the body and a G hook for closer work, plus stitch markers to track the two tip points.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing the tip stitch between rounds
- Clip a stitch marker into each tip stitch the moment Round 1 closes, then move both markers up into the center increase stitch at the end of every round after.
- Skipping the slip stitch join
- Join to the first single crochet and chain 1 before starting the next round every time — working in a spiral instead will shift the tip increases off-center and distort the oval.
The materials list
- Size 4 medium weight acrylic yarn (approx. 400 yards)
- Size H (5 mm) crochet hook
- Size G (4 mm) crochet hook
- Scissors
- Blunt needle
- Stitch markers
- Tape measure
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 10 short forms
Main Pattern
Round 1
Chain 26 Single crochet in the second chain from the hook and each chain across (except the last)In the last chain, make 5 single crochets Continue with single crochet on the opposite side In the final chain, make 4 single crochetsJoin with a slip stitch to the first single crochet
Round 2
Chain 1 Single crochet in each stitch In tip stitches, do 3 single crochets in the same stitchJoin with a slip stitch
Rounds 3–4
Repeat Round 2
Base should measure approx. 2.25 inches tall and 9.5 inches wide
Round 5
Chain 1 Single crochet to the first marker Slip stitch into the marked stitch, chain 6, slip stitch into the same stitchContinue single crochet to the second marker and repeat the same chain 6 loop Finish the round with single crochet and join with a slip stitch
Round 6
Chain 1 Single crochet in back loop only around In chain 6 spaces, slip stitch across each chain Join with a slip stitch
Main Panel of the Backpack
Round 7
Chain 2 Double crochet around Skip 6 stitches at chain spaces, close gaps with 3 double crochetsJoin with slip stitch
Round 8
Chain 1 Single crochet in each stitch around Join with slip stitch
Round 9
Chain 4 Double crochet in the same stitch (V-stitch) Skip 1, V-stitch in next stitch around Join with slip stitch
Round 10
Chain 1 Single crochet in V-stitch space and between double crochets Repeat around Join with slip stitch
Rounds 11–30
Alternate repeats of Rounds 9 and 10
Creating Holes for Drawstring
Round 31
Chain 3 Double crochet in same stitch Chain 3, skip 2 stitches, double crochet in next 2Repeat to create 10 holes on each side Join with slip stitch
Round 32
Chain 1 Single crochet, 3 single crochets in chain space, single crochet in next 2Repeat around Join with slip stitch
Round 33
Switch to size G hook Slip stitch in each stitch around Join and fasten off
Backpack Strings
Chain 220 Slip stitch in second chain from hook and across Repeat for second string
Assembly, in order
Step 1Thread one string through holes on one side and the second string through the opposite side
Step 2Pull tight and secure the ends at the bottom
Check these before you start
- Mark both tip stitches right after Round 1 — Rounds 2 through 4 each place 3 single crochets into the same tip stitch, and a lost marker means a lopsided oval.
- Join every round with a slip stitch to the first single crochet, then chain 1 before the next round starts; skipping either step turns the oval into a spiral and throws off the tip increases.
On one line
| Rounds | 14 |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Confirm the full 400-yard skein is on hand before chaining 26 — the oval base and V-stitch sides both draw from the same ball.
- Swatch a small square with the H hook first to check that single crochet gauge matches the 2.25-inch by 9.5-inch base measurement given after Round 4.
- Read Round 1 and Round 2 in full before picking up the hook, since the 5-sc and 4-sc tip increases set the oval shape every round after relies on.
- Set aside stitch markers for both tip points now — Round 2 onward needs them to find the increase stitch quickly.
Finishing
- Weave in all loose ends along the inside of the bag so no tails show on the outer V-stitch texture.
- Trim tails close to the fabric once woven in, checking the tip increase points first since that is where ends tend to cluster.
- Add a lining or interior pockets at this stage if wanted — the oval base and straight sides leave room to stitch either in before the drawstring closes the top.
Construction
The oval base comes from working single crochet straight across one side of the chain 26, placing 5 single crochets in the last chain, continuing down the opposite side, then placing 4 single crochets in the final chain — two different increase counts that keep the oval from closing into a circle.
Rounds 2 through 4 repeat the same instruction: single crochet across, then 3 single crochets into each tip stitch. That steady increase at just the two tip points is what grows the base to 9.5 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall without changing its oval outline.
Each round closes with a slip stitch to the first single crochet rather than running in a spiral, which keeps the tip increases stacked directly on top of the previous round's tips instead of drifting sideways.
Time per section
| Oval base, Rounds 1-4 | about 45 to 60 minutes because the 5-sc and 4-sc tip increases need careful counting on every round |
|---|---|
| Body rounds with V-stitch texture | about 2 to 3 hours because the remaining rounds build height and texture across the full 9.5-inch width |
| Finishing and drawstring closure | about 30 to 45 minutes because weaving ends, trimming tails, and closing the top take more care than the straight rounds |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.