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Bobble Stitch Tote Bag: The Pebble Drift Tote Free Pattern

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A roomy everyday shoulder tote with a scatter of soft bobbles drifting diagonally across a dense half double crochet ground. It is worked as one long rectangle, folded once so the base has no seam to give way, and finished with a firm single crochet border and two folded double-thickness straps. There is no increase or decrease anywhere in the bag: every row of the body is the same 39 stitches, so you can check yourself against one number the whole way up.

About this pattern

The texture comes from two bobble placements that alternate, each offset two stitches from the one below, so the bobbles drift across the fabric instead of stacking into columns. There are 272 bobbles in the finished bag. Every bobble is worked on a wrong-side row, which is what makes it pop out on the outside of the bag — this is the whole reason the bag is worked flat and seamed rather than in the round.

Skill level

Advanced beginner. You need to be comfortable with the chain, half double crochet, single crochet, turning at the end of a row, and sewing a whip-stitch seam. The bobble is written out in full under Special stitches. There is no shaping to follow and no colour change part-way through any row.

Finished / target size

TARGET size, calculated from the target gauge below rather than measured from a finished bag:

  • Bag body: approximately 30 cm (12 in) wide and 34 cm (13.5 in) tall, including the border, measured flat.
  • Strap: approximately 60 cm (23.5 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) wide once folded, giving a shoulder drop of roughly 30 cm (12 in).

Your bag will come out larger or smaller if your gauge differs. See Note 1 for how to adjust the height.

Materials

  • Worsted weight (medium, #4) yarn in two colours — see Yarn below.
  • 5.0 mm (US H-8) crochet hook, or the size that gives you the target gauge.
  • Blunt-tipped yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
  • Stitch markers (at least 8).
  • Tape measure.
  • Scissors.

Yarn

Worsted weight (medium, #4), smooth and plied. A wool, wool blend or a good acrylic all work. Loosely spun single-ply yarns are not a good choice here, because bobbles pull hard on the yarn and singles pull apart.

ESTIMATED YARN REQUIREMENT — this is calculated from the stitch count, not weighed from a finished bag, and it is rounded up to leave a margin:

  • Colour A (body panel and side seams): approximately 620 m / 680 yd, roughly 310 g.
  • Colour B (border, both straps, and sewing the straps on): approximately 260 m / 285 yd, roughly 130 g.

Buy the full amount in one dye lot. Running short of Colour A near the top of the panel is the worst place to run short.

Hook

5.0 mm (US H-8). Hook size follows from gauge, not the other way round: if your swatch comes out wider than the target, go down a hook size; if narrower, go up.

Gauge

TARGET GAUGE, body: 13 hdc and 10 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in half double crochet.

TARGET GAUGE, border and straps: 15 sc and 17 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in single crochet.

Gauge has not been physically tested. These figures are the targets the design was engineered around. Work a swatch at least 15 cm (6 in) square in half double crochet before you start, and change hook size until your swatch matches.

Terminology

Terminology: US crochet terms.

Abbreviations

ch      = chain
sc      = single crochet
hdc     = half double crochet
dc      = double crochet
sl st   = slip stitch
st      = stitch
sts     = stitches
RS      = right side
WS      = wrong side

Special stitches

Bobble (worked into one st, counts as one st):

  1. Yarn over, insert your hook into the st, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops. You now have 2 loops on the hook.
  2. Work step 1 four more times into the very same st, so that you end with 6 loops on the hook.
  3. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops on the hook.
  4. The bobble is finished. It sits in one st and takes the place of one st, so it never changes your count.

The bobble forms on the side of the fabric facing away from you. Every bobble in this pattern is worked on a wrong-side row, so it will be sitting on the outside of the finished bag. While you are working a bobble row you will see very little of it — that is correct, and you should not try to push it through to your side.

On the following row you work one hdc into the top of the bobble, exactly as you would into any other st.

Construction notes

  • The bag is made from one rectangle worked flat in turned rows, plus two straps worked separately. Nothing is worked in the round except the top border.
  • The rectangle is 39 sts wide and 66 rows tall. The st count is 39 on every single row from Row 1 to Row 66. If a row does not end on 39, stop and find the mistake before going on.
  • The beginning ch 1 at the start of every row and round does not count as a stitch. Your first st always goes into the very first st of the row, the one directly below that ch 1 — not into the second st.
  • Odd-numbered rows are right-side rows. Even-numbered rows are wrong-side rows. You turn at the end of every row.
  • Bobbles appear only on even-numbered rows from Row 2 to Row 64. Rows 65 and 66 are plain, so both top edges of the bag finish smooth.
  • Bobble rows alternate between two placements. On rows 2, 6, 10 and so forth (rows that leave a remainder of 2 when divided by 4) the first bobble sits on st 3. On rows 4, 8, 12 and so forth (rows that divide exactly by 4) the first bobble sits on st 5. That two-stitch shift is what makes the bobbles drift diagonally. Both placements are written out in full for every row, so you never have to work this out yourself.
  • No bobble ever falls on st 1 or st 39, so both long edges stay flat for seaming.
  • The rectangle is folded once across the middle, between Row 33 and Row 34. That fold becomes the bottom of the bag, so the base has no seam.
  • Each side seam joins 33 row-ends to 33 row-ends.
  • The top opening is the two short edges of the rectangle, 39 sts plus 39 sts, which is 78 sts. That is the number the border works into.

Colour notes

  • Colour A is used for the whole body panel, Row 1 to Row 66, and for sewing the two side seams. Keep a little back for the seams.
  • Colour B is used for both straps and for both border rounds, and for nothing else.
  • There is no colour change part-way through any row or round. Every change of colour happens between finished pieces, so you simply fasten off one colour and begin the next piece with the other.
  • Fasten off Colour A after Row 66 and weave that end in before you seam. It is much harder to reach once the sides are closed.
  • To work the bag in a single colour, use Colour A throughout and ignore every mention of Colour B. Nothing else changes.

Instructions

Body Panel

Make 1, in Colour A.

Row 1 (RS): Ch 40 (this beginning chain does not count as a stitch). Hdc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (39 sts)

Row 2 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 3 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 4 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 5 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 6 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 7 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 8 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 9 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 10 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 11 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 12 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 13 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 14 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 15 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 16 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 17 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 18 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 19 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 20 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 21 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 22 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 23 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 24 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 25 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 26 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 27 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 28 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 29 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 30 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 31 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 32 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 33 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 34 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 35 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 36 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 37 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 38 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 39 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 40 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 41 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 42 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 43 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 44 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 45 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 46 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 47 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 48 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 49 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 50 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 51 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 52 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 53 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 54 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 55 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 56 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 57 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 58 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 59 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 60 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 61 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 62 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 9 times, hdc in the next st. (39 sts)

Row 63 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 64 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 4 sts, [bobble in the next st, hdc in each of the next 3 sts] 8 times, hdc in each of the next 3 sts. (39 sts)

Row 65 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Row 66 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Hdc in each of the next 39 sts. (39 sts)

Fasten off Colour A, leaving a tail about 15 cm (6 in) long, and weave in all ends on the body panel now.

Strap

Make 2, in Colour B. Each strap is worked as a flat strip, then folded in half along its length and sewn closed, which gives a strap two layers thick.

Row 1: With Colour B, ch 91 (this beginning chain does not count as a stitch). Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (90 sts)

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 3: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 4: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 5: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 6: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 7: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Row 8: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), turn. Sc in each of the next 90 sts. (90 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a tail about 60 cm (24 in) long for sewing the strap closed.

Assembly

  1. Lay the body panel flat with the RS facing up. Fold it in half crosswise, bringing the Row 1 edge up to meet the Row 66 edge, so that the two RS are together on the inside and the fold sits between Row 33 and Row 34. The bobbles are now on the inside. This is correct — they come to the outside when you turn the bag.
  2. Place a marker at each end of the fold, and a marker at each top corner. You should have 33 row-ends running up each side, on both layers.
  3. With Colour A and the yarn needle, whip stitch the first side closed. Work through both layers, one stitch into each pair of row-ends, from the fold up to the top edge. That is 33 whip stitches. Fasten off and weave in the end.
  4. Repeat step 3 on the second side.
  5. Turn the bag right side out through the top opening. Push the two bottom corners out with a blunt tool. The bobbles are now on the outside.

Top Border

Worked in the round in Colour B, into the 78 sts around the top opening (39 sts across the front and 39 sts across the back). Do not turn between rounds. The joining sl st is not counted as a st.

One of the two top edges is the top of Row 66 and gives you 39 stitch tops to work into. The other is the bottom of the foundation chain. Along that edge you will find 39 chain loops that were worked into, plus one extra loose chain at one corner — the chain you skipped at the very start of Row 1. Leave that one alone. Work 39 sts along that edge, not 40.

Round 1: With Colour B and the RS facing, join with a sl st in the st directly above either side seam. Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in the same st as the join, sc in each of the next 77 sts. Join with a sl st to the first sc of this round. (78 sts)

Round 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in the same st as the join, sc in each of the next 77 sts. Join with a sl st to the first sc of this round. Fasten off Colour B and weave in the ends. (78 sts)

Attaching the straps

  1. Fold one strap in half along its whole length, so the two long edges meet and the strap is now half as wide and two layers thick. Using the long tail and the yarn needle, whip stitch the two long edges together from one end to the other. Fasten off and weave in the end. Repeat with the second strap.
  2. Count along the top edge of the front of the bag. The front is 39 sts wide. Place a marker on st 11, st 13, st 27 and st 29, counting from the left-hand side seam. These four markers are where the strap ends go. They sit 10 sts in from each seam and are even either side of st 20, which is the centre st of the front.
  3. Mark the back of the bag in the same way.
  4. Pin one end of the first strap to the inside of the front border, covering sts 11 to 13, with about 3 cm (1.25 in) of the strap end lying flat against the inside of the bag. Pin the other end of the same strap to the inside of the front border covering sts 27 to 29, making sure the strap is not twisted.
  5. Sew each strap end down with a strong yarn needle and Colour B. Sew a rectangle of stitches around the whole overlapping area, then sew a diagonal line across it in each direction. That crossed rectangle is what stops the strap peeling away from the border under load.
  6. Attach the second strap to the back of the bag in the same way, over the same marked stitches.

Finishing

  1. Weave in every remaining end on the inside of the bag, working each end through at least 5 cm (2 in) of fabric and then back on itself for 2 cm (0.75 in) before trimming. Bobble fabric is thick and hides ends well.
  2. Check both side seams from the inside along their whole length, looking for a skipped row-end. A missed row-end shows as a small hole and is easiest to close now.
  3. Check that both straps are attached over the marked stitches on the front and back and that neither is twisted.
  4. Turn the bag inside out and give the base fold a firm press with your hands to set it, then turn it back.

Blocking

Blocking is optional for this bag and is not needed for it to hold its shape.

If you want the panel to sit flatter and the bobbles to stand more evenly, block the body panel before you seam it, not after. Pin it out flat to the target panel measurements of 30 cm by 66 cm, wrong side up, spray it lightly with cool water, and leave it to dry fully away from direct heat. Do not stretch it beyond those measurements and do not press the bobbles flat with an iron — heat will flatten the texture permanently, and on acrylic yarn it will not come back.

Do not block the finished bag over a form. The border is deliberately firmer than the body and stretching it defeats the point of it.

Notes

Note 1 — adjusting the height. If your row gauge does not match the target, the bag will finish taller or shorter than 34 cm. Measure your panel when it reaches Row 20 and divide the length by 20 to get your own row height. Multiply that by 66 to predict the finished panel. To change the height, add or remove rows in blocks of four and keep the same order of row types, then finish with two plain rows as written for Rows 65 and 66. Always end on an even total number of rows, or the fold will not fall between two rows and one side of your bag will be a row taller than the other.

Note 2 — adjusting the width. The width can be changed in steps of 4 sts, because the bobble placement repeats over 4 sts. Add or remove 4 to the foundation chain for every 4 sts of width. Each added group of 4 sts adds one bobble to every offset-A row and one to every offset-B row. Recount your bobble rows after changing the width — the written repeat counts of 9 and 8 only apply at 39 sts.

Note 3 — if your bobble rows come out narrower than your plain rows. A small amount of pull-in is normal, because a bobble draws the fabric together slightly. Because the bobbles are spread evenly every 4 sts across the full width, that pull-in is the same all the way along the row, so the edge stays straight rather than wavy. If the difference is large enough to see, your bobbles are too tight: work the five pull-up loops of the bobble a little taller and more loosely.

Note 4 — a firmer bag. For a bag that holds its shape more stiffly, go down to a 4.5 mm hook and add 4 sts to the foundation chain to keep the width. A tighter fabric makes a better bag but is harder on the hands over 66 rows.

Note 5 — lining. This bag is not lined. If you want a lining, cut two pieces of fabric to your finished panel measurements plus 1.5 cm (0.5 in) all round for seam allowance, sew them into a bag shape, and hand-sew the lining to the inside of the border after the straps are on.

Note 6 — what this bag will carry. The fabric is dense and the base is a fold rather than a seam, which is the stronger arrangement. Even so, neither the strap nor the strap join has been load-checked with weight in the bag, so treat it as an everyday tote rather than as a bag for heavy or sharp loads.

FAQ

Is this pattern written in US or UK terms? US crochet terms throughout. If you normally read UK patterns, note that our hdc is your half treble and our dc is your treble.

Does the beginning chain count as a stitch? No, never — not on any row and not on either border round. Your first stitch always goes into the first stitch of the row, directly below the chain.

I cannot see my bobbles while I work them. Have I done it wrong? No. A bobble forms on the side of the fabric facing away from you, and every bobble row here is a wrong-side row, so the bobbles are forming on the far side. Turn the work over at the end of the row and you will see them.

Do I work into the top of a bobble on the next row? Yes. Treat the bobble as one ordinary stitch and work one hdc into the top of it.

My row does not end on 39 stitches. What now? Do not carry on and hope it settles. The most common cause is working the first stitch into the second stitch of the row instead of the first, because the beginning chain was counted as a stitch by mistake. The second most common cause is missing the last stitch of the row. Pull back to the start of the row and rework it.

Can I make the bag taller or wider? Yes. Height changes in blocks of 4 rows, width in steps of 4 stitches. See Note 1 and Note 2.

Can I work this in the round to avoid the seams? Not from this pattern. Worked in continuous rounds with the right side facing you, the bobbles would form on the inside of the bag. The flat-and-seamed construction is what puts every bobble on the outside.

Limitations

This pattern has been checked by machine, round by round, for stitch count continuity, repeat arithmetic and agreement between the written instructions and the verified construction model. Nobody has crocheted it. Gauge, finished measurements and yarn amounts are calculated targets and have not been measured from a finished object, and no strap or seam here has been checked under load.

AI-VALIDATED — PHYSICAL TEST NOT PERFORMED.

If you make this bag, we would like to know what came out — measurements, yarn used, and anything that did not read clearly. That is how this page gets corrected.

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