A step-by-step guide to crocheting the Audrey Bag
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?” We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the crocheting process.
Even if you've never crocheted before, we'll take you from zero to crochet hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to learning to crochet, practice makes perfect.
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your bag.
The Audrey Bag is a cutie-patootie and a great beginner project. Made using single crochet and double crochet stitches you'll want to be confident with both of these stitches before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and chaining which is the first step in any crochet project.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice these stitches. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of crochet visit our Learn How To Crochet page.
Onto the bag!
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 6.5mm hook
- 1 ball of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 1
- 1 ball of Cardigang Chunky Cotton in colour 2
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors and a tape measure handy.
⚡️Test your tension
Before you start your project, make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your crocheting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by making a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm swatch should be 10 stitches wide and 11 rows high when made in single crochet on your 6.5mm hook.
To test this, grab your hook - use the yarn and hook that came in your kit. Chain on 14 stitches, then work in single crochet for 13 rows. Then measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're crocheting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your work is a little too tight, and if you've got less your work is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you crochet.
🧶 Happy hooker, let's crochet!
Chain
Chain 12 to create your foundation chain.
💭 Try to make your chain stitches as evenly sized as possible. Don't pull the loops too tight because you'll struggle to work into these loops in your first row. On the other hand, if you make your loops too loose, your project will look a little messy.
BAG SIDES
Row 1
Insert your hook into the 2nd chain from the hook and do one single crochet. Then do one single crochet into every chain until you reach the end of the row. When you get to the end, chain 1, this will give you the height for the next row. Then turn your work.
Then just repeat until you've done 15 rows!
FRILLS
Okay, we're going to space our frills in even spaces along the sides and bottom of our bag.
We use the double crochet stitch for this part - you'll have practiced this. We also use a slip stitch to anchor the sides of our frills.
STRAP
We hope you're having a blast making your bag! 🎢 The finish line is in sight!
We're going to complete the strap by making one long chain and then working back into the chain with a row of single crochet.
This is just like the beginning of this whole project, but instead of 12 chains, you're making a whole lot more!
D.O.N.E! You've finished your bag, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever crochet project or one of many, we hope you had a blast making your bangin' blanket 💥❤️
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.