A step-by-step guide to crocheting summer's must-have accessory
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.
Perfect for the beach or brunch, The Ava Tote is sure to get noticed and you're going to have a lot of fun making her. We make Ava using the double crochet stitch which we put together in clusters to make the granny stripe pattern.
You'll want to be confident with the double crochet 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 👜🕺
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 3.5mm hook
- 2 balls of Cardigang Raffia in colour 1
- 2 balls of Cardigang Raffia 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 16 stitches wide x 9 rows high when made in double crochet on your 3.5mm hook.
To test this, chain 18 + 3 stitches (the +3 makes your turning chain), then work in double crochet for 11 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.
💪 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!
🧶 Happy hooker, let's crochet!
Time to switch off. Stitch on. And whip up your drool-worthy accessorie!
BODY
STEP 1
Let's start with our 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.
🤓 Chain 101: Make sure all the ‘V’s line up and are roughly the same size.
GRANNY STRIPE
We're going to work in granny stripe. We make the granny stripe stitch by double crocheting in groups or clusters of stitches along a row.
📹 Watch How to do a granny stripe
STEP 2
In our first row we're working into the chain, so you're going to insert your hook into the 4th chain from the hook. We only skip some stitches like this when we're working into the chain. So this is the only time in this pattern that you'll go into the 4th chain.
Then do a double crochet into this stitch. This counts as your first cluster. We'll skip 2 chains and then do our first full cluster of double crochets. Do 4 double crochets into the same stitch. Repeat this sequence.
🫣 Good news, this is the hardest row to complete because working into the chain isn't as easy as working into a row. So persist and things will get easier!
STEP 3
Time to complete the second row - this row becomes the foundation for all other rows.
💭 Your turning chain is what gives us the height to work the next row - they are very important! Without them, we'd be making a triangle!
💭 Make sure your hook is going in under both bars of the stitch. Your stitches will look like ‘V’s when looking at your work from the top down.
STEP 4 to 8
More of the same my friend!
🌈Changing colour
When you reach row 4 you'll do your first colour change. We change colours at the end of the row. All you'll do is yarn over with the new colour and complete the stitch with the new yarn. Then tie your ends together to secure them. We will be weaving the ends into the seams at the end.
When you reach the end of step 10, fasten off and repeat for the second side. If your tension is good then both pieces should be the same size 😊
GUSSET & STRAPS
Awesome work! You've done a lot of the heavy lifting. Next, we're going to make the gusset of the bag. This piece is straightforward, we're just going to work in double crochet.
Ditto for the straps but you'll do these in the opposite colour.
SEWING TOGETHER
Time to put all our pieces together to make our beautiful bag.
We start by seaming the gusset and once side piece together. Then we repeat for the second side.
We'll use the front loop, back loop, slip stitch method to join our pieces. So grab your crochet hook, then follow the instructions in the video below to seam your bag together.
POM POMS
You should have a bit of raffia left so if you want to make some pom poms or tassels to decorate your bag, let's do it!
🎬 Watch how to make a pom pom
🎬 Watch how to make a tassel
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. Don't forget to share your masterpiece with us on Instagram and TikTok @cardigang_knits 💥❤️
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.