The Sage Clutch

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
• Bag clasp
• A darning needle
• Made by me tag

You also want to have a pair of scissors and a tape measure handy. 

💪 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! 

You’ll make your bag in one piece from the bottom up. We’ll be crocheting in loops (we call them rounds) and then at the end, we will sew our clasp into the top of our bag using our darning needle.

BASE

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. 

STEP 2

In our first row we're working into the chain, so you're going to insert your hook into the 3rd 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 3rd chain. 

When you get to the last chain you're going to do 3 half double crochets into the one space.

🎬 Watch how to increase stitches

🫣 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

In this step, we're going to work our stitches into the other side of the chain. You'll do 3 HDC's in the last stitch. This will give you an increase at both ends of your chain. 

STEP 4

You're going to work back down the first side of your work again.

💭 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 5 - 7

Now you're going to continue working up the base of the bag. We're going to create and then build out the 4 corners of the base by working 2 HDC's and a chain stitch in each corner.

This is what the base of your bag will look like once it's completed. 

BODY

Well done! That's the base done. 

Now we're going to work up the sides of the bag. Just make sure you're keeping track of the rounds you've completed. 

The finish line is in sight! 🕺

SEWING IN THE CLASP

Time to sew in the clasp of our bag. You'll use your darning needle and some lengths of raffia for this part. 

Open your clasp up and line up the ends of your bag with the open clasp. Sew your bag around the clasp, bunching up the edges as you go.

Once you’ve attached the first side of the clasp, repeat with the second side. Using your darning needle, weave in any loose ends.