Last summer I was obsessed with colourful crochet bags and hair scrunchies, and made a bunch of both. My Caramella bag was the one I wore most (and is, after a few months of almost daily use, in a pitiful state).
After finishing the bag, I immediately started working on variations. I was mostly looking to achieve a better shape and a denser fabric. The first test was Granita bag. The fabric was better (but the single crochet stitches were annoying to make), but I didn’t like the shape much.
So I then started making Grand Caramella last August. I changed the proportions, and also used linked double crochet. For some reason, I couldn’t keep the correct stitch count, so I think I’ve unravelled the work 3 or 4 times. According to my own Instagram account, I’ve finished crocheting it on the 10th of November… And then it took me 6 months to get myself to line it. I can’t believe it’s been so long – but at least it’s ready for the summer!
Below you will find all the basic information and some relevant links to make your own version (if you make one, please tag #grandcaramellabag – you can also look at the my progress with this tag).
Materials:
- Lang Yarns Quattro Color (100% cotton, 120m/50g) – 2 skeins (85 gr in total). Mine was colour 815.0051. If you want substitute, I recommend using variegated yarns with shorter colour changes.
- Hook 3,5 mm/E
- Zipper, two eco leather side strap buckles, and 50 or 60cm / 20 or 23.5 in clasp-on strap.
- Cotton fabric for lining (cca 30 x 40 cm cutting, more if you are planning to make inside pockets). Optionally, a zipper for internal pocket and plastic canvass to reinforce the bottom shape
- Scissors, darning needle, sewing supplies.
Finished dimensions:
- Base – 10×18 cm / 4×7 in
- Width at the top – 27 cm / 10 1/2 in
- Height – 14 cm / 5 1/2 in.
- Gauge: 21 st and 13 rows = 10x10cm (4×4 in)
Abbreviations (US terminology)
- Ch – chain
- ldc – linked double crochet
- lsc – linked single crochet here’s a short video on how to make this stitch:
Method:
Base of the bag
I strongly recommend using one of the chainless methods for the first stitch of every row to create even edges – I used stacked double crochet, but you can choose another favourite.
Chain 39. Work a stacked double crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook, and then 37 ldc. Complete 12 more rows of ldc, for a total of 13 rows. Here’s a video to help you with these two stitches. Please, ignore the counts, as that version was too big and got frogged…
Break off yarn (I actually do not break it off, but sting along and then crochet over it)
Join yarn in the middle of the short side. Work around the base in lsc: 12 stitches in the 7 rows on the shorter side, 38 sts across the long side, 22 sts across the second short side, 38 on the long side and 10 more stitches across the other half of the first short side (120 sts in total). Join in the round. Place markers in the first and last stitches of longer sides to help you ensure the stitch count is correct throughout.
Work the first round of ldc. Join in the round and turn – please watch this video for guidance. Note! As the first stitch of the round is now over the first stitch of the previous round, you will now make 11 stitches for the short side, 38 for the long, 22 for the short, 38 for the long, and 11 stitches on the first short side. The stitch count will alernate between 12/10 and 11/11 as you turn your work each time
Work 18 more rounds of ldc, joining and turning your work at the end of each round.
Finish off with 1 round of lsc.
Sew your lining. Here you can see my photo tutorial on lining my bags. If you prefer videos to guide you through a process, I can recommend the following ones.
To add shaping to the bottom of the bag, I have cut out a rectangle from a plastic canvass, and just put in between the bag and the lining.
For classical strap buckle positioning (vertically on both sides of the bag), first sew on the buckles then the lining. If you would like to position them like I did (one vertically, and another one horizontally) first sew in the lining, and then add the buckles. The unusual buckle position helps shaping the bag while it’s on your shoulder.
All videos in one playlist can be found here.
