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Alright, let’s be real, spooky season started for the crafters in July. We love it! Me, perhaps not that early but I had to get in on the Halloween designing this year. I wanted to design a bag that was chic and modern enough for daily use all spooky season but that also could hold up to the best Trick-or-Treating the neighborhood could throw at ya…I mean your kids! 😉 Either way, the doc’s got you covered!

Full Bars GIFfrom Excited GIFs

This ghost face crochet bag pattern works up quickly, has a modern knot handle design, and has a neat surprise: IT GLOWS IN THE DARK! I know, I know! 😱💡✨ Lion Brand makes DIY Glow yarn that glows in the dark yarn and I had to get my hands on it and create something cool. Pair that with a black skein of the Lion Brand 24/7 mercerized cotton yarn, and you’ve got a pretty cool “floating” effect in complete darkness. When you make yours tag me @drcharlieuntangled and use the hashtag #halloweenBOObag

Materials and Pattern Information

MATERIALS

Featured yarn:

Lion Brand DIY Glow - Natural yarn (71 yd/65 m/50 g)

3 balls

Lion Brand 24/7 cotton yarn (186 yd/170 m/100 g)

1 ball

Hook: US G/6 (4 mm)
Stitch markers (at least 4 clip markers)
Tapestry needle
Scissors

MEASUREMENTS

Gauge: 16 sts x 12 rows in 4”
Finished bag:

~9” H x 13” W (laying flat)
Bottom: ~8.5” circle diameter

Long handle: ~7” sewn, laying flat
Short handle: 3.5” sewn, laying flat

TECHNIQUES TO KNOW (beginner)

Crochet chain
Half double crochet
Single crochet
Slip stitch
Crochet in the round
Increase (Work 2 stitches into 1 stitch)
Decrease (work 2 stitches together)
Basic sewing using whip stitch (or similar)

ABBREVIATIONS

beg - beginning
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
hdc 2tog - half double crochet 2 stitches together
st(s) - stitch(es)
inc - increase

Tips from the doctor

This pattern is designed as a round bottom knot bag. The round bottom is made first, then the body of the bag, then the straps are attached to specific spots on the bag and seamed to the other ends. Crochet 2 ovals for eyes that are then whip stitched to your preferred spots on the front, and then you have a BOO bag! Feed the long strap into the short one and hold the long strap on your wrist to wear.
The phosphor in the glow in the dark yarn works best when it is “charged.” Check out this article to learn a few different ways you can charge it.

Pattern

Bottom

With the black 24/7 cotton yarn and the US G/4 mm hook, create a magic circle
Round 1: Make 6 sc in the circle. Tighten the center of the circle (6 sts)
Round 2: Increase (2 sc in each st) in the 6 sts around (12 sts)
Round 3: (inc, 1 sc) x6 (18 sts)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
Round 5: 1 sc, (inc, 3 sc) x5, inc, 2 sc (30 sts)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
Round 7: 2 sc, (inc, 5 sc) x5, inc, 3 sc (42 sts)
Round 8: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
Round 9: 3 sc, (inc, 7 sc) x5, inc, 4 sc (54 sts)
Round 10: (8 sc, inc) x6 (60 sts)
Round 11: 4 sc, (inc, 9 sc) x5, inc, 5 sc (66 sts)
Round 12: (10 sc, inc) x6 (72 sts)
Round 13: 5 sc, (inc, 11 sc) x5, inc, 6 sc (78 sts)
Round 14: (12 sc, inc) x6 (84 sts)
Round 15: 6 sc, (inc, 13 sc) x5, inc, 7 sc (90 sts)
Round 16: (14 sc, inc) x6 (96 sts)
Round 17: 7 sc, (inc 15 sc) x5, inc, 8 sc (102 sts)
Round 18: (16 sc, inc) x6 (108 sts)
Round 19: 8 sc, (inc, 17 sc) x5, inc, 9 sc (114 sts)
Round 20: (18 sc, inc) x6 (120 sts)

Bag body

Switch to the glow in the dark yarn
Round 1-2: Work even rounds in hdc
Round 3: Decrease around by doing the following: (18 hdc, hdc 2tog) x6 (114 sts)
Hdc around until body of the bag measures 9” high (~25 rounds). If you prefer, mark the first stitch of the round but you do not need to sl st and chain up

On the last round, stop 3 sts before beg of the round, work 1 sc, 2 sl sts. Fasten off, weave in ends

Straps

Now we’ll need to map out where the straps go. Identify what side of the bag you’d like to be the front. When the bag is “knotted” the eyes will end up roughly centered underneath the black long strap. Confirm 114 sts around, then separate out 46 sts on each long side and 11 sts on each short side. (see schematic, not to scale)

Count 6 sts from the side, mark the 7th sts as the beginning of the black strap. On each long side the straps will be 18 sts wide with 10 sts in between. You will begin crocheting one end of a strap on one long side then attach on the corresponding end of the other long side

Start with the long black strap for strap 1. Attach black yarn to the 7th st you marked and hdc 18 sts across. Ch 1 and turn
Work 45 total rows. Do not cut yarn
Count around and mark the corresponding 18 sts on the other end of the body of the bag. Turn the strap inside out and meet the other 18 sts, right sides together. Sl st the strap to the corresponding sts (to hide the seam on the inside)
Count and mark the 18 sts for the short white strap 2. Attach the glow in the dark yarn and work in hdc 18 sts across. Ch 1 and turn
Work 21 total rows. Do not cut yarn
Count around and mark the corresponding 18 sts on the other end of the body of the bag. Turn the strap inside out and meet the other 18 sts, right sides together. Sl st the strap to the corresponding sts (to hide the seam on the inside)

Eyes

Eyes are made by creating ovals, worked around both sides of a chain.

With US G/4mm and black yarn, ch 6.
Round 1: Hdc into the back bump of 2nd chain from hook and into the next 3 sts. In the last st, work 6 hdc, turning around to the other side of the chain. Into the other side of the chain, work 3 hdc. Work 5 hdc into the last ch. Sl st to 1st st. Ch up 1 (18 sts)
Round 2: 2 hdc into 1st st. Work 3 hdc across, then increase by working 2 hdc into each of the next 6 sts. Work 3 hdc across, the increase by working 2 hdc into each of the next 5 sts. Sl st to 1st st. Ch up 1 (30 sts)
Round 3: 2 hdc into 1st st. Work 4 hdc across. Increase by working (2 hdc in st, 1 hdc in next) x6. Work 3 hdc across, then increase by working (2 hdc in st, 1 hdc in next) x5. Sl st to 1st st and tighten (42 sts)
Fasten off and cut yarn with a long enough tail to sew to the bag.
Make a 2nd eye
“Knot” the bag by passing the long strap into the short one and map out where you’d like to place the two eyes. Sew them down to the front of the bag using a whip stitch.
Weave in all ends & voilà!