I have a cutie pie nephew, Grayson. He’s two and the absolute cutest. I made this Little Kid (toddler-6 or 7 years old) sized backpack with him in mind!
He is the little guy in his tribe, the youngest of four kids, and always winds up with hand-me-downs so I wanted to make something super special just for him! A mini-me sized backpack for toys and books seemed to be perfect.
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This backpack, with the top untied, measures 11.5 in by 13 in and could easily fit several books and a few small toys.
The design is simple and versatile, just change up the colors (or don’t!) for a more girly look. This backpack would also be super cute if you added appliques – a dinosaur or superhero would be just Grayson’s style! My design is simple – add to it and make each backpack super unique!
I’d also like to note that I used Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton for this bag and recommend you do too (ESPECIALLY because it’s on sale right now!). It is super SUPER strong and durable while being bright with a sheen from the mercerized treatment of the cotton. I crocheted this bag holding a double strand (two strands at once) to really be sure it would hold up to the wild adventures Grayson is sure to go on. It also makes for a bit tighter stitch, so that his smallest toys won’t fall through the cracks.
Being that this bag is cotton and mega-beautiful, you can toss it in the wash without worry! To preserve color and shape I do recommend hand washing or on a delicate cycle with cold water in the machine, lay flat to dry (I just had to note the washing instructions because, let’s face it, we are making a toddler size bag here folks!)
OH! And one more thing – look out for a “Big Kid” backpack coming up next week!
This Back to School Series is shaping up nicely, if I do say so myself!
PATTERN
Materials:
-Lion brand 24/7 Cotton in White, Aqua, Tangerine, and Grass (2 skeins each)
-Size K 6.5mm crochet hook
-Tapestry needle
-6 ft. of paracord/parachute cord (I found 16ft. packs of these in the jewelry-making section of my craft store-hang onto the rest for the Big Kid Backpack coming up next week!)
***Note: The entire bag will be made holding a double strand. Crochet holding 2 strands of the same color together, and working with them as if they were one chunkier strand.
Bag Base:
With Grass, Ch 19
Round 1: 3 Sc in 2nd Ch from hook, Sc in next 15, 3 Sc in last Ch, turn to work in the other side of your foundation Ch, Sc across, sl st to first Sc in the round to join, Ch 1
Round 2: 2 Sc in each of first 3 sts, Sc in next 16, 2 Sc in next 4, Sc in next 16, sl st to join, Ch 1
Round 3: 2 Sc in each of first 3 sts, Sc in next 19, 2 Sc in next 3, Sc in next 19, sl st to join, Ch 1
Round 4: 2 Sc in each of first 5 sts, Sc in next 19, 2 Sc in next 5, Sc in next 19, sl st to join, Ch 1
Round 5: *Sc in first st, 2 Sc in next, Sc in next, repeat from * two more times, Sc in next 19, **2 Sc, Sc in next 2, repeat from ** around two more times, Sc in next 19, sl st to join, Ch 1
Round 6: Sc in each st around, sl st to join – don’t finish off, continue with body of bag
Body of Bag:
***Note: When joining each round, join to the first stitch in the round, Ch 1, then work the first st of the next round in the same stitch as your starting Ch
-continuing-
Round 7: (Sc in back loops only for this entire round) *Sc, 2 Sc, repeat from * around until you have 19 sts left open, Sc in these last 19 sts (this is the back side of your bag), sl st to join, Ch 1
Rounds 8-42: Sc in each st around, sl st to join, Ch 1
Color changes are as follows:
Round 15: Color change to Aqua
Round 19: Color change to White
Round 22: Color change to Tangerine
Round 30: Color change to White
Round 33: Color change to Grass
Round 37: Color change to Aqua
Round 41: Color change to White
Round 43: Sc in first 3 sts, *Ch 2, skip 2, Sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * 9 more times, **Ch 2, skip 2, Sc in next 5 sts, repeat from ** once more, Ch 2, skip 2, Sc in last 2 sts, sl st to join, Ch 1
Round 44: Dc in each st around, placing 2 Dc in each Ch space, sl st to join, finish off, weave all ends
Straps:
*Make 2
With Aqua, Ch 7 (leave a long tail on your starting slip knot for sewing later)
Row 1: Sc in 2nd Ch from hook and in each st across, Ch 1, turn
Rows 2-53: Sc in each st across, Ch 1, turn
Row 54: Sc in each st across, finish off leaving a long tail for sewing
-Sew straps onto bag using a tapestry needle. Sew one end of the strap to the base of the bag on Round 7 (where you see the edging from stitching in the back loops only)
-Sew the other end of the strap to Round 40. I sewed strap 1 between sts 6 & 11, and strap 2 between sts 60 & 65
Drawstring:
-Cut your piece of paracord down to 6 ft. long. (At this stage I VERY CAREFULLY burned the ends of the cord with a lighter to keep from fraying)
-Weave the cord in and out of your Ch 2 spaces from Round 43 of the bag. There should be a Ch space at the front center of the bag, you want both ends of the paracord to come out that slot. Pull the cord tightly to gather the top of the bag and tie in a bow
Don’t forget to PIN this project to your Pinterest boards!
Enjoy your freshly finished Little Kid Backpack! Be sure to check out my Big Kid Backpack coming up soon!
