The Kiki Handbag is a quick and fun project. The result is beautiful but it is worked up with only single crochets and slip stitches. Easy peasy!

Materials

– 200 meters of any number 2 yarn of your choice. The yarn I used isn’t available anymore but this one is kind of the same https://www.iceyarns.com/fnt2-68403

– 2 mm. and a 3.5 mm. crochet hook

– 1 stitch marker

– 2 zippers of 20 cm. or 8”.

– a strap of 1 meter or about 3 feet. You can also crochet a strap, but then you need a little bit more yarn

– optional: a button, magnetic closure or a push button to close the bag

– a pair of scissors

– a tapestry needle

Terms used/abbreviations

ch        chain

sl st     slip stitch

sc        single crochet

blo       back loop only

flo        front loop only

Notes

  • This pattern is written in US terms.
  • The bag is crocheted from top to bottom, starting at the zipper.
  • You don’t finish your rounds, you just keep going in a spiral.

Pattern


Zippers

    

Start with the 2 mm. crochet hook. Poke a hole with the hook in the beginning of the zipper.

Make a sl st and grab this with your hook and pull through the hole in the zipper. Poke a new hole a little bit to the left (or to the right when you are lefthanded) grab the yarn and make a sl st and so on. Space the stitches evenly along the zipper. Make sure the stitches are loose and your zipper lays flat.

When you’ve made sl st along the side turn the zipper around, cross over to the other side, poke a hole and make a sl st.

Then work sl st along the other side of the zipper. When you are at the end of the zipper then cross over to the other side, insert in the first stitch and make a sl st to close the round.

Cut your yarn and bind off. Repeat the steps on the other zipper. Leave the yarn attached on this one.

Start bag

Round 1: Ch 1, sc in the blo of every sl st around the zipper. Don’t close the round but insert straight in the first stitch under both loops.

Round 2: sc in the first stitch, mark this stitch with a stitch marker. Sc in every stitch around.

Repeat round 2 until the work measures 1” or 2,5 cm.

Attach second zipper

Place the second zipper mid front of your work. Count the same amount of stitches on both sides of the zipper.

Make sc until you reach the point where you want to attach the second zipper. Then pick up the front loop of the next stitch and the front loop of the first stitch on the zipper and make a sl st. Make sl st in the front loops of the bag and the front loops of the zipper until the other side of the zipper.
Sc in every stitch around the bag until the stitch marker.

Sc in the stitch with the stitch marker and put it in the new stitch. Sc until you reach the side of the zipper. Sl st in the front loop of the side stitch of the zipper and turn your work.

Sc until the stitch marker. Sc in the stitch with the stitch marker and replace it in the new stitch. Along the back of the bag use the flo (option: mark first flo stitch with a stitch marker), when you reach the other end make normal sc until you are at the other side of the zipper. Sl st in the front loop of the side stitch of the zipper and turn your work.

Work sc in every stitch until you are at the other side of the zipper again. Make sc in the blo in every stitch on the bottom half of the zipper. When you worked all stitches then make sc in every stitch around the bag.

From now on you just make sc in every stitch around until the bag has the length you like. Mine is 12 cm. or about 5”. Bind off and leave a long enough tail to close the bottom later on.

Lining pocket

Turn your bag inside out. We now make the lining of the front pocket. You can make it with fabric and sew it on the zipper on the inside or you can crochet a pocket. I explain you how. Attach the yarn in a stitch on the lowest zipper. You see the stitches in the picture below.

Sc in every loop around. Don’t close the round but keep making sc in spirals until the pocket is the size you need. Close the bottom with sl st or sc. Cut the yarn and bind off. Turn the bag right side out again.

Flap

The next step is to make the flap. Turn the bag so the back of the bag is facing you. Find the row where you worked the flo. When you put in a stitch marker earlier then it is easy to find. Attach you yarn in the first loop (the back loop of the stitches).

Make sc in every loop across the back, when you are at the end of the loops then ch 1 and turn your work. Sc in every stitch across. Make rows of sc until the flap covers both zippers.

When the flap covers both zippers then we start to decrease on both sides. Decrease by making a sc2tog in the first 2 stitches and the last 2 stitches. Repeat this until the flap is the length you like. Mine covers about half of the bag.

Cut your yarn, bind off and weave in the ends.

Closure

Choose the closure you want and place it according to the instructions on the packaging. I chose a magnetic closure, therefore you need to line the flap with fabric to hide the back of the closure. You can attach a push button or a button as well, then a lining isn’t necessary. When you choose a button then you need to make a loop of chains at the bottom of the flap to close.

Close bottom

You can sew the bottom of the bag closed with a tapestry needle and the tail end. Bind off and weave in the end.

Attach strap

The last step is attaching the strap. You can sew the strap straight on the top corners of the bag or you can attach some steel eyelets and sew the strap to them. See picture below.

Make sure your strap isn’t twisted.

Finish off and weave in your ends.

And we’re done. Enjoy making this fun bag and have fun using it!