Areti Clutch Bag

1
Skill Level:
Beginner
Measurements:
L x W x H = 31 cm x 10 cm x 17 cm or 11.6 in x 1.8 in x 6.5 in
Material:
Yarn: Diva Cotton Makrame - 3 mm Cord

Crochet hook: 5 mm
Total Yarn needed: 440 yds.

2
Other Material:
All material below (buttons and rings) needed for the bag can be found either on Etsy or
Amazon with the exact names I’ve given them.

1) Two (2) sew-on, magnetic snaps.

2) Two (2) “D” rings – 15 mm

3) Three (3) push “O” rings – 17 mm

4) Four (4) “O” rings – 16 mm

5) Two (2) “O” rings – 10 mm

6) Chain – 8 mm thickness – 100 cm long (Of course you can use any type of chain you prefer).

7) 10 mm plastic mesh – The 10 mm is how big the holes of the canvas are (if you find mesh
with 5 mm holes, it’ll work a lot better, because it adjusts better when the holes are smaller).
It can be found in hardware stores; it’s used for gardening and such.

8) Fabric for lining.

3
Gauge: 14 sc = 10 cm or 4 in
Abbreviations & Stitches Used:
ch – chain
st – stitch
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
sc2tog – when working 2 sc together to count as 1 st.

Special Stitches Used:

Bobble stitch – The pics below are just to show how to work the bobble st.
Yarn over once, put your hook in the next st, take yarn and pull through the 1st 2 loops, leaving
the last one on your hook (you will have a total of 2 loops on your hook).

Yarn over once, put your hook in the same st for the 2nd time, take yarn and pull through the 1st
2 loops, leaving the last one on your hook (you will have a total of 3 loops on your hook).

4
Yarn over once, put your hook in the same st for the 3rd time, take yarn and pull through the 1st
2 loops, leaving the last one on your hook (you will have a total of 4 loops on your hook).

Yarn over once, put your hook in the same st for the 4th time, take yarn and pull through the 1st
2 loops, leaving the last one on your hook (you will have a total of 5 loops on your hook).

Yarn over once, put your hook in the same st for the 5th time, take yarn and pull through the 1st
2 loops, leaving the last one on your hook (you will have a total of 6 loops on your hook).

5
Yarn over once and pull carefully through all of the 6 loops to secure them, and create the
bobble.

Important Information Before You Start:

1) The pattern is written in US Crochet Terms.

2) Measurements are given in both cm and in.
3) This pattern is separated in two (2) PDFs; Part 1 – 3 are in the 1st PDF, and parts 4 – 7 are
in the 2nd PDF.
4) Each step of the purse is sectioned differently for better understanding.
5) There are over 150 pics to guide you through every step, from the beginning to the end.
6) I have made a detailed video tutorial with the assembly of the purse, the lining, the bag
handle, and how to attach the hardware; you will find the link in pg. 6 of the 1st PDF, and
time stamps from each part of the pattern that match the tutorial.
7) The purse is made with 3 mm braided cotton cord, but can also be made with 3 mm
polyester cord, 3 mm polypropylene cord, or a 3 mm cord that’s a mixture of polyester
and polypropylene.

💡 Video Tutorial for Clutch Bag: https://youtu.be/WJKH3_jpB8c

💡 Video Tutorial for Tassel: https://youtu.be/XBEgYsWIw_8

6
Part 1 – The Main Body of the Bag
Start: Ch 32
Row 1: Starting from the 2nd ch from the hook, work 1 sc in every ch across. (31)

Rows 2 – 50: Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st of the row, work 1 sc in every st across.
(31)

This is how your piece should look like once row 50 is completed.

Row 51 (wrong side): Ch 1 and turn work.

Work 1 sc in the 1st 3 st, [a bobble st in the next, 1 sc in the next 3 st] x 7.
(7 bobbles in total)
When you turn to the good side, this is how your work should look like after Row 51 is
completed.

7
Row 52 (good side): Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st of the row, work 1 sc in every st
across. (31)

💡 Tip: The rows of sc after the ones with the bobbles are a little tricky to crochet. In the pics
below, I will show you where to place your crochet hook to work correctly on the st.
Work 1 sc in the 1st 3 st.

Then we work 1 sc on top of the bobble st.

Continue by working 1 sc in the next 3 st, and be aware to not miss the one that’s right before
the bobble st.

8
This is how your work should look once Row 52 is completed.

Row 53 (wrong side): Ch 1 and turn work.

Work 1 sc in the 1st st, [a bobble st in the next, 1 sc in the next 3 st] x 7, a bobble st in the next
st, and finish row by working 1 sc in the last st. (31)
(8 bobbles in total)
When you turn to the good side, this is how your work should look like after Row 53 is
completed. The bobbles in this row, fall in between the ones that we worked in Row 51.

9
Row 54 (good side): Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st of the row, work 1 sc in every st
across. (31)

💡 Tip: Make sure that you place your 1st 2 st in the correct spots, as shown in the pic below.

This is how your work should look once Row 54 is completed.

Rows 55 – 70: Repeat Rows 51 – 54.

10
Rows 71 - 73: Repeat Rows 51 -53. After you finish Row 73, ch 1, cut a long tail and fasten off.
Make a small ball with the tail that you left, so it doesn’t bother you as we crochet around the
bag.

This is how your bag should be like once you have completed crocheting all of the rows, in the
2nd pic, I’ve also folded it to show it looks that way as well.

11
Part 2 – Crocheting the Side Pieces (x2)
Start: Ch 13

Row 1: Starting from the 2nd ch from the hook, work 1 sc in every ch across. (12)

Rows 2 – 21: Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st of the row, work 1 sc in every st across.
After Row 21 is completed, ch 1, cut the yarn and fasten off. Weave in the ends. (12)

12
Part 3 – Lining

💡 All photos for the lining process are from another bag I’ve made, this is why the lid of the
bag will look different, but the process is exactly the same.
Firstly, we’re going to crochet the plastic mesh on the bag. This will help stiffen the bag, it’ll
stay straight and strong, and not be flimsy as you’re holding it.
I buy my plastic mesh from hardware stores, so I buy them by the yard and cut as much as I
need for each project.
Take the bag, lay it down, and make sure it’s stretched out correctly. Place the canvas on it, and
cut out as much as it’s needed to fit the whole bag all around. Place st markers around the bag
to hold the canvas on spot as shown in the pics below.

13
Flip the bag on its good side, in order to start crocheting around it, as shown in the pic below.

Now, we’re going to work on the side st, which are basically the 1st of every row.
Take the bag, and start somewhere in center, it doesn’t matter where exactly, as long as you
have the final st count of every side correct. Make sure, that the hook goes in the st, and under
the line of the canvas as well, in order to hold the 2 pieces together.

14
Join the yarn, by taking it through the 2 pieces, ch 1, and work 1 sc in the very same st as shown
in the pics below.

Put your hook in the next st, and under the canvas as well, and work a sc as shown in the pics
below.

15
Keep working 1 sc in the 1st st of every row going downwards, while at the same time you’re
crocheting the canvas along as well. Before the corner, I have 34 sc (your st count might be
different if you started at a different spot, don’t worry, in the end I will provide the final st
count all around).

In the corner st, work 3 sc in order to give a nice curve, always crocheting the plastic canvas
along. In the 2nd out of 3 st of the corner, put a st marker, we’ll need it later when we attach the
side pieces.

16
Turn your work clockwise, in order to crochet in the st across.

On this side, we’re crocheting in the leftover loops of the ch that we worked in the beginning.
Work 1 sc in each st across, while at the same time we’re attaching the canvas. In the end of
this side, you should have 29 sc.

In the corner st, again, we’re going to work 3 sc to give a nice curve. In the 2 nd out of 3 st of the
corner, put a st marker, we’ll need it later when we attach the side pieces.

17
Turn your work clockwise, in order to start crocheting going upwards.

On this side, we’re working in the 1st st of every row again, for a total of 73 st.

In the corner st, work 3 sc in order to give a nice curve.

18
Turn your work clockwise, in order to crochet in the st across.

Work 1 sc in every st across for a total of 29 st. Because we’re crocheting in the last row that we
worked for the bag, be careful how you crochet on the bobbles and the sc.

In the corner st, work 3 sc in order to give a nice curve.

19
Turn your work clockwise, in order to crochet in the leftover st of the side that we started
crocheting this round.

Work 1 sc in every st across, for a total of 39 st. Sl st in the 1st st of the round, ch 1, cut the yarn
and fasten of. Weave in all of your ends.

20
This is how the good side of your work should look like once you’ve completed crocheting all
around.

This is the wrong side.

21
And this is a close up of how it should look in the wrong side.

Once the plastic canvas is attached, we’re going to use that long tail that we left in the
beginning, to secure it, just in case it doesn’t stick outwards while we try to open the bag.
We’re going to sew the yarn diagonally, from the bottom right corner, going to the left, until
the center of the bag, and then start stitching again to reach to top right corner. Weave in your
ends.

22
Now, we’re going to sew the fabric lining. I used cotton lining; the type used for bed sheets (if
this makes sense).
💡 Video Time Stamp: From 00:15 to 14:10
1) Cut the lining leaving an extra ¾ of an inch (or 2 cm) all around the bag.

2) Fold the ends inwards, and pin them right in the last round of sc that we worked, make
sure you’re not covering the holes of the sc though, because we will need to crochet
around one last time in the end.

23
 This is how it should look in the end, once the fabric is pinned all around.

3) Start sewing all around, using the invisible seam stitch. If you have never worked it
before, check the YouTube video below, it’s really helpful (this isn’t a video of mine).
💡 YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/K27hokg1gpk

In order to get a perfect lining, after every few stitches, make sure to slowly tighten the
thread, it really helps bring the stitches together.
This is how the bag should look like once it’s lined.

24
Part 4 – Assembly

💡 Video Time Stamp: From 15:45 – 54:07

Every step of the assembly is shown thoroughly in the video tutorial as well.
Place down your bag, so you’re looking at the good side and make sure that on the right side
you have the sc and on the left side you have the bobbles. Right next to it, place one of the side
pieces as shown in the pic below, making sure that on the right side you have the last row of sc
that we worked and on the left side you have the leftover loops of the ch that we worked in the
beginning.

If you recall, while we were crocheting around to attach the canvas, I mentioned to place st
markers in the center st of the corners. This is where we’re going to attach the yarn, and in the
corner of the side piece as well, in order to start crocheting.

25
Attach the yarn by placing the hook in both the bag and the side piece, take the yarn pull it
through, and ch 1.

In the same stitch as we attached the yarn, work 1 sc, always crocheting both pieces together.
Keep working 1 sc in every st going downwards for a total of 20 st.

💡 Tip: Make sure that every time you complete 1 sc, pull the st to tighten it up. It’s going to be
a little painful on your index finger, but the result will be phenomenal!

26
In the next st, the 21st, work 2 sc to give a nice curve in order to continue crocheting to create
the base of the bag. Make sure to place the crochet hook where I show in the 1st pic.

Turn your work counter clockwise, and starting from the next st of the bag, and the corner st
from the side piece (which basically is the 1st ch), work 1 sc in every st across for a total of 11 sc,
in the next st, the 12th one, work 2 sc to give a nice curve, and to help start crocheting going
upwards. We have now created the base of the bag.

27
Turn your work counter clockwise, and starting from the next st of the bag and the 1 st row of
the side piece, work 1 sc in every st going upwards for a total of 20 st. We have now attached
the 1st side piece on the bag.

💡 To continue crocheting, in order to have the same thickness around the lid, as on the side
pieces, take a long piece of the cord we’re using, and for the next stitches, until we reach the
spot where we will attach the 2nd side piece, carry it along while crocheting (I also show this
step thoroughly in the video tutorial).

28
Continue crocheting going upwards, 1 sc in every st, for an extra 22 st, giving as a total of 42 sc
going upwards.

In the corner st, work 2 sc to give a nice curve.

Turn work clockwise, and continue working 1 sc in every st across the lid (still carrying the piece
of cord along), for a total of 32 st.
In the corner st, again, work 2 sc to give a nice curve.

29
Turn work clockwise, and continue working 1 sc in every st going downwards (still carrying the
piece of cord along), for a total of 21 st. From here on, we no longer need the piece we were
carrying along, cut it, and leave a small tail to weave it in the end.

Starting from the next st, the 22nd one, we will attach the 2nd side piece. The process is exactly
the same as when we did the 1st piece, therefore I haven’t included pictures, but in the tutorial,
I show every step.

30
In order to do so, work 1 sc in the next 20 st going downwards (which gives as 41 st in total on
this side), while crocheting both pieces together now (the difference between here and the
other side where we had 42 st, is where the top corners of the lid are worked in order to give
the correct curve). In the next st, the 21st, work 2 sc to give a nice curve in order to continue
crocheting to create the base of the bag.
Turn your work counter clockwise, and starting from the next st of the bag, and the corner st
from the side piece (which basically is the 1st ch), work 1 sc in every st across for a total of 11 sc,
in the next st, the 12th one, work 2 sc to give a nice curve, and to help start crocheting going
upwards. We have now created the base of the bag.
Turn your work counter clockwise, and starting from the next st of the bag and the 1 st row of
the side piece, work 1 sc in every st going upwards for a total of 21 st. We have now attached
the 2nd side piece on the bag.

31
This is how our bag should look like at this point. Weave in all of your ends.

32
Part 5: Attaching the Hardware

💡 Video Time Stamp: From 1:26:43 – 1:33:10

Firstly, we will sew the magnetic snaps. Align the males on the top corners of the lid and sew
them. Then, place the female pieces on the male (like if you were closing it), close the lid and
see where the snaps align to. Mark those spots, remove the female snaps from the male, place
them on the spot that you marked and sew them.

Next, we will attach the links on the sides.

Take the 16mm links, we will use 2 on each side, where the arrows are pointing.
💡 This step is also shown in the video tutorial.

33
Take the links and open them with pliers, but make sure to NOT open them going outwards,
because you will destroy the links. The link should look as in the pics below.

Place the opened link in the 1st spot that I marked with the arrows above, and close it in the
same manner that you opened it up, this way the link will not lose its shape.

Repeat the same steps by attaching the 2nd link, in the 2nd spot that I have marked with arrows
above.

34
This is how it should look like when we have both links attached.

Then, take the “push O ring”, and close both links together.

Repeat the same step on the other side of the bag to attach the other links as well.

35
Lastly, take the chain, and on each end attach the 10mm links. Make sure to open them as we
did with the ones we attached above.
You can either attach each side of the chain on each side’s push “O” ring, to wear the purse as a
shoulder bag, with the chain being at its full length, or, you can take the take the chain through
the one side’s push “O” ring, and attach both ends on the other sides, and you wear it as a wrist
bag, with the chain being half of its length, as in the pic below. Of course you can do this step
on the very end, once we have attached the bag handle and everything, so the chain doesn’t
come in your way.

36
Part 6: The Bag Handle

💡 Video Time Stamp: From 55:10 – 1:26:38

The whole bag handle is shown thoroughly in the video tutorial.
Row 1: Take the D ring, hold the straight side on top, put hook under it, take the yarn and ch 1.

Put the hook under the ring again, and work your 1st sc, making sure that you carry along the
starting tail, in order to secure it.

Continue by working 3 more sc, for a total of 4 st. (4)

37
Rows 2 + 3: Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st, work 1 sc in every st across. (4)

Row 4: Ch 1 and turn work. Work 2 sc in the 1st st, 1 sc in the next 2 st, and finish row by
working 2 sc in the last st. (6)

Round 5: Ch 1 and turn work. Fold the piece in half, put your hook in the 1st sc and the last one,
and work a sl st to join.

38
From here on, we’re basically crocheting in the wrong side of the stitches, and if you can see,
each sc has a left loop and a right loop (like 2 legs), they look something like this “Λ”. We’re
always going to be placing our hook in the right loop of the st, and the hook will go in the loop
from the right to the left, as shown in the pics blow.
Also, it’s very important to mention, that we’re crocheting in clockwise direction, rather than
counter clockwise that we would normally crochet when working in the round.
For the 1st st sc, place your hook in the right loop and work a sc.

Continue by placing the hook in the right loop of the 2nd st, and work a sc.

39
Continue by placing the hook in the right loop of the 3rd st, and work a sc.

Continue by placing the hook in the right loop of the 4th st, and work a sc.

Continue by placing the hook in the right loop of the 5th st, and work a sc.

40
Finish round by placing the hook in the right loop of the 6 th st, and work a sc.

Round 6 until the end: We’re not going to work any sl st to join, and for the beginning of this
round only (because it was basically the 1st round for the handle) we have a gap that’s quite big,
from the last sc to the 1st one that we have to crochet now. But, once we crochet the 1st st, that
gap will close up.

41
Place your hook in the loop of the 1st st, and work your 1st sc.

Continue by crocheting in the right loop of every sc for the next 5 st, for a total of 6 sc. Keep
repeating this step all around until the length of your handle is 23 cm or approx. 9 in.
It would be better if you watch the video because I show the next rounds of the handle with
much more detail.
After a few rounds are completed, this is how it should look like.

42
Once we have completed working the total length needed, this is how it should look like.
The total length at this point is 23 cm or approx. 9 in.

In order to finish the handle, we will work a few rows, as we had in the beginning before we
joined to work in the rounds.

3rd before last row: Ch 1 and turn work (pics 1+2), and starting from the 1st st (pic 3), work 1 sc
all around (pic 4) for a total of 6 st, do not sl st.

2nd before last row: Ch 1 and turn work. Sk the 1st st, and work a sc in the 2nd one (pics 1+2).
Continue by working 1 sc in the next 2 st (pic 3).

43
Finish the row by working a sc2tog. In order to do so, place your hook in the next st, take the
yarn, pull through the st and hold the loop on your hook, you should have 2 loops on your hook
(pic 1). Put your hook in the last st, take the yarn pull through the st and hold the loop on your
hook, you should have 3 loops on your hook (pic 2). Take yarn and pull through all 3 loops to
close them up (pic 3). You now have a total of 4 sc in this row.

Last row: Ch 1 and turn work. Starting from the 1st st, work 1 sc in every st across. (4)

44
Ch 1, cut the yarn leaving a long tail, and fasten off.

Now, we’re going to sew the other D-ring on the handle. Place down the handle, with the end
tail being on the top left (this means we’re seeing the good side of the handle).

Take both pieces on your hand (handle and D-ring), take the needle and take it through the
center of the ring, and then sew it in the 1st sc going from the front to the back. Pull the yarn to
tighten up.

45
Repeat that step one more time going in the 1st sc again, because we want to mimic the look of
the sc that we did in the beginning of the handle, when we started crocheting on the D-ring.

Repeat the above 2 steps for each of the 3 remaining st. You’ll have a total of 8 loops around
the D-ring.

Once you finish, turn the handle on the other side, so you’re seeing the wrong side, and weave
in the end by taking the yarn through all of the loops. Because we were tightening the loops
every time, it’s going to be hard to go through all at once, so it’s easier if you go through one or
two loops at a time. In the video tutorial I show more instructions on how to weave in the ends.

46
💡 Video Time Stamp: From 1:33:25 – 1:38:54
The handle is now completed, and we’re ready to sew it on the lid of our bag.
All these steps are shown thoroughly in the video tutorial, as it’s difficult to show the exact
steps through pictures.

In order to do so, open the lid and find the first rows of the bobble st that we had worked.
Count the rows of the bobbles only, we’re going to attach the handle in the 3rd one, between
the 1st two bobbles, as shown below,

47
and between the last 2 bobbles, as shown below.

Sew each side around the sc I’ve pointed at, just that one st, for a total of 5 times, it gives a nice
end result. Weave in the ends.

Our bag is finally completed!! 🥳🥳

This is how it should look once we have completed sewing the handle.

48
Part 7: Tassel

💡 Video tutorial for the tassel: https://youtu.be/XBEgYsWIw_8

Adding a tassel on our bag, will make it more chic, more elegant.
I use my hairpin lace frame, and it makes tassel-making so much easier!
When we finish creating the tassel, attach your last push “O” ring on its top, so you can add and
remove it any time you like!

Τhank you for purchasing my pattern!

49