Easy Tunisian Crochet Drawstring Backpack – Free Pattern!

When my son was going back to school after the pandemic closure and needed a new bag, I decided to make something for him in his favorite colors. This Tunisian crochet drawstring backpack turned out to be perfect!

He has been using it to carry his books and toys in it and it warms my heart to see how much he likes it 🙂

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase through the link.

Another great thing about this pattern is that it is written for a toddler size but is easily customizable, you can make it in any size you want! I have included a size recommendation for and adult sized bag below.

The yarn

I’ve used Bernat Maker Home Dec yarn to make this backpack. I think it is a good yarn to use for such projects since it since it stretches a bit but goes back it’s original form. My son has been using it for a few months and it hasn’t permanently stretched, it looks just the same as when I made it.

How do you make a drawstring for a backpack?

Before we look at the pattern, I’d like to quickly talk about the drawstring I used in my pattern. I had considered purchasing some rope initially but then I found out about crocheted I-Cords. I-Cords are easy to crochet and work great as drawstrings for a bag. They are a little stretchy but, since you will be making them on your own, it is possible to adjust their length while making them. The kind of yarn you pick for your I-Cord also matters a lot. I used the Bernat Maker Home Dec yarn and it has held up really well even after months of use. I don’t see any noticeable permanent stretching and it looks just like how it was when I made it.

This pattern will walk you through the process of making I-Cord drawstrings and how they can be inserted into the backpack.

PURCHASE BERNAT MAKER HOME DEC YARN

The hooks

I used my Denise Interchangeable Hook and Clover Amour Hook to make this backpack.

In Tunisian crochet, we usually use a hook that is at least 2 sizes larger than the hook recommended for the yarn. But for this yarn, I went up only one size since I wanted the stitches to be a little dense. The recommended hook size for this yarn is 8 mm and I used a 9 mm Tunisian crochet hook to work on this project.

There are a bunch of other Tunisian crochet hooks that I use. You can read a review of all the hooks I use here.

PURCHASE THE DENISE INTERCHANGEABLE HOOK SET

PURCHASE THE CLOVER AMOUR CROCHET HOOK SET

Pattern Sizing

Each panel measures 9” (23 cms) x 13” (33 cms).

This pattern is written for a toddler size backpack. If you want to make a backpack of a different size, the pattern is easily adjustable: 

• To adjust width: Add / remove stitches as needed.
• To adjust height: Add / remove rows (in multiples of 2) as needed.

Here is a size chart with the recommended size for a backpack for 2 different sizes. This chart is just a recommendation, please use your judgement to figure out what the best size for you will be.

Panel Dimensions	Size
9” (23 cms) x 13” (33 cms)	Toddler
13” (33 cms) x 17” (43 cms)	Adult

Pattern

Scroll down for the free drawstring backpack pattern. I would love to see your projects on Instagram! Tag your posts with:
@knitterknotter #knitterknotter #madewithknitterknotter

Click on the links below to purchase the ad-free printable PDF version of this pattern (includes a photo tutorial for making an I-Cord).

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What you will need (with clickable affiliate links)

1. Yarn: Bernat Maker Home Dec yarn (10 oz / 290 yards / 290 gms / 260 m). I used 2 colors:
   • Woodberry – 5 oz /  145 yards / 145 gms / 130 m (1 skein)
   • Black – 5 oz /  145 yards / 145 gms / 130 m (1 skein)
2. Hooks: 
   • For the bag:
     • 9 mm (M – 13) Tunisian crochet hook
     • 6 mm (J – 10) crochet hook
   • For the drawstring:
     • 6 mm (J – 10) crochet hook
3. A stitch holder or another hook to hold stitches while making the drawstring. I used a 2.25 mm (B – 1) crochet hook 
4. Measuring tape
5. Scissors
6. Tapestry needle to weave in tails

* Yarn requirements are just estimates. If you choose to make a different size or if your yarn, hook size, crochet style, or gauge differ, you might need more / less yarn than mentioned above.

Experience Level

Advanced Beginner – The pattern expects basic knowledge of starting and ending a Tunisian crochet project and how to make Tunisian Knit and Modified Simple Stitches.

Gauge

7 rows of 7 stitches make a 2 inch square in the following stitch pattern:

Foundation Row: Chain 7, make the foundation row stitches in the back loops of the chain.
Row 1: fs, modtss across, ls
Row 2: fs, tks across, ls.
Row 3 onwards: Repeat rows 1 and 2.

Abbreviations

1. ch – chain
2. fs – First Stitch – Skip the first vertical bar of the previous row (the one right under the one on the hook). The loop on the hook will count as the first stitch for every row. 
3. ls – Last Stitch – Pick up the two vertical bars of the last stitch of the previous row, yarn over, pull up a loop through both the vertical bars.
4. modtss – Modified Tunisian Simple Stitch – Insert hook in the front vertical bar and the horizontal bar from the reverse pass chain, yarn over, pull through two loops on the hook.
5. tks – Tunisian Knit Stitch – Insert hook in the space between the two vertical bars of the next stitch, pull up a loop on the hook. 
6. FP – Forward Pass
7. RP – Return Pass

Colors

C1: Woodberry
C2: Black

Adjustments

This crochet drawstring backpack is customizable and can be made in different sizes, as needed. See the Pattern Sizing section for details.

Resources

1. How to make a Foundation Row
2. How to make a Tunisian Knit Stitch
3. How to make a Modified Tunisian Simple Stitch
4. How to bind off and end a project
5. Tunisian Crochet Hooks
6. How to block a crochet project

Pattern Notes

1. This pattern is written in English / US terms.
2. This pattern comes with a full video tutorial that explains how to make the panels, join them, make the I-cord drawstrings, and then assemble all of them into a backpack. Scroll down for the video tutorial.
3. This project is worked flat and does NOT require a double ended hook.
4. Stitch counts are not mentioned in the pattern. Throughout the pattern, the number of stitches remains the same for every row.
5. It is easy to adjust the size of your backpack, see the Sizing section for details.
6. The instructions below are only for the forward pass. The return pass for every row is the same: 
   • ch1, (yo, pull through two loops)* until one loop remains on the hook.

Instructions

Front / Back Panel (Make Two)

* Note: I made one panel in color C1 and the other panel in color C2.

Foundation Row: Chain 32, make the foundation row stitches in the back loops of the chain. 

Row 1: fs, modtss across, ls

Row 2: fs, tks across, ls.

Rows 3 – 40: Repeat Rows 1 – 2, stop at a repeat of Row 2.

Rows 41 – 45: Repeat Row 1.

Row 46: Repeat Row 1. This will be the bind off row. There will be no return pass for this row. Do not cut yarn.

Blocking

I recommend blocking your panels before making the channels for the drawstring.

Make the channel for the drawstring (do this for each panel)

 * Note: Switch to a 6 mm crochet hook for this section. 

Step 1: Turn the panel so the wrong side is facing up.

Step 2: Identify the reverse pass chain of the knit stitch row from Row 40 (See white arrow in picture). Now, join the top of the panel with this row using slip stitches. 

Do not cut yarn, it will be used for joining the two panels.

I-Cord Drawstring (Make Two)

Notes:

1. Visit the I-Cord tutorial for instructions to make an I-Cord. You could also scroll down for the video tutorial of the backpack which includes a I-Cord tutorial.
2. I made one I-Cord in color C1 and the other I-Cord in color C2.
3. The length of each I-Cord is about 2 * length + width of the panel. This is just a recommendation. You can make your drawstrings as long as you’d like by adding or removing rows in the I-Cord.
   • I made 4-stitch I-Cords for my backpack.
   • My I-Cords measure ~35” (65 cms) in length and are made up of 174 rows.

Assembly

Step 1: Join the two panels by putting them together with the right side facing out and making a slip stitch join by picking the 2 vertical bars of the edge stitch on both panels.

Optional: Do this on both sides – that way the surface crochet chain will be visible on  both panels and will add a splash of contrasting color to them.

Step 2: Insert drawstrings into the channels as shown in the diagram below.

Step 3: Attach the loose ends of the drawstrings to the panels (see diagram below). 

• Attach the ends marked with ‘A’ to the point ‘A’ on the panels.
• Attach the ends marked with ‘B’ to the point ‘B’ on the panels. 

Video Tutorial

Right Handed Video Tutorial

Left Handed Video Tutorial

Pattern

Scroll up for the free drawstring backpack pattern. I would love to see your projects on Instagram! Tag your posts with:
@knitterknotter #knitterknotter #madewithknitterknotter

Click on the links below to purchase the ad-free printable PDF version of this pattern (includes a photo tutorial for making an I-Cord).

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I really hope you liked this pattern. I would love to see your version of this design so please share your pictures with me!
– Share them on Instagram with the tags #knitterknotter, #madewithknitterknotter, and @knitterknotter
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Copyright and Terms of Use

This pattern is for personal use only. You are welcome to make and sell handmade items using this pattern but you are required to credit the design to Arunima Goel @ KnitterKnotter by linking back to https://knitterknotter.com. Do not publish or sell this pattern, in part or in full and do not make any video tutorials of this pattern without my permission. When featuring KnitterKnotter in pattern roundups, blog articles or Facebook posts, you may use one of my photos and provide a link back to the original source.

Disclosure

This page may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission. While using these links doesn’t cost you more, it helps me continue to offer patterns for free. Thank you for your continued support!

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