Crochet Messenger Bag with Pixel Heart Pockets (Beginner)

This bag is made of rectangles, and that's what makes it doable for a beginner: a front panel, a back that continues into the flap, and one very long strip. The strip is clever: part of it is the side and bottom of the bag (the gusset), and the rest of it is the strap, all in one piece. Two pockets on the front have a pixel heart in yellow, worked by changing colour stitch by stitch.

Elise shows every panel on screen in her lilthings tutorial.

Video tutorial by Elise on her YouTube channel, lilthings: watch "crochet messenger bag for beginner tutorial🎀🍼crochet easy shoulder bag tutorial" on YouTube.

Written from the video. The heart chart below is checked to add up to 15 stitches on every row.

Materials

5-ply milk cotton in white and pastel yellow
3.0 mm hook
A magnetic snap, a sewing needle and thread
Stitch markers, scissors and a darning needle

Panels

All in single crochet: chain 1 and turn at the start of each row.

Front: with white, chain 47 and work 46 sc per row for 36 rows.
Back and flap: work the same 36 rows in white. Then change to yellow for the flap: 22 plain rows, then a few shaping rows where you decrease 1 sc at each end, from 46 to 44 and then 42. The decreases round the corners of the flap.

Strap and gusset strip

With white, chain 12 and work rows of 11 sc. Place markers as you go:

Marker at row	Part
150	end of the strap
186	+36 rows: left side of the bag
232	+46 rows: bottom of the bag
end (about row 269)	+36 rows: right side of the bag

The side sections match the 36 rows of the panels, and the bottom matches the 46 stitches.

Assembly

Single crochet the front panel to the gusset section of the strip, starting at the marker, with 3 sc into the corner at each marker so the bottom corners are rounded.
Do the same with the back panel on the other edge of the strip.
Sew the last row of the strip to row 1, so the strap closes into a loop over the top.
Edge the yellow flap with white: [1 sc, chain 2, skip 1] all round.
Edge the strap with a row of yellow single crochet.
Sew the magnetic snap under the flap and onto the front.

Pixel heart pockets (make 2)

With white, chain 16 and work 15 sc per row for 14 rows. Carry the yellow yarn inside the stitches as you go (tapestry crochet), and change colour as shown:

Row	Stitches
1 to 2	15 white
3	7 white, 1 yellow, 7 white
4	6 white, 3 yellow, 6 white
5	5 white, 5 yellow, 5 white
6	4 white, 7 yellow, 4 white
7	3 white, 9 yellow, 3 white
8 to 9	2 white, 11 yellow, 2 white
10	2 white, 5 yellow, 1 white, 5 yellow, 2 white
11	3 white, 3 yellow, 3 white, 3 yellow, 3 white
12	4 white, 1 yellow, 5 white, 1 yellow, 4 white
13 to 14	15 white

The heart is worked from the point up, so row 3 is the tip at the bottom. Finish each pocket with a round of sc, sew them to the front panel on three sides, and add a chain-46 bow.

Tips

Carry the yarn loosely in tapestry crochet, or the pocket puckers.
Change colour on the last pull-through of the stitch before the new colour starts.
Count the strip rows carefully: if the side sections don't match the panels, the bag won't close neatly.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really beginner-friendly?

The stitches are simple, but it's a big project with a lot of counting and some tapestry crochet, so we've rated it intermediate.

Can I skip the heart pockets?

Yes. The bag works without them, or you can sew on plain pockets in yellow.

My strap is stretching. What can I do?

Single crochet straps stretch with weight. Sew a cotton ribbon or webbing along the inside of the strap.