Mochila Tapestry Crochet Bag Pattern: A Colourful Tapestry Bag in 9 Steps

A mochila is the drawstring bucket bag made famous by the Wayuu crocheters of Colombia, and once you understand its secret — every stitch is plain single crochet, and all the magic is in the colour changes — you will wonder why you waited so long to make one. This mochila tapestry crochet bag pattern builds the bag in the traditional way: a flat circular base, straight tapestry sides carrying two or three yarns at once, a bold diamond band described stitch by stitch below, an eyelet round for the drawstring, and a sturdy crocheted strap. There is no chart to decode and no shaping to memorise; if you can work a single crochet and count to twelve, you can make this bag. Work it in crisp cotton and it will carry books, yarn and market shopping for years.

How Tapestry Crochet Works

In tapestry crochet you work over the yarns you are not using, trapping them inside your stitches so they travel invisibly around the bag and appear exactly where the pattern needs them. Because every colour is always present, there are no floats to snag and the fabric is firm, dense and almost woven — perfect for a bag. Two rules make it neat: always change colour by completing the last stitch of the old colour with the new colour (draw the new yarn through the final two loops), and keep the carried yarns lying along the top of the previous round, snug but never tight, so the sides do not pucker. The pattern below is read as repeats around the round: “*5 A, 2 B*” means work 5 single crochet in Colour A then 2 in Colour B, repeated all the way around. If bold colourwork is your thing, the sunburst granny square crochet pattern uses the same confident colour changes in a flat motif.

Materials, Gauge and Finished Size

Choose a DK cotton yarn — category 3 in the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight system — because cotton holds the crisp stitch definition tapestry needs and does not stretch under weight. You will need approximately 150 g (about 375 m / 410 yds) of Colour A (deep teal, the main colour), approximately 50 g (about 125 m / 137 yds) of Colour B (mustard gold) and approximately 25 g (about 62 m / 68 yds) of Colour C (cream). Use a 3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook — smaller than the ball band suggests, which is deliberate: tight stitches hide the carried yarn. You will also need a locking stitch marker, scissors, and a tapestry needle.

Gauge: 18 single crochet stitches and 20 rounds = 10 cm (4 in) in tapestry single crochet worked in the round over carried yarn.

Finished size: base diameter about 17 cm (6¾ in); height about 25 cm (10 in) to the top edge; strap about 110 cm (43 in) long.

Abbreviations (US terms): ch = chain; sc = single crochet; inc = work 2 single crochet in the same stitch; sl st = slip stitch; st(s) = stitch(es); BLO = back loop only; A / B / C = Colour A / B / C. The bag is worked in a continuous spiral — do not join rounds; mark the first stitch of each round and move the marker up as you go.

Useful Materials from Amazon

A firm DK cotton in three confident colours is the whole personality of this bag; mercerised cotton gives the sharpest colourwork and the longest-wearing finish.

A 3.5 mm hook with a smooth, rounded point slides under carried yarns without splitting them, which matters on every single stitch of the sides.

Locking stitch markers are essential in spiral work — clip one into the first stitch of the round so your counts and colour repeats never drift.

A tapestry needle with a slightly bent tip makes sewing the strap and weaving the drawstring ends fast and genuinely secure.

The Mochila Tapestry Crochet Bag Pattern, Round by Round

Work the base in Colour A only, increasing evenly to 96 stitches. The sides are then worked straight on those 96 stitches: because 96 divides by 6, 8, 12 and 24, every band in this pattern repeats exactly around the bag with no partial repeats to hide. Read each band carefully before you start it, keep your marker honest, and count your stitches at the end of every patterned round — in tapestry work, a dropped stitch shows up as a pattern that refuses to line up, and it is always easier to fix on the round where it happened.

Step 1: Start the Circular Base (Rounds 1–6)

With Colour A, make a magic ring. Round 1: work 8 single crochet into the ring, pull the tail to close (8 stitches). Round 2: work 2 single crochet in every stitch (16). Round 3: repeat *1 single crochet, increase* around (24). Round 4: repeat *2 single crochet, increase* around (32). Round 5: repeat *3 single crochet, increase* around (40). Round 6: repeat *4 single crochet, increase* around (48). Work in a spiral, moving your marker to the first stitch of each new round. The circle should lie perfectly flat; if the edge ripples, your increases are too generous (loosen nothing — instead make sure you are not accidentally increasing in the marker stitch), and if it cups, you have missed an increase somewhere in the previous round.

Step 2: Finish the Base (Rounds 7–12)

Continue increasing in the same rhythm. Round 7: repeat *5 single crochet, increase* (56). Round 8: *6 single crochet, increase* (64). Round 9: *7 single crochet, increase* (72). Round 10: *8 single crochet, increase* (80). Round 11: *9 single crochet, increase* (88). Round 12: *10 single crochet, increase* (96). Your base is complete at 96 stitches. Lay it flat and measure: at the stated gauge it should be about 17 cm (6¾ in) across. Staggering tip: because the increases stack in the same eight positions every round, the base will look very slightly octagonal rather than perfectly round — this is normal in crochet circles, disappears once the sides are worked, and is nothing to fix.

Step 3: Turn the Corner and Practise Tapestry (Rounds 13–15)

Round 13: work 1 single crochet in the back loop only of every stitch (96). This ridge folds the flat base into straight sides — from this round on, work through both loops as normal. Rounds 14 and 15: work 1 single crochet in every stitch in Colour A (96). Before the first patterned band, take this moment to set up your tapestry technique: from round 16 you will carry Colour B inside every stitch, whether you are using it or not. Lay the B strand along the top of the previous round and crochet over it, keeping it at the same gentle tension as your working yarn. When the pattern asks for B, complete the previous stitch with B, work the B stitches, then complete the last B stitch with A again. Practise the change on these plain rounds if you like — nobody will ever see a wobble inside a solid teal section.

Step 4: The Checkerboard Band (Rounds 16–21)

The first band is a simple checkerboard that teaches the colour change better than any plain stripe. Round 16: carry B, and repeat *3 single crochet in A, 3 single crochet in B* around — 16 repeats (96). Round 17: repeat *3 single crochet in B, 3 single crochet in A* around, so the blocks sit exactly over the opposite colour below. Round 18: repeat round 16. You now have a two-row checkerboard of teal and gold blocks. Rounds 19, 20 and 21: work plain in Colour A (96 stitches each), still carrying B beneath the surface so it is in place for the diamond band — you may cut C free for now, but keep B travelling. Step back and admire: if your blocks are crisp squares with no teal peeking through the gold, your carried tension is exactly right.

Step 5: Diamond Band, Lower Half (Rounds 22–25)

The diamond band is 7 rounds tall on a 12-stitch repeat, so each round below is repeated 8 times around the bag. Round 22: repeat *5 A, 2 B, 5 A*. Round 23: repeat *4 A, 4 B, 4 A*. Round 24: repeat *3 A, 6 B, 3 A*. The gold shape is widening by one stitch on each side every round, forming the lower half of eight diamonds. Round 25 is the widest round and introduces Colour C for the diamond’s heart: repeat *2 A, 3 B, 2 C, 3 B, 2 A* — join C at the first C stitch by completing the stitch before it with C, carry all three yarns through this round, and cut C at the end of it. Count the middle of the round: each repeat must total 12 stitches, and the 2 cream stitches should sit dead centre of each gold diamond.

Step 6: Diamond Band, Upper Half, and Plain Rounds (Rounds 26–33)

Now mirror the band back down. Round 26: repeat *3 A, 6 B, 3 A*. Round 27: repeat *4 A, 4 B, 4 A*. Round 28: repeat *5 A, 2 B, 5 A*. Your eight gold diamonds are complete, each with its cream heart, evenly spaced around the bag. Rounds 29 to 33: work 5 plain rounds in Colour A (96 stitches each). You may fasten off B at the end of round 28 and weave its tail inside the stitches of round 29 — or simply keep carrying it; the top band uses B too, and carrying it through the plain rounds is the traditional, float-free choice. Measure your bag’s height here: with the top band and edge still to come, the sides should stand about 20 cm (8 in) tall.

Step 7: Dotted Band, Eyelet Round and Top Edge (Rounds 34–40)

Round 34: with B as the working colour, repeat *3 single crochet in B, 1 single crochet in A* around — 24 repeats — giving a gold band speckled with teal dots. Rounds 35 and 36: repeat round 34 exactly, keeping the dots in line. Round 37 is the eyelet round, worked in A only: repeat *2 single crochet, chain 1, skip 1 stitch* around — 32 repeats, giving 64 single crochet and 32 chain-1 spaces for the drawstring. Round 38: work 1 single crochet in every single crochet and 1 single crochet in every chain-1 space (96). Rounds 39 and 40: work plain in A. Fasten off and weave in the end. The bag body is finished: about 25 cm (10 in) tall, with a firm woven texture that stands up on its own.

Step 8: Crochet and Attach the Strap

A mochila strap is a flat band worked in rows of tapestry crochet. With Colour A, chain 10. Row 1: single crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook and in each chain across (9 stitches), carrying B from the very first row. Turn with a chain 1 at the end of every row. Work the strap in a simple stripe rhythm: 4 rows in A, then repeat *2 rows in B, 4 rows in A* until the strap measures about 110 cm (43 in) — roughly 120 rows at the stated gauge — ending with 4 rows of A. Pin the strap ends to opposite sides of the bag, about two rounds below the eyelet round, on the inside. Sew each end firmly with A yarn and your tapestry needle, stitching through both the strap end and two rounds of bag stitches in a square pattern, twice over, so the join can carry real weight. For a different strap finish, a band of the interlaced braid stitch crochet pattern sewn on in the same way looks striking and is just as strong.

Step 9: Drawstring, Tassels and Final Touches

For the drawstring, use Colour B and chain 120, then fasten off, leaving the cord as a simple chain — or work slip stitches back along it for a rounder cord. Thread the cord in and out of the 32 eyelet spaces of round 37 with your tapestry needle, starting and ending at the same space at the front of the bag, so both ends hang together. Knot the two ends together. Make two tassels: wrap Colour B (with a few strands of A and C mixed in) about 15 times around a 10 cm (4 in) piece of card, slide the bundle off, tie it tightly at the top with a separate strand, fold it down and wrap the neck several times, then cut the bottom loops. Tie one tassel to each side of the drawstring knot. Weave in every remaining end, steam the bag very lightly if it needs persuading, and fill it. Compared with sewn-handle designs like the bobble stitch handbag crochet pattern or the elegant crochet handbag pattern, the mochila truly does everything itself — no lining, no hardware, no sewing machine.