Craft an irresistibly cute Crochet Bear Backpack for the little adventurers in your life! This charming drawstring bag combines practical design with an adorable bear face and vibrant folk-inspired colorwork, making it a perfect accessory for school, playdates, or carrying treasures. Follow this pattern to create a unique, handmade gift that will surely bring smiles.
Bring Whimsical Style to Everyday Adventures
This delightful bear backpack isn’t just a pattern; it’s an opportunity to create a treasured item. Its playful design encourages imagination, while the sturdy crochet construction ensures durability for daily use. Perfect for holding toys, snacks, or small books, this bag offers both functionality and a touch of handmade magic to any child’s wardrobe.
Crochet Pattern: Charming Crochet Bear Backpack Pattern: An Adorable Drawstring Bag for Kids!
Materials
- Worsted Weight Yarn (approx. 200g Brown, 50g Cream, 30g Dark Blue/Teal, 30g Mustard Yellow, 20g Olive Green, small amount Black)
- Crochet Hook (4.0mm or 4.5mm recommended)
- Tapestry Needle
- Stitch Markers
- Scissors
- 2 Wooden Beads (approx. 15-20mm diameter, for drawstring)
Abbreviations
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- inc – increase (2 sc in one stitch)
- sl st – slip stitch
- FO – fasten off
- Rnd – Round
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- BLO – back loop only
Instructions
Pattern Notes: This pattern is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwise specified. Use a stitch marker to keep track of the beginning of each round. Color changes for the border and straps typically use tapestry crochet technique, carrying unused yarn loosely on the wrong side to maintain tension and hide strands. Exact stitch counts for colorwork will require careful counting or charting, but the instructions provide the general structure.
Bag Base (Brown Yarn)
- Rnd 1: Make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] around. (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] around. (24 sts)
- Rnd 5: [3 sc, inc] around. (30 sts)
- Rnd 6: [4 sc, inc] around. (36 sts)
- Rnd 7: [5 sc, inc] around. (42 sts)
- Rnd 8: [6 sc, inc] around. (48 sts)
- Rnd 9: [7 sc, inc] around. (54 sts)
- Rnd 10: [8 sc, inc] around. (60 sts)
- Rnd 11: [9 sc, inc] around. (66 sts)
- Rnd 12: [10 sc, inc] around. (72 sts)
- Rnd 13: [11 sc, inc] around. (78 sts)
- Rnd 14: [12 sc, inc] around. (84 sts)
- Rnd 15: [13 sc, inc] around. (90 sts)
- Rnd 16: [14 sc, inc] around. (96 sts)
- Rnd 17: [15 sc, inc] around. (102 sts)
- Rnd 18: [16 sc, inc] around. (108 sts)
Bag Body (Brown Yarn, then Colorwork, then Brown)
- Rnd 19: Working in BLO for this round, 1 sc in each st around. (108 sts)
- Rnd 20-30: 1 sc in each st around (working through both loops). (108 sts)
- Colorwork Section (refer to image for pattern details): For the next 10-12 rounds, work sc stitches following the geometric pattern visible in the image. The pattern consists of rows of Dark Blue/Teal zig-zags on Cream, followed by Olive Green, then Mustard Yellow diamonds on a Dark Blue/Teal background, bordered by Olive Green, and finishing with another Dark Blue/Teal zig-zag on Cream. Carry unused yarns for tapestry crochet.
- Rnd 31-50: Switch back to Brown Yarn. 1 sc in each st around. (108 sts)
- Drawstring Holes (Brown Yarn):
- Rnd 51: [16 sc, ch 2, skip 2 sts] 6 times. (108 sts total, including chs)
- Rnd 52-53: 1 sc in each sc and 2 sc in each ch-2 space around. (108 sts)
- Rnd 54: 1 sc in each st around. (108 sts) Sl st to first sc and FO.
Bear Ears (Make 2)
- Inner Ear (Cream Yarn): Make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6 sts). Sl st to first sc, FO.
- Outer Ear (Brown Yarn): Make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6 sts).
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] around. (18 sts)
- Place the Cream Inner Ear on top of the Brown Outer Ear and sc around both layers to join, creating a flat ear. Leave a long tail for sewing. Attach ears to the top sides of the bag, about 3-4 rounds below the drawstring holes.
Bear Snout (Cream Yarn)
- Rnd 1: Make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] around. (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] around. (24 sts)
- Sl st to first sc and FO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Bear Eyes (Make 2 – Black and Cream Yarn)
- With Cream yarn, ch 4. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 2 ch. Ch 1, turn.
- Repeat for 2 more rows. FO.
- With Black yarn, embroider small oval pupils onto the Cream base. Outline the Cream base with black embroidery for definition.
Nose & Mouth (Black Yarn)
- Using a tapestry needle and Black yarn, embroider a triangle-shaped nose onto the top center of the Cream snout.
- Embroider a ‘Y’ shape extending from the bottom of the nose for the mouth.
Drawstring (Brown Yarn)
- Ch 150-180 (or desired length). Weave the chain through the drawstring holes created in Rnd 51. Thread a wooden bead onto each end of the drawstring and knot to secure.
Backpack Straps (Make 2)
- With Brown yarn, ch 8.
- Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (7 sc). Ch 1, turn.
- Row 2-approx 100 (or desired length): Sc in each st across. Incorporate the same geometric colorwork pattern used on the bag’s body onto the straps for approximately 20-30 rows at the top (shoulder) section. Continue with brown yarn for the rest of the strap length. Ch 1, turn.
- FO, leaving long tails for sewing.
- Attach the top ends of the straps to the back of the bag, approximately 8-10 rounds below the drawstring. Attach the bottom ends to the base of the bag, equidistant from the center.
Assembly:
- Sew the Snout to the center of the bag, below the drawstring area.
- Sew the Ears to the top sides of the bag.
- Sew the Eyes above the snout.
- Embroider the Nose and Mouth.
- Weave in all ends securely.