FREE PATTERN: Origami Mystique Bag!

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited to share this pattern with you! Stylecraft sent me a bunch of their new-ish Mystique tape yarn (one ball of each colour) to have a play with, and as soon as I picked it up, the idea for this bag immediately popped into my head. I wanted to make something with flat, shaped pieces that then folded up like origami (Japanese paper craft) and crocheted together - so now I present the Origami Mystique Bag! Using just 4 balls of Mystique, this lovely no-sew bag is just the right size for 4 balls of Tweedy yarn ;) 

A little bit about the yarn first... Mystique is a non-woven tape yarn, made of polyester and viscose. It looks like a ribbon, and feels like someone put the fabricky-papery stuff hospital gowns are made of through a shredder. Don't let that put you off though - it is super soft, washes well, and crochets very nicely as a worsted/12 ply yarn. 

I have used four different colours as that's what I had and I quite like the ombre effect, but this bag would also be lovely in just two colours, one for each piece!

This is the first completed and published pattern I used my design journal for; it works! :D 

I hope you have as much fun making this bag as I did :) Queue or favourite it on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/origami-mystique-bag

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FREE PATTERN: ORIGAMI MYSTIQUE BAG
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Finished size: 27cm x 8cm base, 12cm(centre)-20cm high, +65cm strap

Materials

- 4 balls of Stylecraft Mystique (50g each)
- 5mm/H hook and 6mm/J hook
- 1"/2.5cm button
- Large yarn needle
- Scissors

All stitches are in US/American terminology

fsc - foundation sc (tutorial here)
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
slst - slip stitch


Instructions

Make two identical pieces, which we will then fold together to make the origami bag!

(Base)
Row 1: 10fsc. ch1, turn.

Rows 2-39: sc in each sc. ch1, turn.

Row 40: sc in each sc. DO NOT TURN.

(Side panel)

Row 41: ch 41. turn, sc in 2nd ch from hook and then each ch until you get back to the base. sc across end of base. 40fsc (start your first fsc in the side of the last base stitch). ch1, turn.

Row 42: sc in each fsc and sc of Row 41. ch1, turn.

Rows 43-62: skip first sc. sc in each sc. ch1, turn.

[At the end of Row 62 you should have 90sc]

Rows 63-72: skip first sc, slst in second sc, sc in third sc. sc in each sc, finishing in the 3rd last sc. ch1, turn.

[At the end of Row 72 you should have 10sc, and those 10sc will be in line with your base!]

(Strap)

Rows 73-111: sc in next 10sc. Ch1, turn.

Row 112: sc in next 10sc. Finish off.

For Piece 2, do not finish off after Row 112; rather we will join the two strap pieces together. 

Strap Join: Ch1, turn. *sc in next sc, slst into adjacent sc on the end of the strap of Piece 1*. Repeat * to * to the end of the row. Finish off.

Now you have a very long, very strangely shaped single piece of crochet fabric. This photo is just of one piece, before joining the strap.

Edging

With your joining colour, join yarn with an sc in the end of Row 41 (at the corner of the triangle). Sc along the diagonal edge of the triangle, then along the strap, and back down the other side, finishing off at the opposite corner of the opposite triangle. Repeat on the other side.

Time to do some origami!

Construction

Place the two base pieces on top of each other, mirror image (so, you have one side triangle on each end). Pin the bases together to keep them secure while we mess around with the side panels.

Take the corners of the side triangle and pin them to the opposite end of the base. You can put one piece on the outside and one on the inside, or one each way on each side - it's totally up to you. Pin these together as well. Next, take your joining colour and the 6mm hook and single crochet the base and sides together. This is a bit hard going as you're working through 3 or 4 stitches at a time! At the short ends, don't forget to catch the end of the base piece as you work through the folded fabric.

Now we need to join the side pieces together so that your bag can actually hold something! Using the 6mm hook, join your joining yarn with a slst in one corner of the base where a side edge is on the outside. slst the two side pieces together in a straight line up to the middle of your bag. Pull your working loop through to the inside of the bag. The next bit can be a bit tricky - slst the inside edging to the outside layer of the bag, but just using loops on the back so that it doesn't show through to the front. 

Outside

Inside

Repeat on the other side, but this time, before you pull your working loop through in the middle, ch10 and slst to the last slst you did. This creates your button loop! Continue slipstitching the two pieces together along the inside. 

Sew on your button, weave in the ends, and you're done!