About Town Crossbody Bag - Free Crochet Pattern for Women in Paintbox Yarns Recycled Crafty Pots by Paintbox Yarns

About Town Crossbody Bag – Free Crochet Pattern by Paintbox Yarns

The About Town Crossbody Bag is a stylish, practical crochet accessory designed for everyday use. This free downloadable PDF pattern by Paintbox Yarns guides crafters through creating a compact yet functional crossbody bag with a finished height of 6¼in/16cm and a width of 7in/18cm — a perfectly proportioned size for carrying essentials while on the go. Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, it is well suited to crocheters who are comfortable with basic stitches and ready to explore a few more textured techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a crossbody bag — a small, hands-free bag worn across the body on a strap. The compact rectangular silhouette makes it ideal for everyday errands, travel, or casual outings. The design is worked to a neat, structured shape that holds its form thanks to the density of the stitch pattern and the chunky weight yarn used.

Construction and Techniques

The About Town Crossbody Bag is constructed using the worked flat technique, meaning the fabric is crocheted back and forth in rows rather than in the round. This approach creates a clean, even fabric and makes it straightforward to track stitch counts and row progression. Working flat is a familiar method for intermediate crocheters and allows for easy customization of dimensions if desired.

• Worked flat – the bag panels are crocheted in rows, giving the maker full control over the shaping and structure of each section.
• The flat construction lends itself well to seaming finished panels together, a common finishing step for structured bag projects.

Stitches Used

The pattern makes use of a small but effective selection of crochet stitches that combine to create both a solid fabric base and decorative surface texture:

• Single crochet (sc) – known in UK terminology as double crochet (dc) — forms the main body of the bag. This tight, dense stitch is ideal for bag-making as it creates a firm, structured fabric that holds its shape well and provides durability for everyday use.
• Chain (ch) – used for foundation chains and any structural transitions within the pattern.
• Front post double crochet (fpdc) – referred to in UK terminology as front post treble crochet (fptr) — is a post stitch worked around the vertical post of a stitch from a previous row rather than through the top loops. This technique creates raised, three-dimensional ribbing or textural detail on the surface of the fabric, adding visual interest and a professional finish to the bag.

Post stitches like the front post double crochet are a hallmark of intermediate crochet work. They require the crafter to insert the hook differently from standard stitches — wrapping around the body of the stitch below — which produces a raised ridge effect. This technique is commonly used in ribbing for cuffs, hat brims, and bag straps, and adds a tactile, woven-like quality to the finished fabric.

Materials and Yarn

The pattern calls for Paintbox Yarns Recycled Crafty Pots, a chunky weight yarn that is exclusively available at lovecrafts.com. The recommended colorway used in the sample is Granita. Only 1 ball (8¾oz/250g) is required to complete the project, making this an economical and accessible make.

• Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Recycled Crafty Pots, chunky weight
• Colorway shown: Granita
• Quantity: 1 ball (8¾oz/250g) — yarn quantities are approximate and based on average requirements
• Crochet hook: H-8 (5mm)
• Additional tools: Darning needle for weaving in ends and seaming

The chunky weight of Paintbox Yarns Recycled Crafty Pots works up quickly and produces a thick, sturdy fabric — an important quality for a bag that needs to withstand regular