Montreux Bag in Berroco Remix Chunky - Downloadable PDF

Montreux Bag by Mel Kennelly – Crochet Pattern Summary

The Montreux Bag is a stylish crochet fanny pack designed by Mel Kennelly and published by Berroco. This intermediate-level pattern produces a compact, structured pouch with a top flap, finished at approximately 9½ inches wide by 6 inches high. It is available as a downloadable PDF, making it easy to access and print at home. The design is both functional and fashionable, combining classic crochet construction with modern bag-making hardware for a polished, wearable result.

What Is Being Made

The Montreux is a fanny pack — a small, belt-worn bag designed to be carried around the waist or across the body. The finished bag features a structured front and back panel, a shaped top flap for closure, and side panels that are seamed together to form a three-dimensional pouch. Hardware including a belt buckle and button are incorporated into the finishing to complete the functional design. The compact finished size makes it ideal for carrying everyday essentials.

Construction Method

The Montreux Bag is worked flat, meaning the panels are crocheted as separate pieces and then assembled. The front, back, and side flap sections are crocheted individually and joined using single crochet seaming. The top flap is shaped with decrease rows to create a neat, tapered edge. This flat-and-seam construction method is common in crochet bag making and gives the finished piece clean, defined edges and a structured silhouette.

• Flat construction: All panels are worked back and forth in rows, then sewn or crocheted together.
• Seaming: Side flaps are joined to the back and front panels using single crochet, worked from the bottom corners upward, with a small gap left near the base for structure.
• Flap shaping: Decrease rows are worked at both ends of the flap to taper the edge neatly.
• Hardware finishing: A 1½-inch belt buckle and a 1-inch button are added during finishing to complete the fanny pack functionality.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The primary stitch throughout the Montreux Bag is the half double crochet (hdc), which creates a dense, slightly textured fabric well-suited to bag making. The half double crochet strikes a balance between the thinness of single crochet and the height of double crochet, producing a sturdy fabric that holds its shape well — an important quality in a structured bag. Additional stitches and techniques include:

• Half double crochet (hdc): The main body stitch used throughout the front, back, and side panels.
• Hdc2tog (half double crochet two together): A decrease stitch used to shape the top flap, worked at both ends of decrease rows to reduce stitch count evenly.
• Single crochet (sc): Used for seaming the panels together during finishing.
• Sc4tog (single crochet four together): A special decrease stitch defined in the pattern that inserts the hook into four consecutive stitches, pulls up a loop in each, then draws yarn through all five loops on the hook — decreasing three stitches at once. This technique is used for shaping.
• Chain stitch (ch): Used to create a buttonhole opening within the fabric by chaining and skipping a stitch.
• Turning chains: A chain-2 is used at the beginning of each row, though it does not count as a stitch in this pattern.

Yarn and Materials

The Montreux Bag is worked in Berroco Remix Chunky, a chunky weight yarn sold in 100-gram balls. The pattern calls for 2 balls in colorway #9942 Lagoon, a rich, cool-toned hue. Berroco Remix Chunky is known for its unique fiber blend, which typically incorporates recycled materials, giving it an eco-conscious appeal alongside its soft, slightly rustic texture — qualities that contribute to the bag's durability and visual character.

• Yarn: Berroco Remix Chunky,