Hoya Bag

I have a new pattern for you! The Hoya Bag is an overlay crochet pattern named after a houseplant I have, that was grown from a cutting of my grandmother’s plant. The overlay crochet provides a beautiful texture for a bag, and the gentle flow of the design reminds me of leaves or ripples under water.

I have included instructions for both a flat bottom or rectangular base, as well as the option for integrated or separate handles, making it versatile and customizable.

The smaller versions of this bag can be made with just two balls of Scheepjes Catona or Organicon (or Cotton Create or Cotton 8) and work up fairly quickly so could make a fabulous gift.

Important Links

• Purchase the pattern on Ravelry
• Buy the pattern on Etsy

Variations and Yarn and Materials

I made several samples of this bag in different yarns. I think that generally the pattern works best at a smaller scale in a fingering or 4-ply yarn such as Scheepjes Cotton Create, Organicon, Catona, or Catona Shine but it can really be made any reasonably sturdy yarn. My First full sized sample was made in Scheepjes Linen Soft which is a DK weight. Here are the materials lists for each variation that I made of the bag.

Navy Cotton Create Tote Bag

This Tote Bag variation is made with a Rectangular Base and integrated handles.  The whole thing was crocheted from bottom to top in one piece. The only material you need for this bag is two colors of yarn. 

Size: ~13x12x3.5in (~33x31x9cm) excluding handles

Scheepjes Cotton Create (50% Recycled Cotton, 50% Premium Cotton; 50g/170m)

• Yarn A 527 Patch x 3 balls
• Yarn B 656 Spin x 2 balls

Or

Green Organicon Cross Body Bag

The green cross body bag was made with a flat bottom, straight top finish, and a detachable clasp handle.  I was trying to make the bag with just 2 balls of Organicon, but I ran a little short of color B on the strap.  For extra detail on the bag, I used a pair of small swivel clasps, and D-rings. 

Size: ~8x8in (~21x21cm) excluding handle

Scheepjes Organicon (100% Organic Soft Cotton; 50g/170m)

• Yarn A 234 Cozy Moss x 1 ball
• Yarn B 213 Sapling x 1 ball (plus a little scrap)

Or

Teal Catona Wristlet

The Teal Catona Wristlet was made with a flat bottom, straight top finish and small wrist strap.  I very intentionally made this with just 2 Balls of Catona.  I finished off with only a bit of each color remaining and used them to sew up the bottom and make a little braided wrist strap.  I added a zipper to close it and sewed on some beads for a little sparkle.  

Size: ~6×8.5in (~16x8cm)

Scheepjes Catona (100% Mercerised Cotton; 50g/125m)

• Yarn A 401 Dark Teal x 1 ball
• Yarn B 253 Tropic x 1 ball

Linen Soft Tote

I have also made a sample in Scheepjes Linen soft which I also liked quite a bit, as a DK yarn the scale is a bit larger, but the linen feels extra sturdy.   I have not included this as much in the pattern as it was my first sample and it is not constructed the same as my final pattern.  For a bag very close to this one, you would use a Rectangular Base and integrated handles. 

Size: ~11x11x4in (~28x28x10cm) excluding handles

For all version you will also need:

• 3mm crochet hook, or hook needed to achieve gauge  
• scissors or something to cut yarn
• tapestry needle for weaving in ends

I like to line all of my purses and bags, but this is completely optional. If you do want to line your bags I have instructions in this post: Adding a Lining to a Crochet Purse.

You can check for a Scheepjes Retailer in your area, or you can use my affiliate link below. Shopping through this link earns me a small commission to support my design work at no additional cost to you. Thank You!

Jimmy Bean’s Wool Links: All Scheepjes, Catona, Cotton Create

Amazon links: All Scheepjes, Catona, Catona Shine, Cotton Create, Linen Soft

For my sparkly blue wristlet, I used beads that I already had in my bead box and I have no idea where I originally got them, I am sure that most I have had for more than 15 years. I can tell you that I uses some Rondelle shaped crystal glass beads a bit like these ones, and some larger seed beads a little like these one.

For the Green Organicon cross body purse I used these Swivel Clasp Clips, and these D-rings.

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Inspiration and Design

I actually came up with this design back in 2023. I was looking at my files, and I took the photos below December 2023. The design swatch is made with Scheepjes Cotton 8 and the main part of this final design has not changed.

This story might start to sound familiar if you have read “the Story of the Yellow Purse” from my blog about the Squiggle Squares Purse or Pillow Pattern.

I plan a beautiful design then pick the completely wrong yarn for it.

In 2023 my design portfolio consisted of several blankets, a bunch of snowflakes and 2 to 3 squares. I enjoy designing blankets, but they are time consuming, so I was exploring smaller project options. I thought would design a purse with a leather bottom and handles.  I was inspired by the pattern on a plant pot, worked up a test sample with some spare cotton 8, and drew a sketch. 

below: The test sample, plant pot, and sketch

I also has just joined the Scheepjes Designer Collective and wanted to try out some yarns I had not worked with before. Remembering an old yellow purse while I selected my yarns, I pulled out my Scheepjes Terrazzo color pack and chose Limone-702 and Piuma-740. I requested the Terrazzo and some Linen Soft. When the Terrazzo arrived, it was not suitable for the pattern. I also had the Linen Soft, but I was more focused on the Terrazzo at the time, so I designed the Squiggle Squares Pattern.

I did start working on my Linen Soft version shortly after but the actual pattern writeup kept getting pushed back. Can I partly blame the Festival of Lights CAL? It occupied a large part of my brain space for most of 2024. My Linen Soft sample also sat in a nearly completed but not quite state for more than a year. I had planned to give the finished sample to my mom for her birthday but it was very late.

Below: my finished Linen Soft Sample being modeled by my mom (thank you for letting me include this photo, I love you)

I finally decided to finish the purse design because though I would submit it for a publication that was looking for an ocean themed project. I made a blue-green wristlet version and added some beads for sparkles to look like ripples under water. The proposal didn’t get accepted but I decided it was time to finally finish the pattern anyway. It was around this time that Scheepjes released Cotton Create and I decided that I would use Cotton Create to make the tote bag version of the pattern.

My final variation came about because I forgot to take photos of any of the prior versions for the photo tutorial, so I had to make another. I went with Organicon and greens because it seemed appropriate since the bag is named for a plant and I just like green and I already had the yarn in my stash.