Easy Crochet Drawstring Pouch for Beginners (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

If you’ve been on the hunt for a quick crochet project that’s both practical and easy for a beginner to tackle, this simple drawstring pouch is a great one to try. It only uses a handful of basic stitches, comes together at a decent pace, and can be made in just about any size you need. Whether you’re after a small gift bag, a pouch to hold your crochet supplies, or somewhere cute to keep jewelry or earbuds, this pattern is easy to adjust to fit whatever you’re picturing.

I love projects like this one because they stay useful long after you’ve finished making them. They’re also a great excuse to use up leftover yarn from older projects sitting in your stash, so you don’t need to run out and buy anything special to get started.

Don’t worry if you’ve only made a handful of simple crochet projects up to this point. As long as you’re comfortable making chains, double crochet stitches, and slip stitches, you should be able to follow along without much trouble at all. I’ll walk through every step clearly so you always know exactly what you’re doing and why.

Skill Level

Beginner

Finished Size

Using the measurements in this tutorial, your finished pouch will come out to roughly 3½ inches (9 cm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) tall.

You can make it bigger or smaller by adjusting the starting chain length and the number of rounds you work.

Materials You’ll Need

• Worsted weight yarn
• 5 mm (H-8) crochet hook
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

I used one color for the pouch itself and a second color for the drawstring, but that’s optional. Using two colors helps the finished pouch stand out a bit more visually.

Crochet Abbreviations

• ch = chain
• dc = double crochet
• sl st = slip stitch
• st = stitch
• sts = stitches

Before You Begin

This pouch is worked in the round, starting right from the bottom. Instead of crocheting two separate pieces and sewing them together afterwards, you’ll crochet around the foundation chain itself to form the base. From there, you’ll just keep working in rounds until the pouch reaches whatever height you’re after.

The sample pouch here begins with 15 chains, which gives a finished width of about 3½ inches. If you’d rather have a wider pouch, just make a longer foundation chain to start. Want something smaller instead? Reduce the number of starting chains accordingly.

The same logic applies to height too. Adding more rounds makes the pouch taller, while stopping earlier gives you something shorter.

Step 1: Make a Slip Knot

Start by making a slip knot and placing it onto your crochet hook.

Make sure the knot sits snug enough to stay put on the hook but still loose enough to slide along it easily. If it’s too tight, your first few chains are going to be annoying to work.

Step 2: Crochet the Foundation Chain

Chain 15.

Try to keep your chains loose and even as you go. Tight chains make the first row a lot harder since you’ll struggle to get your hook back into each one.

If your chain twists a bit while you’re working, don’t stress about it too much. Since we’ll be crocheting around both sides of the foundation chain, it naturally straightens itself out as you continue working.

Once you’re done, count your chains one more time to confirm you’ve got exactly 15.

Step 3: Crochet the First Side of the Base

Now we start forming the actual bottom of the pouch.

Skip the first 2 chains closest to your hook. These skipped chains give your first row the height it needs to sit properly.

Work 1 double crochet into the third chain from the hook.

Keep placing 1 double crochet into every remaining chain until you reach the very last one.

By the time you’re finished, you should have 13 double crochet stitches across this side.

Don’t be alarmed if your work starts curling a bit at this point. That’s normal this early on, and it’ll flatten out naturally as the pouch grows taller.

Step 4: Work Around the Foundation Chain

Instead of turning your work as you might expect, you’ll keep crocheting on the opposite side of the foundation chain.

In that very last chain, work one more double crochet. Since you’ve already placed one double crochet into this chain, you’ll now have 2 double crochet stitches sitting in that end chain. This is what creates the rounded bottom shape of the pouch.

Now rotate your work so you can see the unused loops sitting along the opposite side of the foundation chain.

Those are the loops you’ll be working into next.

Work 1 double crochet into each chain across the opposite side until you reach the beginning.

If you started with 15 chains, you should end up with another 13 double crochet stitches on this side too.

Take a second to look over your work here. You should now be looking at an oval-shaped base rather than a flat strip of stitches. This is what becomes the bottom of your pouch.

Step 5: Join the Round

To finish off the round, find the very first double crochet you made at the start.

Be careful not to accidentally join into the skipped chains from the beginning instead. You’re looking for the top “V” shape of that first real double crochet stitch.

Insert your hook under both loops of that stitch and make a slip stitch to join the round together.

Your base is now officially complete.

Stitch Count

You should now have 28 double crochet stitches sitting around your base.

Before moving on, take a moment to count your stitches carefully. Checking now can save you from having to unravel several rounds later on if you happened to miss or accidentally add a stitch somewhere.

Step 6: Crochet the Body of the Pouch

Now that the base is done, it’s time to build up the sides of the pouch. From here on, you’ll crochet in rounds until it reaches the height you’re going for.

Round 2

Start by chaining 2.

This chain gives your first double crochet the height it needs, but for this particular pattern it doesn’t count as a stitch. That means you’ll still work your first double crochet into that same stitch where you joined the previous round.

Work 1 double crochet into the same stitch your chain is coming from.

Now continue placing 1 double crochet into every stitch all the way around the pouch.

As you go, make sure you’re consistently inserting your hook under both loops of each stitch. Going through just the front loop or just the back loop changes how the pouch looks and can make the fabric considerably less sturdy overall.

When you reach the start of the round again, you’ll spot a slip stitch left over from the previous round. Remember, that slip stitch was only there to join the round; it’s not an actual working stitch, so don’t crochet into it.

Instead, skip right over that slip stitch and make a slip stitch into the first double crochet of the round to join everything up.

Stitch Count: 28 stitches

Rounds 3-8

Repeat the same steps for each of these rounds.

Chain 2. Work 1 double crochet into the same stitch. Crochet 1 double crochet into every stitch all the way around. Skip the joining slip stitch. Join with a slip stitch into the first double crochet.

Keep your stitch count steady at 28 stitches for every single round.

One of the easiest ways to avoid mistakes here is to count your stitches every couple of rounds as you go. It only takes a minute and helps you catch small errors before they snowball into something bigger and more annoying to fix.

How to Know If Something Went Wrong

As you keep crocheting, your pouch should grow straight upward with smooth, even sides all the way around.

If you notice it starting to flare outward, you’ve probably added an extra stitch somewhere along the way. This usually happens when you accidentally crochet into that joining slip stitch or when two stitches end up worked into the same spot by mistake.

If the pouch starts getting narrower as you go instead, you’ve likely skipped a stitch somewhere without realizing it.

Don’t worry too much if either of these happens. Just count your stitches. As long as every round has the same stitch count, your pouch will hold its shape properly.

Adjusting the Height

The sample pouch here uses 8 total rounds, which gives a finished height of about 4 inches.

If you’d rather have a taller pouch, just keep repeating the same round pattern until you’ve reached whatever height you’re after.

For something smaller, simply stop after fewer rounds.

Since every round is identical, adjusting the height is about as easy as it gets.

Fasten Off

Once you’re happy with how tall your pouch has gotten, it’s time to finish off the body.

Chain 1. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail about 6 inches long. Pull the yarn completely through the loop on your hook and tighten it gently.

Thread the tail onto your tapestry needle and weave it through several stitches on the inside of the pouch to secure it. Trim off any excess yarn once it feels properly secure.

Your pouch body is now finished.

Making the Drawstring

A simple crochet chain makes the perfect drawstring for this project.

If you’re switching to a second yarn color here, now’s the moment to do it.

Make a slip knot and place it on your hook just like you did at the very start of the project.

Now begin making chain stitches.

Rather than counting toward a specific number right away, occasionally wrap the chain around the top of your pouch to check how the length is looking.

The chain should comfortably wrap around the pouch with several extra inches left over so you’ve got enough to tie it once it’s threaded through.

For the sample pouch here, 50 chains worked out perfectly.

If your pouch ended up larger or smaller than the sample, your drawstring might need a few more or fewer chains to match.

Once your chain feels long enough, cut the yarn, leaving a small tail. Pull the yarn completely through that final loop to secure everything.

Thread the Drawstring Through the Pouch

Attach one end of the drawstring to your tapestry needle.

Starting about the second round down from the top of the pouch, begin weaving the chain through the stitches.

A simple over-under pattern works well here. Go under two stitches, then over two stitches, and just keep repeating that pattern all the way around the pouch until you land back where you started.

Remove the tapestry needle once you’re done weaving.

Pull both ends of the chain evenly at the same time. You should see the top of the pouch gather together smoothly and cinch closed.

Finish the Drawstring Ends

There are two simple ways to finish off the ends of your drawstring.

The first option is threading each yarn tail back through several chain stitches using your tapestry needle. This gives you the cleanest finish overall and helps keep everything secure long-term.

The second option is simply trimming the yarn tails, leaving just a small bit of yarn at each end so the chain doesn’t come undone on its own.

Either method works fine here, so just pick whichever one appeals to you more.

Your Crochet Drawstring Pouch Is Finished!

Give both ends of the drawstring a gentle pull to close the pouch shut.

Tie the ends into a simple knot if you’re after a minimal look, or finish it off with a small bow if you’d rather something a bit more decorative.

Congratulations, you’ve completed your very own crochet drawstring pouch.

Ways to Use Your Crochet Pouch

One of my favorite things about this project is just how useful it turns out to be. Once you’ve made one, you’ll probably find yourself making several more in different colors and sizes without really planning to.

A few fun ways to use your finished pouch: store jewelry while traveling, keep earbuds or charging cables organized in a bag, hold loose change, store dice for tabletop games, organize stitch markers, tapestry needles, and other crochet notions, package up small handmade gifts, or store lip balm, hair ties, and other everyday essentials that tend to get lost otherwise.

They also make wonderful handmade gifts since they come together quickly and don’t eat through much yarn at all.

Beginner Tips for the Best Results

If this is one of your first proper crochet projects, these simple tips can make the whole process smoother.

Count your stitches at the end of every round until you feel more confident in what you’re doing. Always insert your hook under both loops of each stitch unless a pattern tells you otherwise. Don’t crochet into the joining slip stitch, or you’ll accidentally increase your stitch count without meaning to. Keep your yarn tension as even as you can manage for a cleaner-looking finished pouch.

If you’re ever unsure exactly where the first stitch of the round is, place a stitch marker in it before you keep going. This makes it considerably easier to find again when it’s time to join the next round.

Final Thoughts

This crochet drawstring pouch is one of those projects that are simple enough for a beginner to manage confidently but useful enough that even experienced crocheters still enjoy making it now and then. It only relies on basic stitches, comes together at a good pace, and can be adjusted to fit whatever you need it for.

Once you’ve made your first pouch, try playing around with different yarn colors, stripes, or even adding a small crochet flower or button on the front for a bit of decoration. It’s a fun project you’ll probably find yourself coming back to again and again, whether you’re making gifts, organizing small items around the house, or just working through leftover yarn from older projects.