From crochet.about.com - Making The Halloween Ghost Chart
Into A Trick Or Treat Candy Bag

An Original Design by Sandi Marshall

More of this Feature • Main Page For This Pattern • Ghost Chart     Related Resources • Changing Colors in Crochet • Crocheting Over Unused Colors • How To Cross Stitch on Single Crochet • More Free Halloween Patterns • How To Weave In Ends • More How To Pages • Free Patterns Links

Materials Used In The Example:
Worsted weight yarn in colors of your choice
US Size G crochet hook

Finished Size Of Front Piece:
11 1/2 inches tall x 13 inches wide

Gauge: Because candy bags can successfully be many different sizes, gauge is not important for this pattern but I have given it in case you want your candy bag to turn out the same size as this example.
7 sc = 2 inches, 9 rows = 2 inches

To make the candy bag from these instructions, you will also need to print out the Ghost Chart from this page: http://crochet.about.com/library/n101604.htm.

Beginning chain is 51 chains. Single crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook and single crochet in each chain across for row 1. This gives you 50 single crochet in each row. Read the chart as one square on the chart equaling one single crochet stitch.

I followed Chart 1 to crochet the colors in for the basic background color shapes (this means working with just two colors in any row). I chose to vary the colors on this example from the colors that I had used when I designed the chart - here I used a dark teal blue for the background.

For the cross stitch of the details from chart 2, I used gray except for for the areas which were cross stitched over the ghost shape, where I used a medium blue (so that it would show up well against the white of the ghost). You can, of course, choose any color combination you would like to and it might be fun to try a different color combination every time you make a new item from the Ghost Chart.

When I crocheted the colors in following Chart 1, I carried the unused strands of the background color across the ghost area. I crocheted over the unused strand every 3 stitches or so.

This is a way to carry the unused strand across without having a long piece dangling (which would make it too easy to accidentally cause the crocheted piece to buckle outward by not leaving a long enough strand when beginning to crochet with that yarn strand again). When the unused strand is "caught' by crocheting over it every few stitches, it keeps it neat and just the right tension so no buckling will occur. On this piece, I chose not to crochet over the unused strand on every stitch because there was such a contrast between the two colors and it would be likely that the darker color would show through the light color, then when viewed from the right side, would look like dots of the darker color across each row of the white ghost.

Here's a closer look at the back of the piece, showing how the unused strand was crocheted over on every 3 stitches or so.

When following the second chart to add the other details in cross stitch, do the cross stitch with yarn of the same weight as your crocheted background. I crocheted the sample from worsted weight yarn so I also did the cross stitch portion with worsted weight yarn.

Front Piece Finishing Round 1: Attach yarn in top left-hand corner. Ch 1, then working down the side of the piece, sc in the end of each row. Do 3 sc in the corner, then sc in each sc along the bottom, 3 sc in the next corner, then sc in the end of each row along the other side. Do not work a row across the top of the piece, instead:
Finishing Round 2: ch 1, turn, sc in back loop only of each sc around the 3 sides (this part is worked in the back loop only so that it will fold to become the part between the front and back piece (creating more room for candy, of course).
Finishing Rounds 3 and 4: ch 1, turn, sc (in both loops) of each sc around the 3 sides.
Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Candy Bag Back Piece
You could use the same color as the background color you used for the front ... or choose a totally different fun color for this back piece.
Starting Chain: Chain 51.
Row 1: Single crochet in 2nd chain from hook. Single crochet in each chain across. (50 sc)
Rows 2 - 50: Ch 1, to turn. Single crochet in each single crochet across. (50 sc)
Finishing Round 1: Ch 1, then working down the side of the piece, sc in the end of each row. Do 3 sc in the corner, then sc in each sc along the bottom, 3 sc in the next corner, then sc in the end of each row along the other side. Do not work a row across the top of the piece, instead:
Finishing Round 2: ch 1, turn, sc in back loop only of each sc around the 3 sides ( this part is worked in the back loop only so that it will fold to become the part between the front and back piece (creating more room for candy, of course).
Finishing Rounds 3 and 4: ch 1, turn, sc (in both loops) of each sc around the 3 sides.
Do not end off yet.
Finishing Round 5: This round will join the front and back pieces. Hold the right sides together of the front and back pieces. Working through both thicknesses at once, sc in each sc of rounds 4 of both the front piece and the back piece, so that the two pieces are joined.
Fasten off. Weave in ends. Turn the bag right side out.

Candy Bag Carrying Strap
Leave a strand at the beginning of about 8 inches (to use when sewing this end of the finished strap to the bag). Make a chain of the length that you wish the strap to be; at least 18 inches (or longer for a shoulder strap).
Row 1: Single crochet in 2nd chain from hook. Single crochet in each chain across.
Rows 2 - 5: Ch 1, to turn. Single crochet in each single crochet across.
Fasten off, leaving a strand of about 8 inches to use when sewing this end of the strap to the bag.

Sew Strap To Bag
Using a large-eye yarn needle, thread the yarn from one end of the strap on the needle, then sew the end of the strap to one side of the bag, positioning it so that it is attached to the crocheted rounds that are between the front and back piece. Sew the other end of the strap to the opposite side of the bag, positioning it in the same manner as the first strap end. Weave in ends.

This is my original design. My pattern example images copyright 2004 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Free for your own personal use only. You are welcome to link to the main page for this pattern or link to this printing page but, per copyright law, do not place the actual content of the page on another website; do not redistribute the actual content of the page in any form (even for free)! Thank you! Copyright Myths Explained, U.S. Government Copyright Office - http://www.loc.gov/copyright
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URL of the main page for this pattern is http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa102604.htm
URL of this printing page is http://crochet.about.com/library/n102604.htm