Ladybug Backpack

With school just around the corner, I have started trying to figure out what my children are going to need for back  to school items. My youngest just turned 5 and will be starting kindergarten this year. Of course she needs an awesome backpack to carry her school folder and lunch box. I had seen an adorable lady bug back pack on the redheart website (go here) and thought, this wouldn't be hard to modify for my needs, so I attempted the challenge. I asked my daughter what color she wanted her backpack to be and she said purple and black, so instead of the original red and black it is purple and black. I looked at the measurements for the original backpack which was 8 3/4" x 9". I measured the folder that I was given at Kindergarten Roundup since it is the normal folder size and realized that I needed the backpack to be about 10" x 11". Basically I needed to add about 2 inches wide and 2 inches high. The original directions started with 21 chains across the bottom and built up from there, so I added 10 additional chains along the base to build up. After the row increases the rows stay the same and the height starts to come into play. The original pattern had the last row of Red only stop at row 24, so I decided to increase the height by an additional 10 rows. The next modification came to the ladybug's head. I increased the height of the head by 3 rows. These were the only modifications that I made to the front and back. I know that these changes might sound odd so I will post the pattern with the changes in a moment.

I next decided that her backpack needed to be deeper than the original. The original gusset was only 5 single crochet's across, so I doubled it to 10. I increased the straps from 4 to 5 single crochets to give the straps a little more width and strength. I also made a "hanger" loop on the top so my daughter can hang the backpack on a hook if one is provided. Finally I added a waterbottle holder on the gusset. I'm not completely finished with the backpack yet. I need to get buttons and decide how I'm going to close the flap, but for the most part, it is finished.  Here's my daughter with her backpack on.

Make sure to go to the original pattern to get all of the specific details. I plan to only post the parts where I made changes. The changes for the larger backpack are in parentheses.

Lady Bug Backpack

FRONT

Row 1 (Right Side): With A, ch 21 (31), sc in the back ridge of 

each ch across; turn – 20 (30) sc.

Row 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in next st, sc in each st across to last st, 

2 sc in last st; turn – 22 (32) sc.

Rows 3-8: Repeat Row 2; turn – 34 (44) sc.

Rows 9-24 (34): Ch 1, sc in each st across; turn.

Row 25 (35): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 9 sts, drop A and change 

to B, with B sc in next 12 sts, drop B and change to A

using the small ball of A, with A sc in next 9 sts, sc2tog; 

turn – 20 (30) sc in A, 12 sc in B.

Row 26 (36): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts, change to B, sc in 

next 14 sts, change to A, sc in next 7 sts, sc2tog; turn – 16  

sc in A, 14 (24) sc in B.

Row 27 (37): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, change to B, sc in 

next 16 sts, change to A, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog; turn – 12  

sc in A, 16 (26) sc in B.

Row 28 (38): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, change to B, sc in 

next 18 sts, change to A, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog; turn – 8 

sc in A, 18 (28) sc in B.

Row 29 (39) : Ch 1, sc2tog, sc, change to B, sc in next 20 sts, 

change to A, sc, sc2tog; turn – 4 sc in A, 20 (30) sc in B.

Row 30 (40): Ch 1, sc2tog, change to B, sc in next 20, change 

to A, sc2tog, change to B; turn – 2 sc in A, 20 (30) sc in B.

Row 31 (41): Continuing with B, ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 18 sts, 

sc2tog; turn – 20 (30) sc in B.

Row 32 (42 - 45): Ch 1, sc in each st across; turn.

Row 33 (46): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc across to last 2 sts, sc2tog; turn 

– 18 sc.

Rows 34-36 (47-49): Repeat Row 33; turn – 12 sc.

Row 37 (50): Repeat Row 32; do not turn.

Complete original edging.

BACK

Work as for FRONT through Row 50, turn.

Begin Flap

Row 38 (51): Ch 1, sc in front loop only in each st across; turn 

– 12 sc.

Rows 39-42 (52-57): Ch 1, sc in each st across; turn.

Row 43 (58): Ch 1, sc in back loop only in each st across; turn.

Row 44 (59): Ch 1, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in last 

st; turn – 14 sc.

Row 45 and 46 (60-61): Ch 1, repeat Row 44; turn – 18 sc.

Row 47: Ch 1, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts, ch 1, skip 

next st, sc in next 4 sts, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next 5 sts, 

2 sc in last st; turn – 18 sc and 2 ch-1 button-hole spaces.

Row 48: Ch 1, sc in next 7 sts, sc in ch-1 space, sc in next 

4 sts, sc in ch-1 space, sc in next 7 sts; turn – 20 sc.

 *** Alt directions***

(62-65): sc in each across

Row 49 (66): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each st across to last 2 sts, 

sc2tog; turn – 18 sc.

Rows 50-52 (67-69): Ch 1, repeat Row 49; turn – 12 sc.

Row 53 (70): Ch 1, sc in each st across; do not fasten off.

Complete back edging

Complete spots and center seam like original pattern.

Lower straps, start with 6 beginning ch's instead of 5.

The next part is where it gets a little tricky.

Upper straps

ch 4, sc in each across for 25 rows. To attach, sc around sc's of row 38. Follow original pattern instructions just remember there are an additional 5 stitches on each side. So at this point you should have one end of the strap attached with 3 single crochets, sc, sc in to the other end of the strap and around the next 3 stitches from row 38 to make a total of 7 stitches. turn.

sc in first 4 sc, turn (***)

2 sc in 1st sc, sc in each (5 sc)

sc in each stitch, turn

(follow the rest of the instructions from pattern.)

for 2nd strap, rejoin yarn in 4th sc from row 2 (***), sc in last 3 sc, turn

2 sc in 1st sc, sc in each (5 sc)

sc in each stitch, turn (follow the rest of the instructions from original pattern)

Gusset

ch 6, sc in each sc for 112 rows, follow pattern instructions

Waterbottle holder

join yarn in row 32 and sc around each stitch (10 sc)

sc in each across, turn for 10 rows, finish off.

rejoin yarn in 1st stitch on the right and sc in each around putting 2 sc in each corner, turn

Netting

Row 1: ch 1, sc in same stitch, *ch 3, sk 2 stitches, sc* around the 3 non connected edges. ch 1 turn

Row 2: ch 1, sc, *ch 3, sk 2 stitches, sc* ch 1 sc in last sc, turn, ch 1

Rows 3- 10: repeat rows 1 and 2 for desired height.

Row 11: sc in each sc and put 2 sc in each ch 3 space, turn, ch 1

Row 12: sc in each sc, finish off.

When connecting the gusset to the backpack start with the side that doesn't have the waterbottle holder. It is easier to connect all 3 layers and not stretch out the netting in the process.

I hope you can understand my directions and enjoy making this cute backpack for your own child.

Good luck and Happy crocheting!