Orange You a Cute Crochet Fox Purse

I forgot which day it was, but my purse happened to be on the floor and M decided it was more fun to go through the purse than to play with her other toys. Because of course mommy’s purse would be more interesting! Once all the contents had been dumped out, she then started to drag the purse around and putting her own toys in it. Out of both exasperation and inspiration, I told her if she put my purse away, I’d make her a purse of her own. I made Bernard the Ball Shark because we’ve been singing a lot of Slippery Fish at home, and this time, the song What Does the Fox Say? was the inspiration behind my crochet fox purse.

Because I just finished my Zoodiacs C2C Afghan, I had a lot of half-skeins of yarn left over, especially Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, which came in super handy here. Vanna’s Choice yarn is my staple yarn because of its softness and the richness of the colors. I also had some Lion Brand BonBons from the Beach colorway, so I used the Black from that package for the eyes, and a plain black button for the nose. You can also use black embroidery thread which works just as well. I wanted the strap of the purse to be removable, so I used a few key rings and clips I found in my card catalog as the “hardware”. Of course, real purse hardware would have been better, but given the “Is it done yet?!” I was getting every 5 seconds, the fastest answer was the best answer.

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Supplies

• H (5 mm) hook (Clover Amour Hook*)
• Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solids in Terracotta and White
  • Each color required less than 1 skein.
• Lion Brand BonBons in Black* (Beach colorway)
• embroidery needle
• scissors
• polyester fiberfill

* denotes affiliate links

Abbreviations

sl st – slip stitch
ch – chain stitch
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (joining/decreasing stitch)

Pattern Notes

• Bobble: In the same stitch, *yarn over, insert hook into loop, yarn over, bring up loop, yarn over, pull through 2 of the loops on hook.* Repeat * 4 times. At this point, there should be 6 loops on hook. Yarn over, pull through all 6 loops on hook. You are basically starting 5 dc stitches in the same stitch, and then finishing them off all together, so you have a 5 dc cluster.
• I used tiny carabiner clips and key rings to attach the strap to the purse. These can be found with the jewelry notions. Some of my testers sewed the strap directly onto the purse. The purse can also be made without straps and used as a clutch!
• Here’s a video tutorial for the standing single crochet stitch, which you’ll use while creating the nose of the fox.
• After you finish the nose, you’ll work slip stitches all the way around the edge of the face, using orange yarn. When you reach where the fold of the purse is, you can choose to work slip stitches across the top of the purse (which is what I did) or continue working all the way around the entire orange section, OR cut the yarn and restart the slip stitches on the other side of the face.
• While sewing the purse together, you can use the mattress stitch or a whip stitch. See my mattress stitch video tutorial below!

Instructions for Crochet Fox Purse

BODY:

Foundation: With WHITE yarn, ch 61.

Row 1: Starting with the 2nd ch from hook, work 1 sc into each ch across. Turn. (60)

Row 2: Ch 3. Work 1 bobble stitch in next stitch. *[Work 1 sc in next stitch. Work 1 bobble stitch in next stitch]*. Repeat from * 14 times. Work 1 sc in next st, changing to ORANGE yarn. Work 1 hdc in each of next 30 st. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each of next 30 st, changing to WHITE on last sc. With white yarn, work 1 sc in each of next 30 st. Turn.

Row 4: Ch 1. *[Work 1 sc in next st, work 1 bobble in next st]*. Repeat from * 15 times, changing to ORANGE yarn on last bobble. Work 1 hdc in each of next 30 st. Turn.

Row 5: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each of next 30 st, changing to WHITE yarn on last st. With white yarn, work 1 sc in each of next 30 st. Turn.

Row 6-21: Repeat Rows 2-5 as a group, 4 times.

The last active yarn is WHITE. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. (Should be at least twice the length of the work so far). Fold the purse in half, right sides together, so the bobble stitches are on the inside. Whip stitch the white and orange sides together down the side of the purse. For the bottom of the purse, I preferred using a mattress stitch to join, but either type of stitch will work. After joining the one side and bottom, fasten off and weave in ends.

FLAP:

The uncut ORANGE yarn will be used to make the purse flap.

Row 1: Ch 2. (Does not count as stitch). Starting in same st, work 1 hdc in each of next 30 st across. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 2. Work 1 hdc in each st across. Turn.

Rows 3-13: Repeat Row 2, 11 times. Fasten off, weave in ends.

NOSE FLAP:

Row 1: Close the flap of the purse, and turn it upside down – white bobbles up top, orange flap on bottom. Count from the right hand side. Work 1 standing sc (video) into stitch #10. Work 1 hdc in each of next 10 st, work 1 sc into next st. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 1. Work 1 sc2tog (decrease), joining the sc and first hdc. Work 1 hdc in each of next 8 st. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the last hdc and sc. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 1. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the sc and first hdc. Work 1 hdc in each of next 6 st. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the last hdc and sc. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 1. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the sc and first hdc. Work 1 hdc in each of next 4 st. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the last hdc and sc. Turn.

Row 5: Ch 1. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the sc and first hdc. Work 1 hdc in each of next 2 st. Work 1sc2tog (decrease), joining the last hdc and sc. Turn.

Row 6: Work 1 sl st in each st across. Turn.

Ch 4. (This is the button hole). Skip 3 st, and work 1 sl st into first sl st of previous row. Continue working slip stitches evenly along the sides of the nose and flap. When you reach where the flap joins the body of the purse, work slip stitches in the posts of the stitches across the back of the flap, then work slip stitches evenly down the other side of the flap and the nose. Join with sl st to last sl st from Row 6, right before the ch 4. Fasten off and weave in ends.

FACE:

Sew on a black button for the nose between the first and second rows of bobbles, above bobble #8 in the first row.

For the eyes, use black embroidery thread and work 6 sc into a magic circle (pictorial). Join to last sc with a slip stitch. Pull the magic circle tight, and fasten off, leaving a few inches of tail. Eyes are placed between bobble rows 3 and 4, about 5 bobbles in from the sides. Pull the tails (beginning and end tails) to the back/inside of the purse and tie a double knot to secure the eyes in place. Weave the ends in.

STRAP:

For the strap, start with a row of foundation hdc for the desired length. (I worked about 90 hdc, which was obviously a bit too long for the intended user). Turn.

Ch 2. Work 1 hdc in each stitch across. Turn.

Repeat the row once, for a total of 3 rows of hdc stitches. Attach to the purse by sewing to the sides or using hardware of your choice.

Now all that’s left is to put your treasures inside!

When I had finished the strap and attached it to the purse, M gave it a try and loved it. She was also tripping over the incredibly long strap that I had way overestimated! I tried to take it from her so I could adjust the length, but she preferred it long and dragging around her feet. I’m not sure what kind of bag I’d call that – a messenger bag that drags along the floor?!

If I made this fox purse for myself, I’d actually consider making a fox clutch, without the strap! It’s a perfect size for phones (even large ones!), some makeup, sunglasses and whatever else you need for an evening stroll down Main Street.

This was the first time I used testers for one of my patterns, and it was great to get a few sets of eyes on the pattern to spot check for mistakes as well as to see their work. I’d love for you to share your purse creations with me too! You can share pics with me on Facebook (OneDogWoof) and Instagram (@1dogwoof) with hashtags #1dogwoof or #onedogwoof, where I’ll occasionally re-share your work with other readers.

If you’d like another foxy project, check out my Foxy Handwarmers pattern that uses colorwork and tapestry crochet to create a warm and cozy pair of fingerless mittens!

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