Tapestry crochet looks intimidating. I totally get it — all those color changes, carrying yarn inside your stitches, keeping everything neat. But here is the thing: once you understand the rhythm of it, tapestry crochet is just single crochet with a little extra company along for the ride.
This blush pink daisy tote breaks the whole project down into simple, manageable pieces. The base is just an oval. The body is worked in continuous rounds. And the daisies? They are built one color block at a time, following a chart-style round breakdown that tells you exactly how many stitches of each color to work. No guessing, no freehanding.
About This Pattern
This bucket-style tote features large daisy motifs with white petals, sunny yellow centers, and green stems set against a soft blush pink background. The finished bag measures approximately 11 inches wide by 9 inches tall (not counting the handles), with an oval base about 7 inches long by 4.5 inches wide. In metric, that is roughly 28 cm by 23 cm with an 18 cm base. The handles add another 4.5 inches of height above the opening.
A sweet finishing touch brings everything together: a crocheted flower charm with wooden beads and a two-tone tassel that dangles from one handle. It is the kind of detail that makes people ask where you bought it.
I would call this one intermediate to advanced. You need to be comfortable with single crochet worked in continuous rounds and ready to manage multiple yarn colors at once. The tapestry technique itself is not difficult once you understand it, but it does require focus and consistent tension. Plan for 18 to 25 hours total — the colorwork sections take longer than plain single crochet because of all the color switching.
If you have never tried colorwork before, practice the tapestry single crochet technique on a small swatch first. Once you get the rhythm of carrying yarn inside your stitches, the rest is just counting.
Materials You Will Need
- Worsted weight cotton or cotton blend yarn:
- Main Color (MC) Blush Pink: approximately 350 yards / 320 meters
- White: approximately 180 yards / 165 meters
- Yellow: approximately 30 yards / 27 meters
- Green: approximately 40 yards / 37 meters
- Yarn suggestions that work beautifully: Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in Rose, White, Buttercup, and Fern (you will need 2 skeins of Rose and 1 skein each of the other colors); Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK held double, or their Cotton Worsted line, in Dusty Rose, Pure White, Daffodil Yellow, and Grass Green; WeCrochet Shine Worsted in Blush, White, Canary, and Pistachio
- Avoid fuzzy or textured yarns like chenille or boucle — they will hide your pretty daisy motifs
- US Size G-6 / 4.0 mm crochet hook (or size needed to match gauge)
- Wooden beads, approximately 12 mm diameter
- Optional: stiff interfacing or plastic canvas (3.5 inch diameter) for base stability
Gauge
18 single crochet stitches by 20 rounds = 4 inches / 10 cm, worked in continuous rounds using the tapestry colorwork technique.
Gauge matters here because it affects your finished size. Tapestry colorwork tends to pull in tighter than solid single crochet, so always swatch with the technique you plan to use. If your swatch is too tight, go up half a hook size. Too loose? Go down.
Abbreviations
- ch = chain: wrap yarn over hook, pull through loop on hook
- sl st = slip stitch: insert hook, yarn over, pull through stitch and loop on hook in one motion
- sc = single crochet: insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops
- sc2tog = single crochet two together (a decrease): insert hook in next stitch, pull up loop, insert hook in following stitch, pull up loop, yarn over and draw through all 3 loops
- MR = magic ring: an adjustable starting ring for working in the round
- BLO = back loop only: work into just the back loop of the stitch
- inc = increase: work 2 sc in the same stitch
- RS = right side (the outside of your work)
Special Technique: Tapestry Single Crochet
This technique hides your unused yarn colors inside your stitches. Here is how it works:
- Hold your working yarn as usual
- Lay all non-working yarn strands flat across the top of your work, pointing right
- Insert hook into the next stitch
- Yarn over with working color only and pull up a loop
- Yarn over and draw through both loops to complete the single crochet
- The non-working yarns are now trapped inside that stitch
To change colors: complete your stitch up to the last yarn over. Drop the current color and pick up the new color to finish pulling through. The new color is now your working color. Keep your tension slightly looser than normal to compensate for the extra yarn inside each stitch.
Oval Base
The base is an oval worked in joined, turned rounds.
Round 1: Ch 20. Starting in second ch from hook, sc 17 across, work 3 sc in last ch (corner), rotate work and sc 16 back along the opposite side of foundation chain, work 2 sc in same ch as first sc (corner). Sl st to first sc to join. Ch 1, turn.
Round 2: Sc 17, work 2 sc in each of next 3 sts (corner), sc 15, work 2 sc in each of next 3 sts (corner), sl st to first sc. Ch 1, turn.
Round 3: Sc 17, (sc, inc) 3 times (corner), sc 15, (sc, inc) 3 times (corner), sl st to first sc. Ch 1, turn.
Round 4: Sc 17, (sc 2, inc) 3 times (corner), sc 15, (sc 2, inc) 3 times (corner), sl st to first sc. Ch 1, turn.
Round 5: Sc 17, (sc 3, inc) 3 times (corner), sc 15, (sc 3, inc) 3 times (corner), sl st to first sc. Ch 1, turn.
Round 6: Sc 17, (sc 4, inc) 3 times (corner), sc 15, (sc 4, inc) 3 times (corner), sl st to first sc. Ch 1, turn.
Round 7: Sc 17, (sc 5, inc) 3 times (corner), sc 15, (sc 5, inc) 3 times (corner), sl st to first sc. Do not turn.
Your completed base should measure approximately 7 inches long by 4.5 inches wide.
Bag Body
Do not join or turn. Begin working in continuous rounds. Place a marker in your first stitch and move it up each round. The right side faces outward.
Round 8 (BLO): Sc in each sc around, working into the back loop only. Working in BLO creates that crisp ledge between the base and sides.
Round 9: Sc in each sc around in both loops.
Round 10: Continue in MC. Begin carrying the white, yellow, and green yarns inside your stitches to prepare for colorwork.
Colorwork Rounds (Daisy Motifs)
The motif repeats every 37 stitches, giving you daisies on both front and back. Each round is written as color runs. The slash (/) separates front and back repeats. MC = blush pink, W = white, Y = yellow, G = green.
Round 11: MC 5, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 11 / MC 5, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 11
Round 12: MC 3, W 7, MC 1, W 7, MC 1, W 7, MC 11 / same sequence
Round 13: MC 2, W 8, MC 1, W 7, MC 1, W 8, MC 10 / same sequence
Round 14: MC 2, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 9 / same sequence
Round 15: MC 2, W 2, Y 3, W 2, MC 1, W 2, Y 3, W 2, MC 1, W 2, Y 3, W 2, MC 12 / same sequence
Round 16: MC 2, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 9 / same sequence
Round 17: MC 2, W 8, MC 1, W 7, MC 1, W 8, MC 10 / same sequence
Round 18: MC 3, W 7, MC 1, W 7, MC 1, W 7, MC 11 / same sequence
Round 19: MC 5, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 3, W 5, MC 11 / same sequence
Round 20: MC 7, W 3, MC 5, W 3, MC 5, W 3, MC 11 / same sequence
Round 21: MC 7, W 1, G 1, W 1, MC 5, W 1, G 1, W 1, MC 5, W 1, G 1, W 1, MC 11 / same sequence
Round 22: MC 6, G 3, MC 5, G 3, MC 5, G 3, MC 12 / same sequence
Round 23: MC 6, G 1, MC 1, G 1, MC 5, G 1, MC 1, G 1, MC 5, G 1, MC 1, G 1, MC 12 / same sequence
Round 24: MC 5, W 3, MC 7, W 3, MC 7, W 3, MC 9 / same sequence
Round 25: MC 4, W 5, MC 5, W 5, MC 5, W 5, MC 8 / same sequence
Round 26: MC 3, W 7, MC 3, W 7, MC 3, W 7, MC 7 / same sequence
Round 27: MC 3, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 1, W 3, Y 3, W 3, MC 9 / same sequence
Round 28: MC 3, W 7, MC 3, W 7, MC 3, W 7, MC 7 / same sequence
Round 29: MC 4, W 5, MC 5, W 5, MC 5, W 5, MC 8 / same sequence
Your bag body should now measure 6 to 7 inches tall from the BLO round.
Rounds 30 through 35: Sc in each sc around in MC.
Round 36: Sc in each sc around. Sl st to first sc to join.
Round 37: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Total bag height should be approximately 9 inches from base to rim.
Handles (Make 2)
Row 1: Ch 46. Sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 2–4: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn.
Fasten off, leaving a 12 inch tail. Each handle measures approximately 12 inches long and 1.25 inches wide.
Optional reinforcement: Fold handle lengthwise and whipstitch the long edges together for double thickness.
Position each handle centered on its panel, with ends about 2.5 inches from each side edge and 1 round below the rim. The handle ends should overlap the inside by about 1.5 inches. Sew securely with a rectangle of stitches.
Flower Charm and Tassel
Using MC, make a magic ring. Ch 1, work 6 sc into ring, pull closed, sl st to first sc.
Ch 1, work 2 sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc.
(Ch 3, sl st in same st, sl st in next st) 6 times. Fasten off.
Sew a small puff of white yarn to the center.
Cut 24 strands each of MC and white, 10 inches long. Fold in half, attach below the flower, thread wooden beads onto the strands, wrap to create the tassel head, and trim evenly.
Make a twisted cord to attach the charm to your handle.
Finishing
Weave in all your ends carefully, burying them through the back of your colorwork stitches.
For blocking, soak the bag in cool water with a little gentle soap. Press out excess water with a towel (do not wring). Shape over a bowl or bucket and let dry completely.
If you want extra base stability, cut a piece of plastic canvas to fit and insert it after blocking.
Final Thoughts
Those daisies really do pop against the blush pink background, and the finished bag is sturdy enough for everyday use. Tapestry crochet is one of those skills that looks way more impressive than it feels once you are in the groove — and this tote is the perfect excuse to finally try it. Happy crocheting!
