Wanderlust Bag Mystery Crochet Along

Pack your yarn—we’re going on a little crochet adventure!

I’m so excited to introduce the Wanderlust Bag Mystery Crochet Along, a five-part crochet-along featuring colorful motifs, join-as-you-go construction, and a little bit of mystery along the way.

I’ll tell you this much: we’re making a bag.

What I’m not going to show you yet is exactly how these motifs become one.

That is part of the fun.

Throughout this crochet along, we’ll begin by making a stand-alone motif while learning how to change colors and follow both written instructions and a crochet chart. From there, we’ll explore increasingly interesting ways of joining motifs together—first along one side, then two sides, and eventually four sides. Those final joins are where everything comes together.

Literally.

Choosing Yarn for Your Wanderlust Bag

For this project, you’ll need #4 worsted weight yarn and an H/8 (5 mm) crochet hook. Beyond that, I intentionally am not specifying a particular brand or yarn.

Choose something that works for your budget, your stash, your climate, and the way you plan to use your bag.

A bag is also a little different from a garment when it comes to fiber choice. You may want to think about structure, stretch, durability, and how the yarn will hold up with regular use.

Cotton is a classic choice for bags because it is sturdy, washable, and tends to hold its shape well. It can become heavy, though, especially in a larger bag.

Cotton blends can offer some of that structure while reducing weight or adding a little softness.

Acrylic is widely available, budget-friendly, lightweight, and comes in an enormous range of colors. Depending on the yarn, it may stretch more than cotton, so you may want to consider adding the optional lining if you plan to carry heavier items.

Wool and wool blends can make a beautiful bag and offer wonderful color and texture. They may require gentler care and can change with friction, moisture, or washing, so consider how you expect to use the finished bag.

You can also experiment with other fibers or blends you already enjoy working with. There is no single “correct” yarn for Wanderlust.

The most important thing is to choose a yarn that gives you a fabric you like at the recommended gauge and that feels appropriate for the kind of bag you want to carry.

And if the yarn you already own works? Even better.

If you choose a yarn with a lot of stretch, or plan to carry heavier items, the optional lining can help support the bag and reduce distortion over time.

What You’ll Need

The Wanderlust Bag is made with #4 worsted weight yarn and an H/8 (5 mm) crochet hook, along with a yarn needle and scissors.

The project uses 10 motifs, which makes this a wonderful opportunity to play with color without committing to a huge quantity of any one shade.

And this is where I really want you to make Wanderlust your own.

My Five-Color Wanderlust Palette

I made my original bag using five colors inspired by the soft, weathered colors I love: watery blues and greens, lavender, deeper contrast, and a sandy neutral.

But you absolutely do not need five colors.

The motif is worked in six rounds, and changing where—or whether—you change colors can completely transform its appearance.

Before we begin crocheting, let’s look at some possibilities.

Make It With One Color

The simplest option may also be one of the most sophisticated.

Choose one beautiful yarn and work every round and every motif in that color.

Instead of color changes defining the motif, the texture and geometry of the stitches become the focus. A solid cream, camel, charcoal, navy, olive or other favorite neutral could make Wanderlust look completely different from my multicolor version.

Palette ideas:

Coastal Linen: warm ivory
Midnight: deep navy
Driftwood: natural taupe
Olive Grove: muted olive
Berry Wine: rich burgundy

A one-color version is also a great choice if you want the easiest possible yarn management.

Make It With Two Colors

With two colors, you can create contrast without juggling a large palette.

One option is to alternate colors through the rounds. Another is to use one color for the interior of each motif and a second color for the outer rounds. You could also make some motifs predominantly Color A and others predominantly Color B.

Try:

Salt & Sea: ivory + ocean blue
Sand & Indigo: camel + deep indigo
Espresso & Cream: dark brown + warm ivory
Olive & Linen: muted green + natural flax
Plum & Fog: deep plum + soft gray

This could be especially striking with a dark outer color repeated on every motif to visually connect the entire bag.

Make It With Three Colors

Three colors give you enough variety to create movement while still keeping the palette very cohesive.

You might use one color near the center, a second through the middle rounds, and a third toward the outside. Or rotate the three colors differently from motif to motif while keeping the same three-color palette throughout the bag.

Try:

Sunset Coast: coral + dusty pink + sand
Mediterranean: cobalt + turquoise + white
Autumn Road: rust + olive + camel
Lavender Fields: lavender + sage + cream
City Nights: charcoal + plum + silver gray

With only three colors, there are already dozens of ways to make the ten motifs look different.

Make It With Five Colors

This is where Wanderlust becomes a true color playground.

You can follow a consistent color sequence on every motif, as I did, or vary the placement of your five colors from motif to motif. Keeping the same five-color family throughout will make even differently arranged motifs feel as though they belong together.

Here are several five-color directions to inspire you:

Sea Glass: aqua + seafoam + lavender + deep ocean blue + sand

Coastal Sunset: coral + blush + apricot + lavender + warm sand

Autumn Wander: rust + mustard + olive + burgundy + camel

Bohemian Jewel: teal + sapphire + amethyst + garnet + antique gold

Quiet Luxury: cream + camel + mushroom + chocolate + charcoal

Wildflower: lavender + dusty rose + cornflower blue + sage + cream

Tropical Escape: turquoise + coral + mango + leaf green + hot pink

You don’t have to reproduce any palette exactly. Look at the yarn you already own. Pull out five colors that make you happy. Move them around. Take one away. Add something unexpected.

Sometimes the color you think doesn’t belong is exactly the one that makes everything else come alive.

How to Convert the Motif to Your Own Color Plan

Think about the six rounds as color zones rather than six mandatory color changes.

For a one-color motif, simply work all six rounds in the same color.

For a two-color motif, divide the rounds into two groups—for example, an interior color and an exterior color—or alternate your two colors.

For a three-color motif, group the rounds into three sections, repeat colors, or create your own sequence.

For a five-color motif, repeat one of your five colors somewhere within the six-round motif, or allow one color to play a larger role than the others.

There is no rule saying every motif has to have exactly the same color placement, either.

For a calmer, more structured bag, repeat the same sequence on all 10 motifs.

For something more playful and scrappy, use the same palette but rearrange the colors.

And if you’re working from your stash? Give yourself permission to improvise.

The Wanderlust MCAL Journey

We’ll work through the project in five parts:

Part 1: Make the stand-alone motif, change colors, and learn how to follow the written instructions and crochet chart.

Part 2: Learn the one-side join.

Part 3: Learn the two-side join.

Part 4: Learn the four-side join—and watch the Wanderlust Bag finally come together.

Part 5: Add the handles and finish your bag, with an optional lining.

You know where we’re going.

I’m just not giving you the map.

That’s why I named her Wanderlust.

Choose your colors, grab your hook, and come wander with me.

Let us make time to create, share, and inspire today and every day.

xoxo, Kristin

About Kristin Omdahl

Kristin Omdahl is an author, designer, and lifelong maker with more than 20 years of experience creating crochet and knit patterns,  books, tutorials, recipes, and creative projects. With more than 1,000  designs published worldwide, her work blends creativity, technique, curiosity, and a love of storytelling.

She is the host of The Kristin Omdahl Show, where she shares the creative process behind what she’s making, explores ideas and rabbit holes, revisits more than two decades of creative work, and finds inspiration in everything from  yarn and color to recipes, math, travel, and everyday life.

Kristin is also the author of The Sea Glass Journal, a novel about creativity, self-discovery, and beginning again, set against the beauty of coastal living. Its world continues to inspire many of the recipes, patterns, projects, and stories she shares.

Explore The Kristin Omdahl Show, more than 1,000 knit and crochet patterns, tutorials, recipes, books, and more at KristinOmdahl.com.

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