Apr
Making the Granny Square Purse Thing
So I made this granny square purse back in spring 2022 when I was basically living on my couch binge-watching The Office for like the third time, and I needed something to do with my hands that wasn’t just scrolling through my phone. The whole granny square purse idea seemed easy enough since I already knew how to make regular granny squares from this blanket project I never actually finished.
The basic concept is you’re gonna make a bunch of squares and then sew them together into a bag shape. Sounds simple right? It mostly is but there’s some annoying parts I’ll get to.
What You Actually Need
For yarn I used Caron Simply Soft because it was on sale at Michaels and I had a coupon. I got like three skeins in different colors – I think it was like a teal color, cream, and this burgundy shade. You could use Red Heart Super Saver too which is cheaper and honestly works fine, it’s just a bit scratchier. Some people get all precious about yarn but for a bag you’re gonna throw stuff in and maybe drop on the ground, mid-range acrylic is totally good enough.
You need a hook size that matches your yarn weight. I used a 5mm hook for worsted weight yarn. Also you’ll need scissors, a yarn needle for sewing everything together, and maybe some fabric for lining if you want to get fancy but I didn’t bother with that until my second attempt.
The Granny Squares Themselves
Okay so the traditional granny square starts with a magic ring or you can just chain 4 and slip stitch to make a circle if the magic ring thing confuses you. I always do the chain method because I can never remember which way to wrap the yarn for the magic ring.
Chain 3 (counts as first double crochet), then work 2 more double crochets into the ring. Chain 2. That’s your first corner. Then do 3 double crochet, chain 2, and repeat that two more times so you have four corner spaces total. Slip stitch to the top of your starting chain 3.
For the second round you slip stitch over to the corner space (or just chain 3 to start right where you are, whatever). Chain 3, work 2 double crochet in that same corner space, chain 2, then 3 more double crochet in the same space. That’s a corner done. Chain 1, then in the next corner space do the same thing – 3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet. Keep going around.
Third round and beyond you’re basically doing the same thing but now you have side spaces to work into. So you’ll do your corner (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc), chain 1, then 3 dc in the next space along the side, chain 1, then work your next corner. It builds up in a square shape pretty obviously.
I made my squares 4 rounds each which gave me about 4-inch squares. You want them all the same size obviously or your bag will look wonky.
How Many Squares and What Pattern
This is where I got kinda scattered because I didn’t plan ahead properly. You need to think about the size bag you want. I made 12 squares total – 4 for the front, 4 for the back, and 2 for each side panel. Well actually I made like 15 because I messed up the sizing on a few and had to remake them.
Some patterns online tell you to make a flat piece and fold it up but I found it easier to think of it like a box. Front panel, back panel, two side panels, and a bottom. For the bottom I just made it a rectangle of granny squares – 2 squares by 1 square.
The thing that really annoyed me about this whole process was joining the squares. Everyone’s like “oh just whipstitch them together” or “single crochet them together for a nice seam” but nobody tells you how fiddly it is to keep everything lined up properly. I used the whipstitch method with my yarn needle and I swear I had to redo at least three seams because they were puckering weird or the corners weren’t matching up.
Joining the Squares
Lay your squares out in the pattern you want. I did a color pattern like teal-cream-burgundy-cream across each row. Take two squares and put them right sides together (or wrong sides if you want the seam to show, which actually looks kinda cool). Thread your yarn needle with a long piece of yarn in a matching color.
Start at one corner and whipstitch through both loops of the edge stitches on both squares. Keep your tension even which is harder than it sounds because you’re gonna want to pull tight but then everything bunches up. I watched half of a movie while doing this part because it’s tedious and my cat kept trying to attack the yarn which didn’t help.
Once you have your panels made (front, back, sides, bottom), you gotta attach them all together. This is where it gets three-dimensional and your brain has to work a little. I attached the bottom to the front panel first, then the bottom to the back panel, then added the side panels connecting everything. The corners where four seams meet are gonna be bulky and that’s just how it is.
Making the Straps
For straps I just chained a really long chain and then worked single crochet back along the chain for like 40 inches. Made two of those. You could also do a thicker strap by chaining like 6 and then working rows of single crochet back and forth to make a wider strap but I wanted something simple.
Attach the straps to the inside of the bag at the side seams. I used my yarn needle to sew them on really securely because you don’t want your strap falling off when you’re carrying groceries or whatever. Go through the strap and the bag fabric multiple times in different spots to reinforce it.
Some people add a button closure or a zipper but honestly I just left mine open because I was tired of the project by that point and also I couldn’t figure out how to attach a zipper without it looking terrible.
The Lining Situation
Okay so the first purse I made I didn’t line it and that was a mistake because everything falls through the gaps in the crochet. Like your chapstick just slides right through. Second time around I got some cotton fabric from the craft store – just like a half yard was plenty – and cut it to fit inside the bag.
I’m not great at sewing so my lining job was pretty rough but basically you measure the inside of your bag, cut fabric pieces for front, back, sides and bottom with like a half inch seam allowance, sew those pieces together on your sewing machine or by hand if you hate yourself, and then hand-stitch the lining to the inside top edge of the crocheted bag. Use a regular needle and thread for this, not your yarn needle.
The lining makes such a difference though. Suddenly it’s an actual functional bag instead of just a decorative object.
Sizing Issues I Ran Into
My first attempt the bag was way too small. Like it fit my phone and maybe a lipstick and that’s it. I was making 3-inch squares instead of 4-inch ones and I only used 3 rounds per square. Had to completely start over which was frustrating but also I gave that tiny bag to my niece and she uses it for her rocks collection so whatever.
For a actual usable purse you want squares that are at least 4 inches, maybe even 5 inches if you want something roomier. And you need enough squares – don’t try to make a bag out of like 8 squares total because it’ll be a sad little pouch.
Also think about the depth of the bag. My first one was basically flat because I didn’t do proper side panels. The side panels give you that depth so you can actually fit a wallet and keys and stuff. Make them at least 2 squares wide if you’re using 4-inch squares.
Color Choices and Yarn Amounts
I used probably about 600 yards total for the whole bag? Maybe a little less. One skein of Caron Simply Soft is like 315 yards I think, so two skeins would probably do it if you’re making a solid color bag. I used three because I wanted the color blocking thing.
The color pattern thing is where you can get creative or you can drive yourself crazy. I did alternating colors in a checkerboard kind of pattern but you could do all one color, or ombre where you gradually shift from light to dark, or random scrappy style. The random thing actually looks cool but you need to make sure you have enough of each color to distribute evenly or it looks lopsided.
Red Heart Super Saver comes in like a million colors and it’s cheap so that’s good for experimenting. Lily Sugar’n Cream is nice if you want cotton instead of acrylic – cotton has a different drape and doesn’t stretch as much which might actually be better for a bag that you’re gonna load up with heavy stuff.
Variations You Could Try
Instead of regular granny squares you could use solid squares which are less holey. Just fill in all the chain spaces with more double crochets. That would make the bag sturdier and you might not even need lining.
Or you could make hexagon grannies instead of squares but then you gotta figure out the geometry of fitting them together which sounds like math and I didn’t wanna deal with that.
Some people make the bottom of the bag as one solid piece instead of squares. Like you could crochet a rectangle in rows and then attach your square panels to the edges of that. Might be more stable actually but I was committed to the all-squares thing.
For straps you could use leather straps from the craft store, or make a chain strap, or do a braided yarn strap which looks cool but takes forever. I saw someone use macrame cord for straps once and that looked really nice and sturdy.
Actual Timeline
The squares themselves go pretty fast. I could make one square in like 20 minutes once I got in a rhythm. So making 12-15 squares is maybe 5-6 hours of actual crocheting spread over a few days.
The joining and assembly took me way longer than expected. Probably another 4-5 hours because I’m slow at sewing and I kept having to redo stuff. If you’re better at finishing work than I am you could probably do it faster.
Lining added another hour or two but I was hand-sewing it because my sewing machine was buried in the closet and I couldn’t be bothered to dig it out.
So total active time maybe 10-12 hours? But spread out over like two weeks because I only worked on it while watching TV or when I felt like it.
What I’d Do Differently Next Time
I’d plan the size better from the start. Like actually measure bags I currently use and like, and make my granny square bag those dimensions instead of just winging it.
I’d also maybe use a sturdier yarn. The Caron Simply Soft is nice and soft but it’s got a lot of stretch to it so the bag kinda sags when you put heavy stuff in it. Something like Wool-Ease or a cotton blend would hold its shape better.
And I’d definitely line it from the beginning instead of treating that as an afterthought.
Oh and I’d probably make the straps a bit shorter. Mine ended up longer than I wanted so the bag hangs too low when I wear it over my shoulder. Measure twice, crochet once or whatever that saying is.
The good thing about this project is you can customize literally everything. Size, colors, strap length, whether you add pockets (you could sew a pocket into the lining), whether you do a closure. It’s pretty forgiving too – if a square isn’t perfect nobody’s really gonna notice once it’s all sewn together.
Anyway that’s basically how you make a granny square purse. Start with squares, make enough of them, sew them into a bag shape, add straps, maybe add lining, and you’re done. It’s not complicated it’s just time-consuming and the finishing work is annoying but the end result is actually pretty useful and people always compliment it when I use it.
