I love, love, LOVE tote bags. They're so cute! And they hold all of your stuff! I've never really needed one until recently, as I'm starting to go out more often without my parents to hold my stuff. Since I couldn't find any tote bags around the house to suit my style, I decided to make one myself!
Granny squares were the first thing I learned to make (spoiler alert: I didn't make them very well). My auntie, who taught me how to crochet in the first place, used to make scarves and blankets with granny squares all the time! I thought they would make crocheting a stylish and patterned tote bag easier, and indeed they did. I used the Dainty Daisy Granny Square pattern from Just Be Crafty, which you can find here. The tutorial was really easy to follow and the flowers were just beautiful, so I highly recommend checking it out! It's a great pattern for beginners; in fact, my mom, who just got back into crochet recently, made all of the purple squares for this bag! She also helped choose the granny square pattern and the lovely color scheme that I used, and she took all the pictures for this post. Thanks, mom! <3
After I sewed the granny squares together using a blanket stitch, I freehanded the rim and the straps. I wanted it to have an interesting texture, but I didn't want to look up complex patterns that would take forever. After all, I wanted something basic for my first time designing a bag. So, I used a mixture of single crochets, double crochets, and treble crochets to make a simple but varied pattern, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out!
For the rim, I did two rounds of single crochets, then a round of double crochets, then two more rounds of single crochets. For the straps, I started with five rounds of five single crochets, then a round of double crochets, then five more rounds of single crochets, then a round of treble crochets. I repeated that pattern until I had the desired length for the straps, which I wanted to be around shoulder length.
Overall, I'm really happy with the way the bag turned out! If I had to make this bag again, I would probably use 32 granny squares instead of the 24 I used. While I love the size of the bag and the checkered pattern I made with the different colors, the bag was a little too small to serve my habits of packing snacks and drinks. Aside from that, I still think this is a very cute bag for casual outings, and would probably go along well with any outfit!
Thanks for reading this post! If you would like to try making this bag yourself, let me know down in the comments! I can write a more formal pattern and tutorial in the future if there's enough interest. =)
Have a splendiferous day!
Jonalie
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