Granny Square Bag Pattern (13 Motifs, Layout and Assembly)

Granny Square Bag Pattern Overview

Making this bag is two jobs. The first is thirteen identical motifs, which is repetitive but familiar. The second is turning those squares into a bag, and that is where most crocheters hesitate. The assembly section below is written to answer that, so read it before you start joining.

How many granny squares does this bag need? Thirteen, each worked in five rounds and measuring approximately 6 in (15 cm) square. The count matters because the bag’s shape depends on it: change the number of squares and you are no longer making this bag.

Skill Level and What the Work Involves

I would call this pattern Easy, with a condition: you should already be comfortable working a granny square in the round, including the chain-space corners. The stitches are only chain, slip stitch, double crochet and single crochet. The effort comes from elsewhere: thirteen motifs, a yarn that changes color on its own and needs a little coaxing to change at the end of a round, a whipstitch seam worked through back loops only, and at least two yarn tails per motif, which means around 26 ends to weave in. None of it is hard, but all of it takes patience.

Materials for the Crochet Granny Square Bag

• Yarn: Red Heart All in One Granny Square, 1 ball in Moody Cherry (2019). The ball is 8.8 oz / 250 g and 417 yds / 381 m, and it makes all 13 squares.
• Hook: US I/9 (5.5 mm), or the size needed to reach gauge.
• Yarn needle
• Tape measure
• Optional: 10 yds / 9.5 m of black worsted yarn, in case the black sections of the self-striping yarn do not stretch far enough for joining.

A self-striping pull skein changes color by itself in set lengths, and you pull the working end from the center of the skein. In this pattern each of the five colors lines up with one round, and the shortest color repeat, Color 1, starts every motif so the colors land in the same order each time. The black sections are kept for joining the motifs, which is also why the straps are worked from the other sections.

If you substitute another yarn, match the 6 in motif first. Also expect the color changes to miss the round ends unless the yarn behaves like the original, because the one-color-per-round layout depends on it.

Gauge and Finished Size

Gauge for this pattern is one motif: approximately 6 in (15 cm) square. The motif is its own swatch, so make one, fasten off, and measure it flat from edge to edge before you commit to all 13.

Gauge matters more here than on a blanket, because the bag is simply the sum of its motifs. Motifs that run small give a smaller bag, motifs that run large give a larger one, and the approximate 16 in × 16 in finished size assumes 6 in motifs. It also affects joining, since every motif needs to be the same size for the stitches to line up edge to edge. If your first motif is off, change the hook size (smaller for a smaller motif, larger for a larger one) and make another. Tightening or loosening your tension to fix a color change, covered next, nudges the size slightly too, so keep the tape measure nearby. Changing the overall bag size would mean changing the motif size or the number of motifs, and this pattern is written for one size only.

Abbreviations

Everything here is written in US terms. A US double crochet is the same stitch as a UK treble crochet.

• ch = chain(s)
• dc = double crochet
• sc = single crochet
• sl st = slip stitch
• sp(s) = space(s)
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rnd(s) = round(s)
• rep = repeat
• RS = right side
• WS = wrong side

Handling the Color Changes in Self-Striping Yarn

The self-striping yarn is the one part of this pattern that behaves differently from a plain granny square, so it deserves a minute before you pick up the hook.

1. Pull the yarn from the center of the skein and start with Color 1, the shortest color repeat. Leave a 4 in (10 cm) tail for weaving in.
2. Work one round per color. There are five colors in total, so each motif is five rounds.
3. If too much of a color is left at the end of a round, pull back some stitches and loosen your tension slightly. Re-work those stitches so the round finishes at the color change.
4. If too little of a color is left, pull back some stitches and tighten your tension slightly, then re-work so the round finishes at the color change.
5. After round 5, cut the yarn where Color 5, the longest repeat, ends, leaving a tail for weaving in. Begin the next motif with Color 1.

Pulling back is a smaller fix than it sounds, because you are only moving where the round ends by a stitch or two. Keep the tension change slight and measure the motif afterward. If a round ends mid-color, the next round starts in the wrong color and the whole motif drifts out of step with the others.

How to Crochet a Granny Square Bag: The Motif (Make 13)

Every round starts with ch 6. The first three chains count as a double crochet and the other three form a ch-3 space, so you begin each round already holding a corner. That is also why the rounds finish with 2 dc: those two stitches plus the beginning chain’s double crochet make up the three-stitch half of the first corner. Round 1 works the same way into the ring.

Foundation: With Color 1, ch 4. Join with a sl st to the first ch to form a ring. (4 ch)

Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 6. Work (3 dc, ch 3) 3 times in the ring, then 2 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the third ch of the beginning ch 6. (12 dc, 4 ch-3 corner sps)

Rnd 2: Sl st into the nearest ch-3 sp. Ch 6, then 3 dc in the same sp. *Ch 1, work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in the next ch-3 sp. Rep from * 2 more times. Ch 1, then 2 dc in the first ch-3 sp. Join. (24 dc, 4 ch-1 sps, 4 ch-3 corner sps)

Rnd 3: Sl st into the nearest ch-3 sp. Ch 6, then 3 dc in the same sp. *Ch 1, 3 dc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1, work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in the next ch-3 sp. Rep from * 2 more times. Ch 1, 3 dc in the last ch-1 sp, ch 1, then 2 dc in the first ch-3 sp. Join. (36 dc, 8 ch-1 sps, 4 ch-3 corner sps)

Rnds 4 and 5: Sl st into the nearest ch-3 sp. Ch 6, then 3 dc in the same sp. *Work (ch 1, 3 dc) in each ch-1 sp along the side to the next corner, ch 1, then work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in the corner ch-3 sp. Rep from * 2 more times. Work (ch 1, 3 dc) in each ch-1 sp along the last side, ch 1, then 2 dc in the first ch-3 sp. Join. (Rnd 4: 48 dc, 12 ch-1 sps. Rnd 5: 60 dc, 16 ch-1 sps. Both rounds have 4 ch-3 corner sps.)

Fasten off after rnd 5, cutting the yarn where Color 5 ends and leaving a tail for weaving in. Each round adds one more 3-dc group to every side, so counting the groups along one edge is the quickest check that the motif is on track.

Make 13 motifs in total, starting each one with Color 1. I would weave in the ends as you finish each motif rather than saving all 26 for the end, since a loose tail is much easier to reach on a single square than inside a joined bag.

Granny Square Bag Layout and Assembly

The layout decides the bag’s shape. Lay all 13 motifs flat, right side up, in the arrangement shown on the layout diagrams. The diagrams label the sides of the motifs with letters, and an edge only ever joins to the edge carrying the same letter. That lettering is what stops you guessing. I would mark each edge with a small slip of paper or masking tape before joining anything.

1. Hold two motifs with their wrong sides together and the stitches aligned, so every stitch and corner sits directly over its partner.
2. Attach a black section of the yarn with a sl st in the top right corner of the aligned motifs.
3. Following the diagrams, join the motifs by working a whipstitch through the back loops only, passing the needle through both thicknesses.
4. Before each seam, check that the letters on the two edges match.
5. Fasten off at the end of each seam.

Use only the black sections of the yarn for joining. If they run short, the optional 10 yds / 9.5 m of black worsted yarn covers the extra length. Working through back loops only means each seam uses one loop from each motif rather than the whole stitch. Join one seam at a time and read the letters first, because unpicking a whipstitch is much easier than rearranging a finished bag.

Making the Two Straps

Make 2 straps. The yarn is self-striping, so let the colors change as they appear, and use any section except the black ones you are saving for joining.

Foundation: Ch 68. (68 ch)

Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (67 sc)

Rows 2 and 3: Ch 1, sc in each sc across. Turn. (67 sc)

Fasten off. Sew the straps to the bag in the positions shown in the finished-bag photograph. To change the strap length, change the foundation chain; the sc count is always one fewer than the chain, and both straps should match.

Finishing the Bag

Weave in every tail, including the 4 in (10 cm) starting tail on each motif, then look over each seam from both sides for gaps at the corners where four motifs meet. Secure the strap ends firmly, since they carry the weight of the bag.

Blocking is optional. If you want to try it, see how to block crochet pieces and check your yarn label first. For washing, follow the care instructions on the yarn band rather than guessing.

Optional Changes

These are ideas outside the pattern itself. You can use another colorway of the same yarn, or join the squares in black or a solid color. Strap length can be changed through the foundation chain. A lining or closure would be your own addition, since the design has neither, and it has no pockets.

Troubleshooting

Too much or too little color at the end of a round

Pull back a few stitches, then re-work them with slightly looser tension if color is left over, or slightly tighter if it ran out early, so the round finishes at the color change.

Motifs larger or smaller than 6 in

The bag will come out proportionally larger or smaller than 16 in, and the seams are harder to match. Change hook size and remake a motif before making the rest.

Edges that do not line up

Check each motif first: rnd 5 should have 60 dc, 16 ch-1 sps and 4 corner spaces. A missed stitch or corner is the usual cause.

Joining the wrong edges

Label the edges and check that the letters match before each seam. If a seam is wrong, unpick it straight away.

Uneven corners or edges after joining

Uneven seams usually mean the stitches were not aligned or the whipstitch tension varied. Unpick and rework the seam with stitches matched one for one.

Straps too stiff or too loose

Relax your tension if they feel stiff. For length, adjust the foundation chain and keep both straps equal.

Granny Square Bag Pattern FAQ

How many granny squares do I need?

Thirteen, each worked in five rounds.

How big is the finished bag?

About 16 in (40.5 cm) wide by 16 in (40.5 cm) deep, excluding the straps, when each motif measures about 6 in.

What yarn and hook does it use?

Red Heart All in One Granny Square in Moody Cherry and a US I/9 (5.5 mm) hook, or the size needed to reach gauge. Another yarn can work if you match the 6 in motif.

Why is the joining worked in black?

The black sections of the self-striping yarn are reserved for joining, so the seams stay in one color.

Can I use solid colors instead?

Yes, as an optional change. You will then choose each round’s color yourself and skip the color-change handling.

What stitch joins the squares?

A whipstitch worked through the back loops only, through both thicknesses, with the wrong sides together.

How do I adjust the strap length?

Change the foundation chain. The row 1 sc count will always be one fewer than the chain.

Is the pattern free?

Yes, the full pattern is written out on this page.