Granny Square Market Tote Bag PROJECT

Granny Square Market Tote

I think I might be sliding into the granny square bandwagon … last spring I blogged a bit about grannies but I didn’t really get the itch to join the gook until the summer yarns started drifting in (it also didn’t hurt that I saw a lady at the art gallery wearing. groovy crochet granny cardigan and I saw how beautiful they can be).

• Crochet Grannies Part 1: Squares
• Crochet Grannies Part 2: Stripes

Anyway, I found the Granny Square Market Tote and thought it was a fun, cute simple project. The pattern is available for FREE with some support video tutorials, or if you want a more succinct printable version you can pay for that. It’s a simple construction, just 3 big granny squares that are joined together and folded up, so it’s very easy crocheting. I used 3 skeins of Berroco Modern Cotton and a 4.5mm/US7 crochet hook, so it was easy on materials too. I definitely recommend using a plant-based fibre for bags, they wear better. Berroco Modern Cotton is a blend of Cotton and Viscose (a cellulose based fibre made from plants … bamboo yarn is a cellulose fibre), which makes it soft, strong, and the viscose gives the yarn a smooth surface and slight sheen.

You can see notes on my modifications below (I didn’t do anything too intense to change the pattern, mostly I just added a strap and the instructions for that are below and in my notes on Ravelry.

Overall, I think it worked out really beautifully and I think the Trinity Tote will be next! Or maybe the Salena Sweater ….

Materials

• Berroco Modern Cotton: 3 skeins (shown in colour 1656 Napa Tree)
• 4.5mm crochet hook
• Tapestry/darning needle
• FREE Pattern

Modifications

• I did the JAYGO (join-as-you-go) with the wrong sides facing (as described in the instructions), but the seams looked messy that way (I thought I did it correctly according to the video, but I could be wrong), so instead of ripping it all back I turned the bag inside-out and finished it with the wrong side out. The JAYGO technique is fast and avoids seaming, but for a nice straight seam you could skip it and just make 3 squares and sew them together.
• I skipped the part in Square 3 round 13 where you join the tops of the two sides of the work together (I think it’s in the 6th line “(3Dc, Ch 1, JAYGO into Square 2 unworked Ch-3 space ….)” and just kept going around because I wanted to add a strap.
• The pattern instructions don’t include a strap, despite the fact that there’s a strap in the picture. I added a strap, the instructions for how I did it are below.