💡Note 01
💡 The 3.00 mm hook paired with the light 1.00 mm cotton is intentionally snug — that dense fabric is what gives this handbag its structure. If your first square feels stiff to work, you're doing it right; don't size up the hook or the bag will slouch
💡Note 02
💡 Buy all three black balls from the same dye lot before you start. Black cotton varies between lots more than you'd expect, and one off-shade square is very visible once the bag is assembled
💡Note 03
💡 Weave in your ends after every finished square instead of saving them for the end — each 8-round square carries several color-change tails, and across a full bag that's a mountain of ends
💡Note 04
💡 Wet-block your squares to a uniform 3.54 inches before joining. Even tiny size differences compound across a row and can twist the bag body out of shape
💡Note 05
💡 Test the strap length before fastening off: pin the bag together, drape the strap over your shoulder in a mirror, and add stitches now if you want a longer drop — lengthening after everything is seamed is much fussier
💡Note 06
💡 If you're adding the fabric lining, insert it before attaching the pocket: slip stitch a spare granny square to the lining on three sides, leaving the top open, so the pocket's weight pulls on the lining instead of stretching the crochet fabric
💡Note 07
🎨 Colors: While cotton creates firm summer bags, soft wool or acrylic yarns offer cozy alternatives for colder weather. For a striking variation, mostly black with hot pink edges creates dramatic dark-centered flowers. You could also introduce multiple colors for a rainbow effect, add colorful petals to each flower, or work a multicolored border. In Round 4, choose the color that matches the flower center to create visual continuity.
💡Note 08
🧩 16 pieces in total: 14 African flower granny squares for the bag body, plus 2 flower pieces without a border for the strap. Each full square is 8 rounds — Rounds 1-6 build the flower, Rounds 7-8 add the border; the two strap flowers only repeat Round 1 to Round 4.
💡Note 09
🧩 Lay out the 14 squares one by one in the recommended arrangement before joining, then join with slip stitches: make a knot on your hook, insert the hook through the back loops of matching stitches of two adjacent squares, and work sl st along the edge.
💡Note 10
🧩 Bag strap: start with a knot, ch4, sk the 4th ch, sc in the third loop of each ch; turn, ch1 to start, sc in each st across, and repeat until the strap reaches your desired length. Fold each strap and sew the long edges together into a rope-like tube to make it stronger and less stretchy, leaving both ends flat and unsewn for attaching to the bag.
💡Note 11
🧩 Sew the two straps onto the top edge of the bag body.
💡Note 12
🧩 Sliding flower decor: place the strap between the two flower pieces, aligning them so the flowers match on both sides, then sew around the edges of the flowers with matching yarn, catching only the flower pieces (not the strap) and keeping the stitches loose enough that the joined flowers slide freely along the strap.
