Introducing the River Stone Granny Square Crochet Bag pattern, a beautiful and modern sling-style bag made by seaming together 15 granny puff squares.

The granny square is created by crocheting puff stitches in the round and finishing with simple stitches to form a square. The bag is crocheted in three colours using the stunning Upcycle Alpaca Blend from WeCrochet.

If you’re new to crocheting granny squares or need a refresher, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with a step-by-step video tutorial available on our YouTube channel. The tutorial covers how to crochet the granny square and seam the bag together with a simple strap.

Get ready to create a unique and stylish bag perfect for the season with the River Stone Granny Square crochet bag pattern.

Below, you will find everything you need to make this Granny Square Crochet Bag, including the yarn, hook, materials, free written pattern for blog subscribers, pictures and a video tutorial. If you love this free crochet bag pattern, please share!

Lady holding up granny square crochet bag

Can a Beginner Make a Crochet Bag?

A beginner crochet can certainly make a granny square crochet bag. While the crochet puff stitch may seem a bit daunting or challenging at first, with some practice and patience, you can master it. Practice makes perfect! Take your time, and do not get discouraged if your first attempt is imperfect. A helpful tip I can provide to a beginner would be to keep your working puff stitches very loose. Crocheting is a creative process; the more you practice, the more confident and skilled you will become. Have fun and enjoy the process of making your granny square crochet bag.

What Stitch is best for a Crochet Bag?

The crochet puff stitch is the ultimate stitch for a crochet bag. An unrivalled choice for fashioning the ideal bag. Its thick, sturdy nature effortlessly withstands the everyday wear and tear your bag will inevitably encounter. Be amazed by the puff stitch granny square, boasting tightly woven stitches that result in a remarkably robust and reliable bag.

What Yarn is Best for a Crochet Bag?

When it comes to choosing the perfect yarn for a crochet bag, durability and quality are key factors to consider. That’s why we believe that the WeCrochet Upcycle Alpaca Blend yarn is the ultimate choice. Crafted with a unique blend of alpaca, wool, and acrylic, this yarn showcases the utmost versatility and strength for any crochet project.

The inclusion of alpaca fibers lends a luxurious softness and warmth to your bag, making it cozy and comfortable to carry. Alpaca fibers are known for their hypoallergenic qualities, making this yarn an excellent option for those with sensitive skin or allergies. Its natural insulation properties also help to regulate temperature, ensuring that your belongings are protected in all weather conditions.

The WeCrochet Upcycle Alpaca Blend yarn combines the strength of wool and acrylic, resulting in a durable and long-lasting crochet bag. The wool content adds elasticity and structure, ensuring that your bag retains its shape even with regular use.

WeCrochet Upcycle Alpaca Blend yarn truly stands out as the best option for crocheting a bag. Its alpaca, wool, and acrylic blend perfectly balance softness, durability, and maintenance. When you embark on the River Stone Granny Bag, consider using this exceptional yarn, and you’ll be rewarded with a bag that is both functional and beautiful.

Yarn Requirements

Upcycle Alpaca Blend Worsted Weight #4

219yd/100g, 33% Alpaca, 34% Wool, 33% Acrylic, Shown in

Parchment (MC) – 2 balls or 275 yds

Linen (A) – 1 ball, or 170 yds

Fruit Punch (B) – 1 ball or 100 yds

Substituting yarn

Yarn substitution is an essential skill for crocheters, allowing them to achieve the desired results even when the original yarn listed in a pattern is unavailable. For instance, the River Stone granny bag pattern uses WeCrochet Upcycle Alpaca, a worsted weight (4) yarn made of 33% Alpaca, 34% Wool, and 33% Acrylic. This yarn is soft enough for next-to-skin wear and rugged enough to keep you warm all winter long. However, since Upcycle is made with recycled fibers that vary in size, causing slight variations in yarn thickness from skein to skein, it is recommended to swatch before starting a project.

If you want to substitute the yarn for this pattern, you can find a list of suitable alternatives on the next page. However, it is crucial to do a gauge swatch with your chosen yarn and adjust your hook size accordingly to achieve the pattern’s specified gauge for correct sizing. This will ensure that the final bag turns out as intended.

Yarn Substitutes

Brava Worsted or Brava Tweed 218yds/100g

Versatility meets affordability; Brava is a 100% acrylic yarn that will keep up with all of life’s adventures! Gentle enough for sensitive skin, Brava is a hard-wearing yarn that works wonders for projects where durability and easy care is a must.

Dishie cotton 190yds/100g

Our practical prodigy and home décor hero, Dishie is a hardworking worsted weight 100% cotton yarn with a tight spin and high absorbency.

Wool of the Andes Worsted or Tweed 110yds/50g

For the sweater you will wear a thousand times or the blanket you wil use every night, our classic worsted wool yarn is spun and plied carefully to achieve a wonderfully balanced twist. Spun from Peruvian wool, the strong fiber has an excellent balance of structure, loft, and drape that serves a wide variety of uses.

Heatherly worsted 218yds/100g

With a blend of acrylic and Merino wool, Heatherly is the perfect choice for baby blankets and other baby projects that require next-to-skin softness! Cheerful colours mixed with white provide a wide range of pastel heathers to choose from.

Crochet Hooks Needed

US G+/7 (4.5mm)

Shop the Set

Or size needed to obtain gauge

Additional Supplies needed for the Crochet Bag

Gauge

Granny Square: 6 rounds equal to 5″ x 5″ with 4.5mm hook blocked

Video Tutorial

Join me and follow along with my detailed video tutorial to quickly complete the River Stone Granny Bag.

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Granny Square Crochet Bag Construction

To create your granny square motifs, you’ll start by crocheting them in the round. Begin each square with a circular puff stitch pattern, then transition to using double, half double, and single crochet stitches to form the square shape. Finish off each square with a round of double crochet stitches. Crochet a total of 15 squares, as shown in the provided diagram. Once all the squares are complete, you’ll need to join them together using the single crochet joining method with the right sides facing each other. After joining, fold the bag together to finalize the seaming. To complete the project, add a strap and edging.

A set of crocheted granny squares surrounded by pine cones.

Techniques

Seamless Join – After the last stitch of the round, fasten off. With a yarn needle, weave under both loops of the first st, then weave through the blo of the last stitch. Weave in tail.

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Granny Square Bag Crochet Pattern

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Abbreviations

Blo – Back Loop Only

Ch – Chain

Dc – Double Crochet

Flo – Front Loop Only

Hdc – Half Double Crochet

Puff Stitch – [Yo (yarn over), go through indicated stitch and pull up a loop] 4 times, yo, pull through all 9 loops on the hook.

Rep – Repeat

RS – Right Side

Sc – Single Crochet

Sk – Skip

Sl St – Slip Stitch

Sp(s) – Space(s)

St(s) – Stitch(es)

WS – Wrong Side

( ) – Work step in parentheses in indicated stitch

[ ] – Work step in brackets number of times indicated

Puff Granny Square:

Make 15 squares

Work in 1 colour or alternate colours. Use a thumb join to join colours as you go, or cut and weave tails.

Round 1:

With MC, Magic Ring, ch 1, *work (1 puff st, ch 1) in the ring; rep from * 5 more times, pull ring tight, sl st in first puff to join—6 puff sts.

Round 2:

Sl st across to ch-1 sp, ch 1 (not included as a st here and throughout), *work (1 puff st, ch 1, 1 puff st, ch 1) in ch-1 sp; rep from * around, sl st in first puff to join—12 puff sts.

Round 3:

Sl st across to ch-1 sp, change to A, ch 1, *work (1 puff st, ch 1) in ch-1 sp, work (1 puff st, ch 1, 1 puff st, ch 1) in next ch-1 sp; rep from * around, sl st in first puff to join—18 puff sts.

Round 4:

Sl st across to ch-1 sp, ch 1, *work (1 puff st, ch 1) in each of next 2 ch-1 sps, work (1 puff st, ch 1, 1 puff st, ch 1) in next ch-1 sp; rep from * around, sl st in first puff to join—24 puff sts.

Round 5:

Sl st across to ch-1 sp, change to B, (ch 3 (counts as dc here and next round), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc) in ch-1 sp, 2 dc in next ch-1 sp, 2 hdc in next ch-1 sp, 2 sc in next ch-1 sp, 2 hdc in next ch 1 sp, 2 dc in next ch-1 sp, *work (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc) in next ch-1 sp, 2 dc in next ch-1 sp, 2 hdc in next ch-1 sp, 2 sc in next ch-1 sp, 2 hdc in next ch-1 sp, 2 dc in next ch-1 sp; rep from * around 2 more times, sl st in the first dc to join— 64 sts. If using the thumb join cut a 2-3″ tail.

Round 6:

Sl st across to ch-1 sp, change to MC, (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc) in ch-1 sp, 1 dc in each st to corner, * work (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc) in corner ch-1 sp, 1 dc in each st to corner; rep from * around, sl st in the first dc to join—88 sts. Fasten off and weave in tails.

Block Squares

Fill a basin or sink with lukewarm water and add a small amount of soak wash. Alternatively, use a spray bottle to dampen the squares.
Allow the squares to soak for 25-30 minutes.
Remove the squares from the water and gently squeeze out the excess water.
Use a blocking peg board or blocking mats with measuring lines to block the squares to a 5″ measurement. Pin the squares to the board or mats.
Allow the squares to fully dry. This usually takes 2-4 hours, but the drying time may vary depending on the size of the squares.
It is suggested to batch block as you go to save time and effort.

Diagram 1

When joining your crochet squares together, follow these steps:

Start by placing two squares with the right sides facing each other.
Put a slip knot on your hook.
Go through the ch-1 sp corner of each square, working a sc to join.
Work through the flo of the first square and the blo of the second square, completing a sc stitch.
Work in this manner across, ending with a sc in the ch-1 corner.
Continue joining as many squares as you can without fastening off.
Continue until all squares are joined.

Diagram 2

To make the granny bag, follow these steps:

Fold the bag in half at the dotted line, with the right sides facing.
Fold squares 1-4 in half to join the bag and create the shape.
Use the single crochet joining method to complete seaming the bag together.

Strap

Notes:

Alter the length of the strap by chaining more or less chains. Put a slip knot on your hook and join yarn with a sl st to the top ch-1 corner of square 2 per diagram 2.

Row 1:

Ch 100, sl st in the corner ch-1 sp of square 1 per diagram, sc in the same sp, turn, sc in the back bump of each ch across, ending with 1 sc in the corner ch-1 sp—102 sts.

Edging Side 1

Notes:

When completing the edging, work through each st and 1 st in the ch-1 corner of each square. The following rounds will complete the edging as well as one side of the strap.

Round 1:

Sc in the corner ch-1 sp, sc in each st across the strap and corner ch-1 sp, sc in each st around the edge of the bag and back to the strap.

Round 2:

Sc in each st around the strap and bag edge; at the strap, fasten off and finish with a seamless join. Weave in tails.

Edging Side 2

Notes:

Put a slip knot on your hook and join yarn with a sc to the first st before the strap at the square 1 side per diagram.

Round 1:

Sc in each st across the strap and corner ch-1 sp, sc in each st around the edge of the bag and back to the strap.

Round 2:

Sc in each st around the strap and bag edge; at the strap, fasten off and finish with a seamless join. Weave in tails.

Image of granny square bag before it is seamed together.

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This pattern is designed by Michelle Moore of MJ’s Off The Hook Designs Inc., based in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada. Your go-to source for modern, easy crochet patterns. Published on November 13, 2025.

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