BY LILY • MASTER CROCHETER & PATTERN DESIGNER 37 Granny Square Crochet Kits, Bags, and Books Actually Worth Making Let’s be incredibly honest with each other: granny squares are the absolute foundation of crochet magic. There is a reason they have survived decades of shifting fashion trends! They have a brilliant way of turning a simple, repetitive motif into something […]
By Lily, Master Crochet Designer & Sustainable Bag Maker I will never forget the very first bag I proudly took out in public six years ago. It was a cheerful mustard-yellow shoulder tote that looked immaculate on my mannequin. But two hours into an afternoon flea market trip, disaster struck: the weight of my water bottle and wallet stretched the […]
By Lily, Master Crochet Designer & Handbag Artisan A few years ago, I took a freshly finished tote bag to my weekend farmers market. It looked stunning on my craft room table, but forty minutes into grocery shopping, the reality of physics hit hard: two glass jars of honey and a bunch of carrots stretched the loosely crocheted acrylic strap […]
By Lily, Master Crochet Designer & Functional Accessory Artisan Whenever someone asks me what the true test of a crocheter’s technical skill is, I never say a complex lace doily or an oversized blanket. I always say: a daily handbag. A blanket sits peacefully on a sofa, but a handbag faces the chaotic trials of real life—stuffed with heavy smartphones, […]
By Lily, Master Crochet Designer & Bag Construction Mentor Whenever a beginner asks me what project they should tackle first, they are usually surprised when I steer them away from traditional flat scarves. A scarf requires dozens of endless, repetitive rows where maintaining perfectly straight edges can feel like an exercise in frustration. A bag, on the other hand, is […]
By Lily, Master Crochet Designer & Bag Construction Mentor Whenever a beginner asks me which project will give them the fastest boost of creative confidence, I never recommend a traditional flat scarf. Working seventy inches of identical back-and-forth rows where maintaining straight edge tension feels like an endless chore can quickly drain your enthusiasm. A handmade bag, however, changes everything. […]
