Navy Diamond Granny Tote Crochet Pattern

I love a tote that is built like a puzzle, and this one comes together in such a satisfying way! Four flower-centre granny squares join into a ring, the ring sits on a sturdy oval base, and then we finish everything with dense bands, crocheted straps and two matching tassels. The stepped, diamond-like frames are just simple colour changes in double crochet rounds — no tricky stitches at all.

Navy and white cotton gives the bag that classic, fresh look I reach for all year. The finished bag measures about 34 to 36 cm wide and 25 to 28 cm tall, with a handle drop of around 23 to 25 cm, so it is a lovely size for everyday errands, a farmers market run, or carrying your current project.

We will work joined rounds with the right side always facing us, sew the squares together, shape the oval base, and attach sturdy handles. If you have made granny squares before, you already know the core technique — let us put it to work!

Materials

• 500 metres of sturdy worsted weight cotton yarn in navy blue (Colour A), plus about 15% extra to be safe
• 300 metres of sturdy worsted weight cotton yarn in white (Colour B), plus about 15% extra to be safe
• 4.0mm crochet hook, for the squares
• 3.5mm crochet hook, for the bands and straps
• Tapestry needle
• 8 stitch markers
• Scissors
• Optional: cotton lining fabric, 80 x 50 cm
• Optional: two 60 cm lengths of 20mm cotton webbing, to stabilise the handles

Abbreviations

• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• st/sts: stitch / stitches
• sp: space
• RS/WS: right side / wrong side
• rep: repeat
• inc: increase, work 2 stitches in one stitch
• sc2tog / dc2tog: join the next 2 stitches into 1 (a decrease)

Gauge & Size

• Finished size: about 34 to 36 cm wide and 25 to 28 cm tall, handle drop about 23 to 25 cm
• Gauge: one blocked 7-round square measures 18 cm along each side; four squares joined give a 72 cm circumference; the dense bands work to about 20 sc per 10 cm
• Construction: four joined squares form a ring, sewn to an oval base, finished with top and bottom bands, two straps and two tassels
• Skill level: Intermediate

Turning chains do not count as a stitch unless a step says so. A ch 3 at the start of a round counts as a dc, and we join to its top. Change colour on the final pull-through of the last stitch before joining, or fasten off and join the new colour neatly.

Flower Squares (Make 4)

Round 1 (Colour B): Make an adjustable ring, ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 11 dc into the ring, join with a sl st to the top of the ch 3. (12 dc)

Round 2 (Colour B): Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in the same stitch, work 2 dc in each of the remaining 11 stitches around, join. (24 dc)

Round 3 (Colour B): Ch 3, work (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same stitch for the first corner, dc in the next 5 stitches, then repeat [(2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next stitch for a corner, dc in the next 5 stitches] 3 more times, join to the top of the ch 3. (36 dc, with 4 corner ch-2 spaces and 9 dc between each corner space)

Round 4 (Colour A): Join Colour A in any corner ch-2 space, work (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in each corner space and dc in every dc along each side, join. (52 dc, with 13 dc between corners)

Round 5 (Colour A): Repeat Round 4, working into every side stitch and making corner shells in each corner space, join. (68 dc, with 17 dc between corners)

Round 6 (Colour B): Repeat Round 4, join. (84 dc, with 21 dc between corners)

Round 7 (Colour A): Repeat Round 4, fasten off. (100 dc, with 25 dc between corners)

Block each square to exactly 18 x 18 cm without distorting the corner angles. All four squares must match in size before we join them.

Joining the Body Ring

Arrange the four squares side by side with all right sides facing up. Using Colour B and your tapestry needle, sew adjacent vertical edges through the outer loops only, matching the 25 dc stitches between corner spaces on each square, and secure each corner with 2 small stitches.

Join the last square to the first to form a ring, leaving the top and bottom open. Lay the ring flat with one square centred on the front — the seams will sit near the curved side edges of the finished bag.

Oval Base

Switch to the 3.5mm hook. The base is worked in continuous rounds, so place a marker in your first stitch and move it up each round.

Round 1 (Colour A): Ch 22, sc in the second ch from hook, sc in the next 19 ch, work 3 sc in the last ch, rotate to work along the underside of the chain, sc in the next 19 ch, work 2 sc in the last ch beside your first sc. (44 sts)

Round 2: Work 2 sc in the first stitch, sc in the next 19 stitches, inc in each of the next 3 stitches, sc in the next 19 stitches, inc in each of the last 2 stitches. (50 sts)

Round 3: (Sc, inc), sc 19, (sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (sc, inc) twice. (56 sts)

Round 4: Work (2 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (2 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (2 sc, inc) twice. (62 sts)

Round 5: Work (3 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (3 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (3 sc, inc) twice. (68 sts)

Round 6: Work (4 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (4 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (4 sc, inc) twice. (74 sts)

Round 7: Work (5 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (5 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (5 sc, inc) twice. (80 sts)

Round 8: Work (6 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (6 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (6 sc, inc) twice. (86 sts)

Round 9: Work (7 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (7 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (7 sc, inc) twice. (92 sts)

Round 10: Work (8 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (8 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (8 sc, inc) twice. (98 sts)

Round 11: Work (9 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (9 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (9 sc, inc) twice. (104 sts)

Round 12: Work (10 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (10 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (10 sc, inc) twice. (110 sts)

Round 13: Work (11 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (11 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (11 sc, inc) twice. (116 sts)

Round 14: Work (12 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (12 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (12 sc, inc) twice. (122 sts)

Round 15: Work (13 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (13 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (13 sc, inc) twice. (128 sts)

Round 16: Work (14 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (14 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (14 sc, inc) twice. (134 sts)

Round 17: Work (15 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (15 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (15 sc, inc) twice. (140 sts)

Round 18: Work (16 sc, inc) once, sc 19, (16 sc, inc) 3 times, sc 19, (16 sc, inc) twice. (146 sts)

Keep the 19-stitch straight sections aligned from round to round — that is what keeps the oval shape smooth instead of lumpy.

Base Wall & Lower Border

Base Wall Round: Work 1 round of sc in the back loops only around the base. (146 sts)

Work 4 more rounds of sc in both loops. (146 sts per round)

Sl st to join and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Your final base has a perimeter of about 73 cm at gauge, which eases by about 1 cm against the 72 cm blocked square ring when sewn.

Lower Body Border Round 1 (Colour B): Join Colour B at one lower square corner, work 1 sc in each of the 25 dc and 2 sc in each corner space around each square bottom — 29 sc per square. (116 sts)

Lower Body Border Round 2: Join with a sl st, ch 1, work a second round of sc. (116 sc)

Join and fasten off.

Joining Base to Body

Quarter-mark both the base and the body ring with markers. Match the markers and sew with Colour A through both layers using small whipstitches.

Each quarter matches 29 body stitches to either 36 or 37 base stitches, so make 2 base attachments to one body stitch at 7 or 8 evenly spaced positions in that quarter. Do not skip any body stitches — the different stitch densities are intentional, because the measured circumferences match.

Top Band

Top Band Round 1 (Colour B): Work 116 sc around the top edge exactly as you did at the lower body edge, join. Use the 4.0mm hook if this round pulls the squares in too much. (116 sts)

Top Band Round 2 (Colour A): Ch 1, repeat (sc 3, inc) 28 times, then sc 4. (144 sts)

Switch to the 3.5mm hook after this round.

Top Band Rounds 3 to 8: Sc in each stitch around, joining every round. (144 sts per round)

Finish with one loose sl st round. The opening should stay about 72 cm around, without flaring or cinching.

Straps (Make 2)

With Colour A and the 3.5mm hook, ch 7.

Row 1: Sc in the second ch from hook and in the next 5 ch, ch 1, turn. (6 sts)

Repeat rows of 6 sc until the strip measures 60 cm. Make two identical straps.

Fold each strip lengthwise and whipstitch the long edges together to make a thick, narrow strap, leaving 4 cm flat at both ends for sewing to the bag. For reduced stretch, enclose the cotton webbing inside each strap before seaming it closed.

Tassels (Make 2)

Wrap Colour A yarn 35 times around a 10 cm piece of cardboard. Tie a doubled 20 cm strand through the top loops, cut the bottom loops open, then bind firmly 1.5 cm below the top to form the tassel head and trim the ends evenly.

Attach one tassel to each side seam just below the top band, weaving the attachment tails deeply through at least 3 cm of fabric for security.

Finishing & Assembly

Lay the bag flat with the front motif centred. Mark two attachment points on the front about 8 cm apart, and matching points on the back. Sew each flat strap end 4 cm down inside the top band, using a rectangle and diagonal cross stitch pattern for strength and sewing through several rows, not only the top loops. Both handles must have the same drop — give each a gentle tug before you load the bag.

For the optional lining, cut two fabric rectangles to your measured flat width plus 2 cm and height plus 2 cm. Sew the sides and bottom with 1 cm allowances, box the lower corners to match the base depth, turn the upper edge under 1 cm and press, then hand sew the lining just below the top band, catching the yarn on the inside only. Keep the lining slightly roomy, and place the handle reinforcing ends between the lining and the crochet for extra support.

Weave in all ends through several directions for security, support the base while shaping the bag, and let it dry flat after blocking. Test your finished bag with a light load first, and check the base seam and strap attachments carefully.

Tips

Block your squares before joining. Unblocked squares rarely match perfectly, and that makes the assembly frustrating.

Cotton stretches over time with weight, so I really recommend the lining and the reinforced straps before carrying heavier things — they keep your bag looking great for years.

Take your time with the whipstitch joins. Neat seams make a big difference to how polished the finished tote looks.

Make a complete square and a 10 cm sc swatch before you start assembly, and adjust your hook size up or down if you need to — all four squares must match.