Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Bags & Purses 14 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Crochet fringe clutch purse with pearl button
Fringe clutch worked in dc rounds with BLO rows, crab-stitch edge, D-ring strap. H/5mm hook.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5 mm
- Rounds
- 14
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
14
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This clutch starts as a flat oval base built from a foundation chain and grows in double crochet rounds before shifting to back-loop-only rows that raise a ridged wall around the purse body. A crab-stitch edge and a turned single-crochet strap tab finish the top opening, and the tab folds over a D-ring and stitches down through the front loop and last row for a working closure. Fringe is added afterward through the loops created in Row 4. Before you pick up a hook, have your worsted-weight yarn, H/5mm hook, yarn needle, and a DVD case on hand — the case sets the length for the fringe strands cut at the end.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Working into both loops during BLO rows
- Check each stitch before pulling up a loop — only the back loop should be caught, or the ridge pattern will not show.
- Skipping the join at Row 4
- Slip stitch to close each BLO round as instructed; skipping the join throws off the stitch count going into the next repeat.
- Uneven fringe lengths
- Wrap and cut yarn around the DVD case rather than measuring strands by eye, so every strand matches before attaching.
The materials list
- Less than 1 ball Red Heart Soft Yarn (approximately 100 yds of worsted weight yarn – #4)
- H/5mm crochet hook
- Scissors
- Yarn needle
- DVD case (for making even fringe strands)
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 5 short forms
Foundation & Base
Chain a base row long enough to form the desired length of your clutch.
Row 1
Make 3 double crochets (dc) in the 3rd chain from the hook. Dc across to the last chain. Make 5 dc in the last chain. Continue working around the opposite side of the chain. Dc across. Place 2 more dc in the very first chain. Slip stitch (sl st) to join. Total stitches: 52
Row 2
Chain 2. Dc in the first stitch. 2 dc in the next stitch. Dc in the next 22 stitches. 2 dc in the next stitch, then 1 dc in the next, then 2 dc in the next. Dc in the next 22 stitches. 2 dc in the final stitch. Sl st to join. Total stitches: 56
Row 3
Chain 2. Dc in each stitch around. Sl st to join. Total stitches: 56
Creating Structure with Back Loop Only (BLO) Rows
Row 4
Chain 2. Work dc in back loops only (BLO) around. Sl st to join. Total stitches: 56
Rows 5–6
Repeat Row 3.
Row 7
Repeat Row 4.
Rows 8–9
Repeat Row 3.
Row 10
Repeat Row 4.
Rows 11–12
Repeat Row 3.
Row 13
Repeat Row 4.
Row 14
Repeat Row 3.
Zipper Tab Edging
Row 15
Chain 1. Work crab stitch around the top edge of the purse until 4 stitches remain. Turn your work. Work 4 single crochets (sc) in BLO.
Rows 16–21
Chain 1 and turn. Sc across the 4 stitches. Total stitches each row: 4
Row 22
Break the yarn, leaving a 24-inch tail. Insert a D-ring through the strap tab. Fold the tab over and sew through the front loop and the last row of the tab to secure.
Adding Fringe
Cut multiple strands of yarn to equal length using a DVD case as a guide.
Step by step For each fringe: Fold a strand in half, aligning the ends. Insert your hook into the extra loop space created in Row 4. Pull the folded center of the yarn strand through the loop slightly. Yarn over with both ends of the fringe and pull them through the loop to form a lark's head knot. Gently tug down to secure. Repeat this process around the clutch, adding fringe to each loop created in Row 4.
Check these before you start
- Keep tension even through the BLO rows; working only in the back loop leaves the front loop exposed and any looseness will show as a visible gap in the ridge.
- Leave a 24-inch tail when you break the yarn at the end of the strap tab — this length is needed to sew the tab closed around the D-ring.
On one line
| Rounds | 14 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 4 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Check that you have enough yarn on hand; the full clutch uses less than one full ball of worsted-weight yarn.
- Read through Row 4 before starting the BLO section — it sets the chain-2 and join pattern repeated through Row 10.
- Set aside a DVD case now so it is ready when you reach the fringe-cutting step.
- Confirm your H/5mm hook gives a base row long enough to reach your intended clutch length, since the foundation chain determines the finished size.
Finishing
- Weave in any remaining ends from the base rounds and BLO rows before moving to the edging.
Construction
The 5-dc increase worked into the last chain of the foundation row turns a straight chain into an oval base, matching the shaping made along the opposite side of the chain.
The strap tab is worked flat in single crochet after the crab-stitch edge rather than in the round, since it needs a folded, sewn closure around the D-ring instead of a continuous join.
Time per section
| Foundation & Base | about 1.5-2 hours because the oval base runs 3 rounds worked around both sides of the chain |
|---|---|
| BLO Structure Rows | about 1.5-2 hours because the back-loop-only technique slows stitch placement across the repeated rows |
| Edging, strap, and fringe | about 1-1.5 hours because the crab-stitch edge, tab assembly, and fringe cutting are all hand-finishing steps |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.