10+ Coin Purse Knitting Patterns: Your Complete Guide to Adorable Mini Pouches (Page 3 of 3)

Welcome back to our final installment of the ultimate coin purse knitting pattern roundup. If you’ve been following along from the beginning, you already have a solid collection of patterns ranging from beginner-friendly to intermediate designs. Now we’re closing out this series with some of the most creative, distinctive, and satisfying coin purse patterns you’ll find anywhere — plus a deep dive into finishing techniques, hardware tips, and creative ways to use your finished pieces beyond holding spare change.

Whether you’re knitting for yourself, filling holiday gift baskets, or looking for a quick project to use up that last bit of fingering weight yarn sitting in your stash, these patterns are going to inspire you. Let’s get into it.

Pattern 9: The Classic Ribbed Coin Pouch

Ribbing isn’t just for cuffs and hat brims. When you work it into a small coin purse, the natural elasticity of the stitch makes for a snug, secure little pouch that holds its shape beautifully after repeated use.

To make this one, cast on 24 stitches using size US 2 (2.75mm) needles and a smooth DK weight yarn. Work in a 2×2 rib pattern — knit 2, purl 2 — for about 3.5 inches, or until the piece measures the desired height of your purse before folding. Bind off loosely in pattern, which is important because a tight bind-off will pull the top opening inward and make it difficult to insert a zipper or frame.

Once your knitted rectangle is complete, fold it in half with right sides together and seam the two side edges using a mattress stitch. Turn right side out and gently block the piece over a folded washcloth to set the rib pattern. You can finish this one with a sewn-in zipper in a contrasting color or attach a simple kiss lock frame for a more vintage feel. Either way, the ribbing gives it a polished, intentional look that elevates it beyond something basic.

This pattern is excellent for beginners who want to practice their purl stitches in a low-stakes, small-scale project.

Pattern 10: The Textured Seed Stitch Coin Purse

Seed stitch is one of those foundational knitting stitches that looks far more complex than it actually is. The alternating knit and purl stitches in each row create a beautifully bumpy, woven-looking surface that doesn’t curl at the edges — which makes it particularly well-suited to flat pieces like coin purses.

For this pattern, you’ll want a slightly chunkier yarn than you might normally use for a coin purse, somewhere in the sport or DK range, paired with US 3 (3.25mm) needles. Cast on 22 stitches and work in seed stitch — knit 1, purl 1 across, then on the return row knit the purls and purl the knits — for approximately 7 inches total.

The beauty of this pattern is that after folding and seaming, the textured surface does the design work for you. There’s no need for embellishment or embroidery. If you want to add a subtle detail, sew a small button to the center of the front flap and create a simple loop closure using a few rows of I-cord.

Seed stitch also works wonderfully in heathered or tweed yarns where the texture of the stitch complements the texture of the fiber. Try it in a rustic Aran-weight wool for a purse that feels substantial and sturdy enough to carry daily.

Pattern 11: The Color Block Mini Purse

Color blocking has had a massive revival in fashion and craft alike, and it translates beautifully to knitting. This pattern lets you work with two or three high-contrast colors to create a graphic, modern coin purse that looks like it came from a boutique accessory shop.

Start by choosing your colors intentionally. High contrast combinations work best — think mustard yellow and deep navy, forest green and blush pink, or a bold red paired with an off-white cream. Using a fingering weight yarn and US 1 (2.25mm) needles, cast on 30 stitches in your main color and work in stockinette for 1.5 inches. Carry your second color up the side as you switch, working another 1.5 inches of stockinette. If you’re using a third color, switch again and work a final 1 inch.

When seamed and finished, the color blocks will appear as bold horizontal stripes across the front and back of the purse. The key to clean color blocking is making the color change rows as neat as possible — try twisting the two yarns around each other at the start of each color change row to avoid a gap or loose loop at the join.

This pattern is also a great opportunity to practice intarsia if you want to place a single color block on one side only while the rest of the purse remains a solid color. It’s a slightly more advanced technique but results in a stunning piece.

Pattern 12: The Fair Isle Inspired Coin Purse

Fair Isle knitting — with its richly patterned, multi-colored stranded colorwork — might seem intimidating for a beginner, but a coin purse is actually one of the best ways to try it for the first time. The project is small enough that you won’t be carrying yarn across a wide fabric, which is often where tension issues arise in larger colorwork pieces.

For this pattern, select two colors and a simple Fair Isle or stranded motif chart. Traditional motifs like small stars, X and O patterns, diamonds, or snowflakes work beautifully and are easy to follow even without much colorwork experience. Cast on 32 stitches using fingering weight yarn and your preferred small needle size, then follow your chosen chart for 3 to 4 inches.

One practical tip: when working two colors in stranded knitting, keep the tension consistent by spreading your stitches out across the right needle before making each stitch with the contrast color. This ensures the float — the strand of yarn carried across the back of the fabric — doesn’t pull the work too tight, which would cause the finished purse to pucker and lose its shape.

Block this piece thoroughly when finished. Wet blocking stranded colorwork is genuinely transformative; it evens out any tension inconsistencies and makes the pattern pop. Add a metal zipper to finish, and you’ll have a heirloom-quality little accessory that you’ll genuinely want to show off.

Pattern 13: The Drawstring Bucket Pouch

Not every coin purse needs a zipper or frame. The drawstring bucket pouch is knit in the round from the bottom up, creating a seamless little bag with a simple drawstring closure at the top. It’s wonderfully functional, endlessly customizable, and satisfying to knit in an evening.

Start by casting on 8 stitches and dividing them onto double-pointed needles or a short circular needle. Work increases every other round to build the flat circular bottom of the pouch — the same technique used for the brim of a top-down hat. Once your circle measures about 2.5 inches in diameter, stop increasing and work straight in stockinette until the pouch stands about 3 inches tall.

For the drawstring channel, switch to a YO (yarn over), K2tog (knit two together) eyelet pattern for one round, then knit two more rounds before binding off. Thread a length of I-cord or twisted cord through the eyelets to complete the drawstring closure.

This pattern is endlessly adaptable. Work it in a solid color, add stripes, or try a simple slip-stitch pattern to add visual interest without the complexity of colorwork. A coin purse worked this way can also become a small herb bag, a tea bag holder, or a miniature gift bag stuffed with small treats.

Finishing Techniques Every Knitter Should Know

Getting your coin purse patterns to look polished and professional has as much to do with finishing as with the knitting itself. Here are the most important finishing skills to develop.

Mattress Stitch for Seaming: When seaming the sides of a flat-knit coin purse, mattress stitch creates an almost invisible join. Work it by picking up the horizontal bars between the edge stitch and the stitch next to it on alternating sides of the seam, drawing the yarn snug every few stitches to close the seam.

Wet Blocking: Soak your finished knitted piece in lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes, gently squeeze out the excess water in a towel, and pin the piece to a foam mat or blocking board in the desired dimensions. Allow it to dry completely before adding hardware or lining. Blocking relaxes the fibers, evens the stitches, and helps the finished piece hold its shape.

Adding a Lining: A fabric lining inside a coin purse serves both practical and aesthetic purposes. It protects the inside of the knit fabric from coins and keys scratching the yarn, it helps the purse maintain its structure, and it gives the interior a clean, finished look. Choose a tightly woven fabric like quilting cotton, faux leather, or even canvas. Cut the lining slightly smaller than your knitted piece, fold the raw edges under, press with an iron, and hand-stitch it to the inside of the purse using a slip stitch.

Installing a Zipper: Machine zippers are the most practical closure for a working coin purse. Fold the zipper tape under at each end and hand-stitch the zipper directly to the inside of the top opening using a whip stitch or backstitch. Keep the stitches even and close together so the zipper lies flat and doesn’t gap or pucker.

Attaching Kiss Lock Frames: Metal kiss lock frames come in a range of sizes and finishes — gold, silver, antique brass, and matte black are all popular options. Thread the top edge of the finished purse through the channels of the frame, then use jewelry pliers to gently crimp the frame closed. Some knitters prefer to glue the fabric into the frame channel using a small amount of craft glue before crimping for extra security.

Yarn Choices That Make a Difference

The yarn you choose for a coin purse matters more than you might think. Because these little projects are small and are meant to withstand daily use, durability and stitch definition are your top priorities.

Fingering weight sock yarns are an excellent choice. Yarns designed for socks are usually blended with nylon — often around 20 to 25 percent — which adds significant abrasion resistance. The tight twist of sock yarn also creates excellent stitch definition, which means colorwork, texture patterns, and even basic stockinette look crisp and clean.

Wool is another excellent option, particularly for felted coin purse patterns. When knitted loosely in 100 percent non-superwash wool and then machine washed in hot water, the fabric fulls and shrinks into a dense, sturdy material that needs no lining and holds its shape indefinitely. Many knitters love felted coin purses for this reason — they’re practically indestructible.

Cotton and linen are good choices for summer projects or if you prefer plant-based fibers, but be aware that they have less elasticity than wool, which can make seaming a little trickier and means they won’t bounce back from stretching the way wool does.

Avoid very fuzzy or heavily textured yarns like mohair or boucle for coin purses. These yarns obscure stitch definition, which makes it difficult to follow textured patterns, and they can be more difficult to seam neatly.

Creative Uses for Finished Coin Purses

A coin purse doesn’t have to hold coins. Once you start making these small, useful little pouches, you’ll find yourself reaching for one in all kinds of situations.

They’re perfect as earphone or cable organizers in a larger bag, keeping tangled headphone cords at bay. A few slipped into your carry-on luggage make excellent organizers for travel-sized toiletries, jewelry, or spare medication. Knitters often use them as needle tip pouches for interchangeable needle sets, keeping the metal tips sorted and easy to find.

For gift giving, a handknit coin purse stuffed with a gift card, a few pieces of chocolate, or a small piece of jewelry makes a memorable, personal present. They work beautifully as wedding favors, party bag inclusions, or as the small-but-thoughtful addition to a larger gift basket.

Children love small, brightly colored coin purses for their own pocket money. Knit one in their favorite colors and it might just be the accessory that gets them excited about learning to handle their own spending.

Tips for Adapting Any Pattern to Different Sizes

One of the best things about coin purse patterns is how easily they scale. If you want a larger pouch — for holding your phone and cards instead of just coins — simply add more cast-on stitches and work more rows before seaming. If you want something tiny enough to hold a single ring or a pair of earrings, reduce accordingly.

A general rule of thumb: for every half inch you want to add to the width of the purse, add approximately 6 to 8 stitches to your cast-on when working in fingering weight yarn. For height, each inch of knitted fabric will typically correspond to about 8 to 10 rows of stockinette in fingering weight.

Always knit a gauge swatch before adapting a pattern significantly, especially if you’re planning to install a specific frame size that you’ve already purchased. Even a small discrepancy in gauge can mean the difference between a purse that fits the frame perfectly and one that’s too large or too small to attach properly.

Bringing It All Together

You’ve now got a full collection of coin purse patterns spanning a wide range of techniques, styles, and skill levels. From simple ribbed pouches and textured seed stitch designs to stranded colorwork Fair Isle pieces and drawstring buckets worked in the round, there’s something here for every knitter and every occasion.

The best part about knitting coin purses is that they’re genuinely low-commitment projects. You can start one on a Monday evening and have a finished, functional object in your hands by the weekend. They’re ideal for using up beautiful scraps of yarn that aren’t large enough for a bigger project but are too lovely to waste. And because they’re small, they travel well — perfect for knitting on the go, during your commute, or while watching television.

If you’re new to any of the techniques covered in these patterns, don’t be discouraged by the learning curve. Colorwork, stranded knitting, and even zipper installation all feel challenging the first time you attempt them and surprisingly manageable the second time. A coin purse is the ideal practice ground because even if something goes a little sideways, you’ve only invested a small amount of yarn and time. The next one will be better, and the one after that better still.

Keep your needles moving, your yarn stash growing, and your coin purse collection expanding. Happy knitting.