How to Crochet Purse Handles: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you’re finishing off a market tote, a boho bag, or a structured everyday purse, the handles can make or break the whole project. Crocheted handles need to be sturdy enough to carry weight, comfortable enough to hold for long periods, and beautiful enough to complement the rest of your work. The good news? Learning how to crochet purse handles is much more approachable than most beginners expect, and experienced crocheters will find plenty of room to get creative with texture, color, and reinforcement techniques.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know — from choosing the right yarn and hook to finishing your handles with a professional-looking edge. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to customize handles for any bag project in your queue.

Why Crocheted Handles Matter More Than You Think

It’s tempting to rush through the handles after spending hours on a gorgeous bag body. But handles are the functional heart of any purse. They experience the most stress, they’re touched constantly, and they’re one of the first things people notice when they look at a finished bag.

A poorly made handle can stretch out under the weight of everyday essentials, feel uncomfortable against the palm, or unravel at the attachment points. A well-made handle, on the other hand, holds its shape beautifully over years of use and becomes a design feature all on its own.

Crocheting your own handles also gives you complete control over the length, width, thickness, and style. You’re not limited by what’s available at the craft store. You can match the exact color of your bag, add a contrasting stripe, use a textured stitch, or even incorporate multiple strands of yarn for a chunky, sturdy result.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Before diving into the techniques, gather your supplies. Having everything ready saves time and helps you maintain consistent tension throughout the project.

Yarn: For purse handles that need to hold their shape, a cotton or cotton-blend yarn is an excellent choice. Cotton has very little stretch, which means your handles won’t elongate over time the way acrylic handles might. Worsted weight (size 4) is the most versatile, but you can go up to bulky weight if you want thick, statement handles. If you’re after a more refined, structured look, a mercerized cotton gives a slight sheen and holds stitches beautifully.

Hook: Match your hook size to your yarn weight. For worsted cotton, a 5mm hook is a solid starting point. You can go down a hook size if you want tighter, denser stitches — which is actually recommended for handles, since a tighter fabric resists stretching better.

Tapestry needle: You’ll need this to weave in your ends securely.

Scissors: A sharp pair makes clean cuts and prevents fraying.

Stitch markers: These are helpful for marking the attachment points and keeping track of your row counts.

Optional reinforcement materials: If you want extra durability, you can line your handles with twill tape, grosgrain ribbon, or even cut-to-size plastic canvas strips. More on this later.

Understanding Handle Styles

There’s no single way to crochet a purse handle. The style you choose depends on the look you’re going for and the bag you’re making. Here are the most popular options.

Flat Strap Handles: These are worked flat, back and forth in rows, producing a ribbon-like strap. They’re elegant and relatively quick to make. They work beautifully on structured tote bags and shoulder bags.

Tubular Handles: These are worked in the round, creating a hollow or stuffed tube. They feel more substantial in the hand, resist twisting, and look polished on all sides. They take slightly longer to make but are worth the effort for bags you plan to use regularly.

Twisted Rope Handles: Made by crocheting a long chain or single crochet cord and then twisting two or three strands together, these handles have a classic, artisanal look. They’re especially popular on bohemian-style bags.

Braided Handles: Similar to the twisted rope style, braided handles involve crocheting three or more individual strands and then braiding them together before attaching them to the bag. They’re chunky, eye-catching, and extremely strong.

Chain-Reinforced Handles: These are simple but effective — a length of chain stitch covered with single crochets, slip stitches, or another tight stitch. They’re fast to make and look clean.

How to Crochet Flat Strap Handles (Step-by-Step)

This is the foundational technique. Once you understand flat strap handles, you can adapt the concept to nearly any other style.

Step 1: Determine your handle length.
Before you start, hold a piece of scrap yarn from where one handle will attach, up over your shoulder or across your arm (depending on whether it’s a shoulder bag or a hand-carry bag), and back down to the other attachment point. Add about two to three inches on each end for seaming. This is your working length.

A common handle length for a hand-carry purse is around 18 to 22 inches from attachment point to attachment point. Shoulder bag handles typically run 24 to 30 inches. These are guidelines, not rules — always measure for your specific project.

Step 2: Chain your foundation.
To begin, chain a number of stitches that gives you the desired width of your handle. For a standard handle about one inch wide in single crochet with worsted weight yarn, chain 5 or 6 stitches.

Step 3: Work your rows.
Row 1: Single crochet (sc) in the second chain from the hook, sc in each remaining chain across. Turn.
Row 2: Chain 1, sc in each stitch across. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 until your strap reaches the desired length. For a 20-inch handle, you’ll likely work somewhere between 70 and 90 rows depending on your tension and yarn. It’s worth measuring every 20 rows or so rather than counting to the end.

Step 4: Fasten off and weave in ends.
Once your strap is the right length, fasten off and leave a tail of about 12 inches for seaming. Weave in the starting tail securely.

Step 5: Make a second identical strap.
This sounds obvious, but it bears mentioning — always make both handles at the same time (or back to back) so you can compare them. Tension can shift slightly between sessions, so making them consecutively helps ensure they match.

How to Crochet Tubular Handles (Step-by-Step)

Tubular handles are worked in continuous rounds using a magic ring or a foundation chain joined to form a loop. They look great from every angle and feel comfortable to grip.

Step 1: Create your foundation ring.
Using a magic ring or chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a loop.

Step 2: Work your rounds.
Round 1: Chain 1, work 6 single crochets into the ring. Do not join — work in a continuous spiral. Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round so you can track your progress.

Continue working one single crochet in each stitch around in a continuous spiral. After a few rounds, you’ll see a small tube beginning to form. Keep going until your tube reaches the desired length.

For a more structured tube, you can insert a length of rope, dowel, or even a tightly rolled piece of felt inside as you crochet around it. This gives the handle a firm core that maintains its round shape.

Step 3: Close the tube.
When your tube reaches the right length, close off the end by working a slip stitch into each of the remaining live stitches and pulling tight. Fasten off and weave in ends.

How to Crochet a Twisted Rope Handle

This style requires minimal stitching but maximum patience — the twist effect needs a steady hand to come out even.

Step 1: Crochet two long cords.
Work a slip stitch cord (also called a crochet chain) or a single crochet cord to your desired handle length plus about 30 percent extra to account for the twist reducing the total length. For a 20-inch finished handle, start with cords about 28 inches long.

To make a single crochet cord: Chain 2, sc in the second chain from the hook. Then insert hook under both loops of the left side of the last stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops. Repeat from to until the cord is the right length.

Step 2: Twist the cords together.
Hold both cords together at one end and pin or clip that end to a surface. Twist the two cords tightly in the same direction until the tension is even throughout the length. Then fold the twisted length in half — it will naturally coil around itself into a rope. Hold the fold securely and allow the two halves to twist around each other.

Step 3: Secure the ends.
Use your yarn and tapestry needle to stitch the ends together firmly so the twist doesn’t unravel. These stitched ends will become your attachment points.

Attaching Handles to Your Bag

The way you attach handles is just as important as the handles themselves. A loose attachment is the most common reason crocheted bag handles fail.

Method 1: Sewing through stitches.
The most secure method is to thread your tapestry needle with a long tail of yarn (or a fresh length if you’ve already woven in the original tail) and sew through corresponding stitches in both the handle and the bag body. Work in a rectangular or box pattern — sew across the top, down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side. Then reinforce by sewing an X through the center of the rectangle. This distributes the load across many stitches rather than concentrating it at a single point.

Method 2: Crocheting handles directly onto the bag.
If you haven’t yet started your handles, you can work them directly from the top edge of your bag. Pick up stitches along the edge, chain to your desired length, turn, and work back along the chain. Then attach the other end of the handle back to the bag edge a few stitches away, creating a seamless loop. This produces the cleanest look of all.

Method 3: D-rings or swivel clips.
For a more structured, adjustable handle, you can finish each end of your crocheted handle with a D-ring or swivel clip by folding the end over the hardware and stitching it closed. This gives your bag a sporty, utilitarian feel and allows the handle to be removed or swapped out.

Reinforcing Your Handles for Durability

If you plan to carry anything heavier than a few lightweight items, reinforcement is strongly recommended.

The easiest method is to use two strands of yarn held together throughout the entire handle, which doubles the density of the fabric without requiring any extra technique.

Another excellent option is to cut a strip of grosgrain ribbon or twill tape to the exact length of your finished handle and hand-stitch it along the inside (the side that faces the bag body). This prevents stretching and protects the crocheted fabric from wear over time.

For the most industrial-strength reinforcement, you can slide a strip of plastic canvas or thin foam padding inside a tubular handle before closing the ends. The plastic canvas is stiff enough to hold the tube’s shape and distribute weight evenly.

Finally, always steam block your handles before attaching them. Lay them flat on a blocking board, shape them to your desired dimensions, and hover a steam iron a few inches above the surface. Allow them to dry completely before handling. Blocking sets the stitches and significantly improves the way the finished handle drapes and holds.

Tips for Even, Professional-Looking Handles

A few habits separate beginner results from professional-looking ones.

Work at a slightly tighter tension than you would for a garment. Bag fabric in general benefits from a dense stitch that holds its shape, and handles even more so. If your gauge swatch feels floppy or stretchy, go down one hook size.

Count your stitches at the end of every row, especially for flat straps. It’s surprisingly easy to accidentally increase or decrease a stitch, which causes the handle to bow or taper slightly.

If your handles curl along the edges, try working your turning chains more loosely, blocking the finished pieces, or adding a border row of slip stitches or single crochets along the long edges before attaching.

For color consistency, work from the same dye lot for both handles. Even slight dye lot variations can make two handles look mismatched under certain lighting.

Creative Variations to Try

Once you’ve mastered the basics, there are countless ways to personalize your handles.

A two-color striped strap is one of the simplest variations — just change colors every few rows for a bold, graphic effect. For a subtler look, use two tones from the same color family.

Textured stitches like the granite stitch (alternating single crochet and chain stitches), the moss stitch, or even a simple rib stitch worked through back loops only can give your handles a handmade character that elevates the whole bag.

You can also add surface detail after the fact. Crochet a thin contrasting cord and weave it in and out of the stitches along the edge of a flat strap for a laced look, or add small crocheted flowers at the attachment points as decorative accents.

For handles intended to be functional as well as beautiful, consider working in a small wrist strap loop near one end. This is particularly useful for clutch-style bags that convert between hand-carry and wristlet wear.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to crochet purse handles opens up a whole new dimension of bag-making. When you can create handles in any length, width, texture, and color you want, your finished bags move from hobbyist to truly handcrafted. The techniques in this guide — from simple flat straps to twisted ropes and reinforced tubes — cover nearly every scenario you’ll encounter, and they’re all built on the same foundational stitches you already know.

Take your time with the attachment step, don’t skip blocking, and always reinforce if you’re planning to carry anything of real weight. Small choices made at the handle stage have an outsized impact on how professional and how durable your finished bag turns out to be.

Now pick up that hook, choose a yarn you love, and start making handles that are every bit as beautiful as the bag they’re carrying.