Granny Square Needle Book

This easy to make felt needle book will keep your needles safe, and makes a great gift for a crafty friend.

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While cleaning up my craft room recently I stumbled upon a bag of small crochet granny squares.

I can’t remember where I acquired them. Maybe they were a lucky thrift shop find, or someone passed them on to me after cleaning out an elderly relatives home. (I’m often the beneficiary of craft supplies that were collected over a lifetime by a friend of a friend’s aunt who is downsizing.)

In any case, they are colourful and beautifully made, but there really isn’t enough of them to make a substantial project. Most of them are just 3″x3″ which is quite small, but the perfect size for using them as decorative embellishments.

I’ll be using these assorted granny squares as inspiration for several small craft projects in the coming months, starting with a vintage style needle book.

Where can I get some crochet granny squares?

If you don’t have a bag full of granny squares laying around in your craft room, I’ve got a few suggestions for procuring your own.

1. Make some!

Even if you are new to crochet, granny squares are one of the simplest crochet projects for a beginner. There are 100’s of tutorials and videos online with instructions for how to crochet granny squares. This free e-book by Shelly Husband is a great place to start.

To make a granny square in a similar size to the ones I have I recommend using a 5ply (sport weight) yarn with a small 3mm-3.5mm crochet hook.

2. Buy some ready made

There are plenty of sellers on Etsy selling loose granny squares that are either vintage finds, or made in small batches especially for embellishing projects like these.

I’ve found a few listings with granny squares that are a suitable size for this project. 

Clockwise from top left: Assorted solid colours, Purple & White, Flower on Grey, Vintage assortment

3. Ask a friend

If you have a friend that crochets, it’s likely that they will have a few granny squares that were made as samples. Ask around, you never know what treasures may be lurking in the bottom of someone’s project bag.

4. Use something else

If you can’t get hold of a granny square for this needle book project, consider embellishing the cover with a decorative patch, or some embroidery.

You may also like:

• Vintage Trim Pincushion
• Toadstool Wrist Pincushion
• The Crochet Answer Book – book review
• Small Crochet Storage Basket

How to make a Granny Square Felt Needle Book

This compact felt needle book is easy to sew together either by hand, or with a sewing machine. If you don’t have a spare crocheted granny square handy, why not embellish it with a decorative patch, some embroidery or a pretty fabric applique.

So practical to store your needles safely and keep them handy in your craft project bag.

Makes a great gift for any crafty friend, and is a great item to sell at a fundraising craft stall.

You will need:

• Crochet Granny Square (about 3″/7.5cm)
• Felt in matching colours – wool or wool blend
• Ribbon – 16″/40cm or alternatively button or press stud
• Scissors or Rotary cutter, ruler and mat
• Pinking shears (optional)
• Sewing thread in matching colour
• Sewing machine
• Pins
• General sewing supplies

How to:

1. Cut the felt into the following sized pieces: Outer cover 8″x4″ (20x10cm), Inner cover 7.5″x4″ (19cmx10cm), Insert 7″x3″ (18cmx7.5cm).

2. Machine sew or hand stitch granny square onto the front outer cover. Try to center it evenly.

3. Cut ribbon into 2 x 8″/20cm pieces to create two ties. Pin each tie between outer in inner covers about halfway down the short sides of the cover.

4. Stitch inner and outer cover together close to the edge as indicated by dotted line in image below. Try to use matching thread colour to front cover. Make sure you catch the ribbon.

5. Pin the insert centered on the inner cover, and stitch in place.

6. Trim edges of insert with pinking shears (optional).

Add needles, pins and any other sharp tools you need to wrangle, and you are done!

To close, just tie ribbons together.

If you don’t fancy a ribbon closure, add a small button or press stud closure in its place.

If you have many needles to organise, go ahead and add an extra insert layer in step 5 to give your needle book more felt ‘pages’.