Bella Bow Booksleeve | Beginner-Friendly Crochet Booksleeve Tutorial + Free Pattern

Hey! 

A fresh and playful twist on the classic granny square! The Bow Granny Square features a sweet, dimensional bow at the center, making it perfect for adding charm to your crochet projects. Whether you're making bags, booksleeves, cushions, or blankets, this square adds a touch of whimsy and personality.

There is already a detailed tutorial for this bag on my YouTube channel which you can find here.

Materials:

Yarn – Weight-2 acrylic yarn in two colors

• Off White - approx. 50gms
• Pink - approx. 25 gms

Hook – 3mm hook

Scissors

Yarn needle

Measuring Tape (optional)

You can use this pattern with any type of yarn with the recommended hook size.

Abbreviations:

mr – magic ring

st/sts – stitch/stitches

ch – chain

inc – increase (2 stitches into the same space)

dc – double crochet

sl st – slip stitch

sc - single crochet

hdc - half double crochet

trc/tr - treble crochet

Pattern:

The Square:

In White:

Round 1: 

• Start with a magic ring or ch4 and join to form a ring.
• [3 dc, ch 2] x 4 into the ring.
• Join with a sl st to the top of the first dc - (4 shells or 12 dc total)

Round 2: 

• sl st to the next ch-2 corner space, ch1
• Work ([3 dc, ch2, 3 dc] into corner, ch1) x 4
• Join with sl st - (8 shells or 24 dc total)

Round 3:

• sl st to the next ch-2 corner space, ch1
• (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in corner.
• (ch 1, 3 dc in next space), ch1
• Work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into each corner space.
• Continue around and join with sl st - (12 shells or 36 dc total)

Round 4:

Repeat Round 3 - (16 shells or 48 dc total)

If you want a bigger square, then you are going to repeat the round 3 as many times as you want

Join the pink yarn.

In Pink:

Round 5:

Repeat Round 3 - (20 shells or 60 dc total)

The Bow:

In Pink:

Part 1:

• Ch 23
• sk 1st ch, in 2nd ch: sc
• Work across:
• hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tr, dc, dc, hdc, sc
• sl st, sl st, sc, hdc, dc, dc, tr, dc, dc, hdc, hdc
• In last ch: 3 sc in same st
• Continue along the other side of the chain (working into the unused loops):
  • hdc in next st (i.e., 2nd from the 3-sc), hdc, dc, dc, tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc
  • sl st, sl st, sc, hdc, 2 dc, tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc
  • 2 sc in the last st
• sl st to the first sc. Ch 1, leave a long tail and fasten off.

Part 2:

• Ch 16
• Sk 1st ch, then work:
  • sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc, sl st
  • hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc
• Fasten off. Leave a tail.

Assembly:

• Using the long tail from Part 1, find the center of the bow and pull the yarn from back to front through the middle.
• Pull tightly to pinch the bow into half. Stitch once more to secure.
• Insert the needle from back to front on the opposite side to pinch and form the second half. Secure tightly.
• Place Part 2 (band) under the bow center. Wrap the long tail around the bow and band ~6 times.
• Secure the end at the back and weave in or knot securely.
• Sew the bow onto the center of the white granny square.
• Make 6 squares in total.

Finishing:

• After making 6 squares, arrange them in 2 rows of 3 squares.
• Place the top and bottom row squares with the bow upside down, and the middle row with the bows right side up.
• Join the squares using your preferred method—slip stitch, whip stitch, or single crochet join all work well. Check out the tutorial on the flat slip stitch joining method on my channel here.
• Once joined into a rectangle, attach yarn at one corner of the edge and begin making single crochet rows to form a clean top border.
• Work 5 to 7 rows, or to your desired height.
• Fold the piece to align the bottom and middle rows, forming a sleeve shape.
• Join the two sides with single crochet stitches to close the pouch.
• Finish by adding a single crochet border along the edge of the top flap for a neat and polished look.
• Make a chain on the center of the flap or add a press button to be able to close it.

Refer the tutorial in case you're having difficulty doing this.

And with that you’ve finished making the booksleeve!

Tag me in your work and I'll share it on my page on Instagram @the_yarnling_

You can find a lot of detailed Crochet Tutorials on my YouTube Channel - The Yarnling

You can buy this as a printable pattern on Ravelry

You can buy this as a printable pattern on Ko-fi

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