Materials:
1 skein Paton’s Classic Wool, Bright Red
2 skeins Paton’s Classic Wool, Mercury
2 1” square rings for handles
2 18mm magnetic snaps
4.5 crochet hook
yarn needle

I had this purse design swimming in my head for a while before I finally sat down and made it. I probably had the yarn picked out for it a year ahead of time. Once I finally started making it, I was watching a lot of Mad Men and my husband commented that the purse seemed like something that Joanie from Man Men would have. And so the purse was named.

All of my purses are designed with function in mind as much as form. For me that means it should be able to hold my “essentials” and make them easily accessible without digging around. So once this purse is felted its larger pocket should be just right for holding cell phones or iPods, ID cards, etc. The small pocket will hold a chapstick or Joanie-style bright red lipstick (your choice). The back sleeve is designed to hold a 8.25” x 5.8” sketchbook, such as my notebook of choice, the Designer’s Notebook, a Kindle, or any other similarly sized paperback. In fact, given the style of the purse and the fact that it’s made of wool without any cardboard or other solid structure, it actually looks better and holds up better with a book in that back pocket.