This beginner-friendly market bag uses a firm base and an airy mesh body. The instructions use US crochet terms and are written as a flexible recipe: check your own gauge and adjust the starting chain if you want a wider or taller bag.
Materials and abbreviations
- Worsted cotton yarn, about 250–300 yd
- 5 mm hook, stitch marker, yarn needle
- ch = chain; sc = single crochet; dc = double crochet; sl st = slip stitch; st(s) = stitch(es)
Gauge: 14 sc and 16 rows = 4 in / 10 cm. Finished bag is approximately 13 in wide by 15 in tall, excluding handles; cotton may relax with use.
Bag pattern
- Ch 31. Work 1 sc in second ch from hook and each ch across (30 sc). Ch 1, turn.
- Work 1 sc in each st for 9 rows, turning with ch 1. This forms a flat base panel.
- For the sides, work around all four edges of the base: 30 sc across each short end and 9 sc evenly along each long side. Join with sl st. Place a marker at each corner.
- Round 1: ch 4 (counts as dc, ch 1), skip 1 st, dc in next st; repeat around, placing a mesh space at each side. Join to third ch.
- Repeat the mesh round until the bag measures about 13 in from the base. Work one round of sc in every stitch and chain space to firm the top.
- For each handle, mark two points 5 in apart on opposite sides. Attach yarn at a marker, ch 45, skip the stitches between the markers, and sc into the next marked stitch. Repeat for the second handle on the other side.
- Work 3 rounds of sc around the top and across each handle chain, placing 1 sc in each chain. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Fit and finishing
Test the handles with a light load before using the bag for groceries. Add another sc round around the handles if they stretch, or shorten the chain for a shoulder bag. Hand wash and dry flat to help cotton keep its shape.
Photo: Liana S via Unsplash.