String bags and mesh shopping bags are popping up everywhere, which probably feels like déjà vu for people who grew up in a time or place where they were the norm.
For those who enjoy the occasional nugget of history, you might be surprised to know that Wikipedia actually has an entire (albeit brief) page devoted to string bags.
“The classic East German Einkaufsnetz (shopping net) has leather handles and multicoloured netting made from Eisengarn, a strong, starched and waxed cotton thread. Due to shortages of many types of raw materials in the GDR, recycling and reusing were the norm; plastic one-use shopping bags were rarely available in shops.” (Wikipedia: String bag)
Well, if that doesn’t thrill you, I don’t know what will.
I love reusable bags for shopping, and wanted to create my own design with more heft to it as well as a pop of color. The Color Block Market Bag is one step up from a string bag — a little stronger and a little more stylish.
An additional bonus? My market bag is made from 100% cotton yarn, so no worries about synthetic fibers ending up in the ocean. It’s washable, durable, and not made from petroleum products!
Color Block Market Bag – Crochet Pattern
Pattern PDF location: Ravelry (FREE!)
Difficulty Level: Easy/Intermediate
Materials:
- Lily Sugar n’ Cream Solids (2.5 oz, 120 yds)
- 2 skeins Ecru
- 1 skein accent color
- 5.00mm (H) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
Abbreviations (USA):
ch chain
dc double crochet
ea each
rep(s) repetition(s)
rnd(s) round(s)
sc single crochet
sk skip
sl st slip stitch
sp space
st(s) stitch(es)
Gauge: 14 sts and 16 rows in sc = 4”
Finished Measurements:
13” tall x 16” wide (not including straps)
About the Pattern:
This bright, contemporary-but-classic market bag is great for trips to the farmers’ market, the beach, the library, or for a sunny downtown stroll!
Constructed with sturdy worsted-weight cotton, it uses basic chains and double crochet stitches to form a simple square mesh pattern. The solid single crochet bottom creates a sturdy base, and the straps can be altered to the crocheter’s preferred length.
As always, please contact me via Ravelry if you ever have questions about the pattern!
***INSTRUCTIONS***
BASE
Using preferred color for the bottom of the bag, ch 45.
Row 1: Sc into 2nd ch from hook. Sc in all stitches across. Turn. (44 st)
Row 2: Ch 1, sk first st, sc in all sts across. Turn. (44 st)
Rows 3-13: Repeat instructions from Row 2.
Do not turn after completing Row 13. Subsequent rows will be worked in the round.
Rnd 14: Sc along the short edge of the bag bottom, placing a total of 12 sc sts. Sc in ea st across the long edge. Place 11 sc sts along the next short edge. Sc in ea st across the next long edge. (111 sts)
Rnds 15-18: Working in a continuous spiral, sc in all sts around, placing a st marker at the beginning of ea rnd. (111 sts)
MESH
Switch colors roughly halfway through the mesh section of the bag, or wherever desired. To switch colors seamlessly, wait until you have almost completed a mesh row, but instead of slip stitching into the previous row’s starting chain with your current yarn color, pull a loop of the new color through the 3rd ch to form a slip stitch. Continue with pattern as written. Tie ends of new and old yarn colors together.
Rnd 19: Ch 5, sk 2 sts, dc in next st. *Ch 2, sk 2 sts, dc in next st* until last 2 sts. Ch 2, sl st into 3rd ch of starting ch from previous round. (37 reps of ch mesh)
Rnds 20-32: Ch 5, sk 2 sts, dc in next st. *Ch 2, sk 2 sts, dc in next st* around. Ch 2, sl st into 3rd ch of previous round.
TOP EDGE AND HANDLES
Rnd 33: Ch 1, place 2 sc into ch sp, *sk next st, make 2 sc into ch sp* around. Sl st into first sc from previous round. (74 sts)
Rnd 34-35: Ch 1, sk next st, sc into ea st around. Sl st into first sc from previous round. (74 sts)
Rnd 36: (Note: during the chain portion of this row, take care not to twist the chain before reattaching it to the top of the bag). Ch 1, sk next st, sc into ea of next 7 sts. Ch 70, sk next 21 sts, sc into ea of next 16 sts. Ch 70, sk next 21 sts, sc into ea of next 8 sts. Sl st into first sc from previous round. (172 sts)
Rnds 37-38: Ch 1, sk next st, sc in all sts around.
FINISHING
Using a tapestry needle, weave in all ends.
Pattern written in 2017 by Jenn Fox for Mushrump.com. This pattern may not be reproduced or copied without written permission of the author.
mushrump.com 
Hello there , I am trying to crochet your color block market bag , but am stumped at round 14 how do I get 111 stitches , I only have 67 . What am I doing wrong ? Your help would be greatly appreciated Thank You Kind Regards Jeannette
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Hello Jeannette – I’m going to take a peek at the pattern and see what might be up. I’ll get back to you by the end of today!
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Hi again, Jeannette — I’ve created a diagram of the base rectangle for the bag, which will hopefully be helpful! It’s now up on the pattern page on the blog. Perhaps it will illuminate a problem or lack of clarity in the instructions that I’ve missed.
If you’ve ended up with only 67 stitches, I’m wondering if you don’t have 13 rows of sc for the bottom rectangle yet, or if you aren’t working in the round. Once you have 13 rows (with 44 sc in each row), you’ll start working in the round and put 12 sc into the sides of those rows (you can skip one stitch on one side to give 11 stitches, which will give you the exact # of sts for the mesh section. Or you can skip one in the first row of mesh). The long edges of the rectangle will get one sc into each sc (44 on each side). This will give you a total of 111 stitches (44+12+44+11).
If you’re still having trouble, please let me know!
Kindly,
Jenn
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I love this mesh bag… made several for Christmas gifts this year!
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That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you and have a wonderful holiday.
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Everything’s went perfect. Now I am on the straps. Number of stitches are right and in place yet still my straps are not centered on row 36. I’m debating weather I have to just finish with this outcome? I thought I would try to reach out to you.
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Hello Debbie, let me take a look at my sample bag and see what might have happened with yours! Otherwise, I might ask you to draw a little diagram of what you’ve done so far, or take a photo and send it to me.
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Hello,
Recently I made myself one of these beautiful bags, and have had several people ask if they could pay me to make them some.
I was wondering if we could discuss the possibility of my using your pattern to create bags to sell? Of course I would give you complete credit and share your web address.
Please feel free contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thanks for your time and talent!
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Yes, you certainly may sell them! And thank you for giving credit for my pattern. Good luck with the selling.
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Hi Jenn,
I just made this wonderful colorblock bag but somehow I only have the two 70 chain stitches on the straps making them very thin (just the one chain). How do I make the straps (handles) thick like shown in the picture? Did I miss something in the pattern?
Lisa
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Hi! Thank you for working on the pattern! In the instructions, you do two more rows of sc on the chains that you made. Sometimes the last part of the instructions get cut off in people’s PDFs, depending on how they’re viewing it.
(Also, I just noticed a typo—the last instructions say row 27-28, but that should be 37-39! I will fix it!)
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Okay. Thank you so much . I just finished it and it looks great. 🙂
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I found your pattern on Ravelry and I absolutely love it. I have made 3 already! I am sharing a photo on instagram and I wanted to give you credit for the pattern. Do you have an instagram account I can tag? I will at least put the url of the pattern. I love how the handles are made right into to bag. I think it makes it stronger, plus you don’t have to make them separate and then sew them on. Thanks for making this pattern available. 🙂
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I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the pattern! I do have an instagram account that I don’t use much since having a child. You are welcome to tag me. I think of you just search for Mushrump on instagram you should find me.
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Hello! I can see this has been asked before but wanted to check it still stands! Is selling bags made from this pattern authorised please? Credit can of course be issued. Thank You!
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Yes, for sure! You can sell bags made from the pattern. If you like, you can put a note on the tag or the listing saying “Pattern by Mushrump,” but that’s up to you. I’m not picky. Good luck!
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I was wondering what are the names of the accent colours you used?
Thanks!
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Good question! I think they were: teal, sage, yellow, and terra cotta. I’m not sure that they still carry the terra cotta, but there are still a variety of pinks, reds, and oranges. Have fun!
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Hi Jenn, I loved your bag! I am finishing my first one, and I was wondering if It’s fine with you if I post it to sell it. I will give the pattern credit to you, of course! Thank you, Maysa
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Sure, go for it! Glad you enjoyed the pattern.
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On row 2 of the base when you say “skip 1st st” why do I end up with 43 st and it should be 44?
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Hi! There are two different ways of doing those
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Thanks Jay for clearing that up! Makes sense now. And I do love this Market Bag pattern!
Joan
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Whoops, sorry for the cutoff message. There are two different ways of doing rounds like that – you can either just crochet in a spiral, which means you crochet into every stitch, and don’t bother skipping a stitch and then doing the ch1, sc. Does that make sense? Sorry of this instruction was confusing! You can always follow the general instructions for doing single crochet in the round, there are many videos and basic instructions out there.
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