Expandable Crochet Market Tote Bag - free pattern + tutorial (2024)

Sturdy handles and an expanding mesh pouch make this crochet market tote bag an incredibly functional, fun project. Get the free pattern and tutorial below or purchase the ad-free, printable PDF here.

This free crochet market tote bag pattern is part of a collaboration with Lion Brand Yarns. This post contains affiliate links.

Don’t let the lace-looking stitch intimidate you. Its airiness helps the pattern move quickly without much attention to detail. This crochet market tote bag pattern is a perfect poolside project or a gift to crochet ahead of the holidays.

Grab a few skeins of cotton yarn and put your hook to work crocheting this surprisingly simple free market tote bag pattern!

The Harvest Market Tote Crochet Pattern Overview

A video can be worth a thousand pictures when it comes to evaluating a crochet project, right? Here's a brief pattern overview that'll show you what to expect from the Harvest Market Tote Bag crochet pattern! (If you have an ad-blocker running, you'll need to disable it to view the video.)

The Perfect Stitch for a Crochet Market Tote

Has there ever been a pretty crochet stitch that you've admired from afar but always thought, "Welp, not gonna learn that one." This Solomon Knot stitch has been that for me! Ha. Just looked kind hard and unclear to me.

But for years, every time I saw a commercially produced market bag, it always made me think of the Solomon's Knot stitch. (Which also goes by The "Lover's Knot", the "Knot Stitch," and "Hailstone" stitch.) The stitch itself is SO perfect for a crochet version of a market tote bag, I eventually caved and tried my hand at learning the Solomon's Knot stitch.

Less Complicated Than It Looks

Honestly, it was one of those stitches that took me a bit of concentration to learn, but after maybe 15 minutes of practicing, I had it down--and you will too!

The Solomon's Knot stitch is simply a combination of single crochets and longer-than-usual chain stitches. You can find a video tutorial demonstrating the stitch and giving a few pointers here. (This isn't my tutorial, just one I think is helpful.) And if you're a visual learner, you'll appreciate the bonus stitch chart that's included in the printable PDF.

A Packable + Expandable Market Tote

The Harvest Market Tote Bag has that magical quality of being quite light and compact when empty, but it can magically expand to accommodate more stuff than any of us should really carry when necessary. The mesh Solomon's Knot stitch is really great at expanding while continuing to hold its shape without stretching out. And some single crochet stitches around the top of the bag reinforce the open mesh and provide structure when carrying a heavy load.

Pin it! Click to pin this pattern for later ⇨

How to Ensure a Strong + Sturdy Crochet Bag

Wanna know my best trick for ensuring the bags I crochet are sturdy enough to haul around whatever I throw at them? Mercerized cotton! Mercernized cotton yarn is stronger than typical cotton yarn, takes dye more readily and doesn't have the slightly lint halo other cottons can have. This means in washes and ages incredibly well even with some pretty rough use. (Mercernized cotton is also what I love to use when I'm crocheting shoes on flip flop soles!)

For this crochet market tote bag pattern, I used Lion Brand's 24/7 Cotton which is one of my go-tos whenever I need a project to be both sturdy and look polished. Without a halo, mercerized cotton can appear more lustrous than typical cotton. And while I don't always love my yarn to be "shiny" per say, the little bit of sheen on 24/7 Cotton gives anything made with it a really finished look.

Get an All-In-One Crochet Kit

If you don't live near amazing yarn stores or if like to get fun packages in the mail, the all-in-one crochet kit is a perfect way to make your Harvest Market Tote. This bundle from Lion Brand includes all the 24/7 Cotton you'll need, plus a free printable PDF of the pattern (delivered digitally).

Deliver it! Click to purchase the an all-in-one crochet kit ⇨

How Do I Print This Pattern?

We know many people like to work from a paper copy of their crochet pattern. This is why we love offering our patterns in large-type, ad-free PDFs that are formatted for easy printing.

We are so grateful to those of you who support our small business by upgrading to the premium printable versions of our patterns, so we add extra bonuses to our PDFs whenever we have something helpful to share. In the case of the Harvest Market Tote pattern PDF, we included a bonus stitch chart that explains the Solomon's Knot stitch in visual terms.

The printable PDF includes the complete pattern, all the photo tutorials and the bonus stitch chart.

Print it! Click to purchase the printable PDF ⇨

More Free Crochet Bag + Purse Patterns

From modern granny square bags to mesh market totes to circle purses, we've got lots more free crochet bag patterns for you to enjoy. With sturdy straps and stylish details, you might just become a crochet bag-a-holic.

See morefree →

The Harvest Market Tote
Free Crochet Bag Pattern

Purchase the ad-free, printable PDF from Etsy here and from LoveCrafts here.

Purchase an all-in-one crochet kit here.

Save this pattern to your Ravelry here.

Pin it for later here.

Explanation:
Sturdy handles and an expanding mesh pouch make this market tote bag an incredibly functional project. Don’t let the lace-looking stitch intimidate you. Its airiness helps the pattern move quickly without much attention to detail. Grab a few skeins of 24/7 Cotton and put your hook to work crocheting this surprisingly simple market tote bag.

Supplies:
• Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (Weight: 4/medium - 186 yds, 3.5 oz, 100 g)
- Camel (761-124) – 3 skeins [(approx. 275 g)]

• Tapestry needle


• Size H (5.00 mm) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge

Print it! Click to purchase the printable PDF ⇨

Measurements:
When laying flat, mesh section of bag measures approx 33” wide x 15” deep after assembly.

When empty, bag’s handle drop is approx 10”.

While handles are quite sturdy and non-stretch, mesh section of bag is designed to stretch and increase in size and volume when filled.

Gauge:
When gently spread out:
5 Solomon’s Knot “arches” x 6 rows = 4”

Note: Gauge is extremely hard to measure in this stitch, but the pattern is quite forgiving. Don’t stress too much about perfecting gauge.

Supplies:
• Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (Weight: 4/medium - 186 yds, 3.5 oz, 100 g)
- Camel (761-124) – 3 skeins [(approx. 275 g)]

• Tapestry needle


• Size H (5.00 mm) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge

Deliver it! Click to purchase the an all-in-one crochet kit ⇨

Measurements:
When laying flat, mesh section of bag measures approx 33” wide x 15” deep after assembly.

When empty, bag’s handle drop is approx 10”.

While handles are quite sturdy and non-stretch, mesh section of bag is designed to stretch and increase in size and volume when filled.

Gauge:
When gently spread out:
5 Solomon’s Knot “arches*” x 6 rows = 4”

Note: Gauge is extremely hard to measure in this stitch, but the pattern is quite forgiving. Don’t stress too much about perfecting gauge.

Abbreviations and Glossary (US Terms):
ch – chain
rep – repeat
RS – right side
sc – single crochet
sk – skip
slst – slip stitch
st(s) – stitch(es)
WS – wrong side
SK – Solomon’s Knot: A lengthened chain stitch, locked in place with a single crochet stitch in the back loop of the chain.

Overall Pattern Notes:

• For a deeper bag, increase number of stitches in foundation Row using a multiple of 2 + 1. (This will increase the amount of yarn necessary.)

Main Bag

Notes:

• Bag is worked as a flat rectangle and then joined at the sides.
  
• RS/WS designation does not matter because fabric is reversible.
  
• The openness of the mesh and the overall size of the bag will be affected by how far you draw up your Solomon’s Knot loops.
  
• In traditional Solomon’s Knot instructions, there is a distinction between how far you draw up the loop in your main pattern versus at the edges of the work. In this pattern, this nuance doesn’t affect the overall outcome, so the instructions have been simplified.
  
• “Arch” refers to the curve created from two Solomon’s Knot stitches. (See visual example below.)
  
• In this pattern, each Solomon’s Knot chain is pulled approximately .5” high. (See tutorial at end of pattern for more detail.) Making a different length of chain will affect the overall size of the finished bag.

Before Ruching

Foundation Row: Ch 2, sc in second ch from the hook, make an additional 57 SK; turn.

Row 1: Sc in sc between 3rd and 4th loops from hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches)

Row 2: 2 SK, sc in sc between 3rd and 4th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch; turn.

Rep Row 2 eight more times.

Adding Center Ruching

Row 11 (RS): Rep Row 2. At end of row, ch 14 for first extension; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches + 14 chs)

Row 12 (WS): Sc in second ch from hook and each remaining ch of extension; sc in first sc of main bag, 3 SK, sc in sc between 3rd and 4th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch. At end of row, ch 14 for second extension; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches + 14 sc + 14 chs)

Row 13 (RS): Sc in second ch from hook and each remaining ch of extension; sc in first sc of main bag, 2 SK, sc in sc between 3rd and 4th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch; sc in each sc of extension; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches + 28 sc)

Row 14 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each sc of extension; sc in first sc of main bag, 2 SK, sc in sc between 3rd and 4th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch; sc in each sc of extension; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches + 28 sc)

Rep Row 14 twenty-two times.

Row 37 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each sc of extension; sc in first sc of main bag, 2 SK, sc in sc between 4th and 5th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches + 14 sc)

After Ruching

Row 38 (WS): 2 SK, sc in sc between 4th and 5th loops from the hook, *2 SK, skip 2 loops, sc in next sc; rep from * to end of row placing last sc in top of half arch; turn. (1 “half” arch + 27 full arches)

Rep Row 38 ten more times. Do not fasten off.

Joining Sides

Fabric is reversible, so choose whichever side you prefer to designate the RS.

With WS facing out, fold main bag in half so that the ruching extensions come together. Use stitch markers to pin the edges together on both sides of bag. Using attached yarn, slip stitching the sides together working toward the bottom of the bag. Fasten off and reattach yarn on opposite side. Slip stitch sides together working toward bottom of bag. Fasten off.

Handles

• Handles are worked in a spiral with RS of bag facing out entire time.
  
• Foundation round is worked around entire bag opening and adds long chains that will become the handles.

Attach yarn at either side seam.

Foundation Round (RS): 1 sc in each SK raw row edge; sc in each st of extension; ch 70 (be very careful not to twist handle chain when reattaching to extension); sc in each st of opposite side of extension; 1 sc in each SK raw row edge to next extension, sc in each st of extension, ch 70, sc in each st of opposite side of extension, 1 sc in each SK raw row edge to beginning of round; do not turn.

Round 2 (RS): Sc in each sc and ch of Foundation Round.

Rep Round 2 three more times. Slst into next two stitches of round to finish off spiral. Fasten off.

Seaming Handles

Thread tapestry needle with approx 36” strand of yarn. Fold first strap in half with WS facing in. Zig zag seam edges of handle together leaving approx the first and last inch of the handles unseamed. See photo below. Repeat process on second handle.

Weave in remaining ends.

Head off to your local farmer’s market and find some goodies to fill your new bag!

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