How many yards of yarn do I need to crochet a market bag?

Generally, you will need around 300 yards to 550 yards of worsted weight yarn to crochet a market bag. How much yarn exactly you will need to crochet a market bag will depend on a few things; the size of the bag you want to make, the hook, yarn weight and the type of stitches.

How many yards of yarn does it take to make a tote bag?

How much yarn do you need to make a bag? This varies from bag to bag, but for this free crochet tote bag pattern, you'll need about 700 yards of worsted weight yarn. This pattern would use more yarn if there weren't ch 2 spaces throughout so keep that in mind. What are some other Crochet Tote Bag Patterns?

What yarn is best for a crochet market bag?

Best yarn for crochet bags – summary For string market bags, lightweight cottons are ideal, because they fold up small in between uses. And for everything else, look at DK or worsted weight cottons, linens, or blends of those fibers. They are hardwearing, and least prone to sagging.

How many yards to make a crochet bag?

While the amount of yarn you need to crochet a bag varies depending on the size of your bag, your gauge and the stitch you're using, you can usually make a decently-sized crochet bag or purse with 200 yards of yarn or less . For my My Favourite Festival Purse design, you'll only need 131 yards of yarn.

What size yarn is best for a tote bag?

To make a tote bag that is sturdy, that will take the weight of heavy items and keep its shape, you need a #3 Light / DK weight of yarn or above and a yarn that is strong like hemp, jute and chunky cotton. To make sure it is sustainable, choose a recycled or organic cotton.

Is cotton or acrylic yarn better for tote bags?

Generally, when it comes to creating durable and sturdy bags, choosing a medium weight acrylic yarn or cotton yarn is ideal . Cotton is especially great for market bags as it is lightweight and breathes well.

How many tote bags can you make from 1 yard of fabric?

(note, depending on your fabric print, you may want to cut the fabric as one continuous 17.5 by 28 inch horizontal piece, rather than a long 35 x 14 vertical piece –see striped fabric below). (Cutting your fabric this size also means you can cut 4 bags from 1 yard of 60 inch fabric or 3 bags from 45 inch fabric).

What is the strongest stitch for bags?

Back Stitch – Use a short needle. It is the strongest hand stitch and is used to imitate machine stitches. Work backstitch from right to left.

What is the least wasteful crochet stitch?

Single Crochet It typically uses less yarn since it doesn't have the height of other stitches like double or treble crochet.

What thread is used to crochet bags?

I usually prefer cotton or linen yarns for crochet bags, as they are very durable and washable.

What size crochet hook for a tote bag?

Hook. Use a hook size smaller than you normally would with your yarn. I usually use a 5 mm hook with 8 ply cotton, but when making bags, I use a 4 mm . It gives a denser, less lacy, sturdier fabric.

How do I know how much yarn I need for a crochet project?

Formula: (length x width x gauge) / 6 = yards needed. Length and width are in inches and gauge is in stitches per inch. The division by 6 is to convert the answer from square inches to yards.

How much yarn do I need for a granny square tote bag?

The materials needed for the Granny Square Tote Bag? You will need the following materials: 100 % Cotton – #3 light/ DK Weight yarn, 50g/1.7oz (100m/109yd) each in 3 colors (I used red, rose pink and white), 100g/3.5oz (200m/218yd) in mustard yellow which is the contrast color.

Sugarwheel Crochet Market Bag (Free Crochet Pattern) (2024)

Create a wonderful reusable crochet market bag with this easy and free pattern.

Sugarwheel Crochet Market Bag (Free Crochet Pattern) (1)

In this article...

Design Story and Inspiration for this Easy Crochet Bag

We love going to the Farmer’s Market and would often just take reusable bags we got from the grocery store, but sometimes I would find that they didn’t work the best for our produce.

I’d seen a lot of open, airy french market bag patterns and decided I wanted to try a crochet market bag pattern of my own. I love it! It sure beats using a grocery bag or plastic bag handed out at the Farmer’s Market!

Yarn Options for this Crochet Bag Pattern

I used a 100% cotton yarn for this bag and it has worked very well. The yarn I chose is Yarn Bee Sugarwheel Cotton (and it only took 1 skein!), but if you’ve got some Caron cotton cake yarn in your stash it would work very well as a substitute.

Any worsted weight yarn could be used, but I do think cotton would hold up the best. Gauge isn’t really that important with a bag pattern, but I’ve included it here if you’d like your bag to turn out just like mine.

Before we begin… let’s get Social!

I would love for you to come follow me on
Instagram (get sneak peeks of what’s coming up!)
My Facebook Page (come join the fun!)
Follow me on Pinterest (I pin tons of free patterns to my boards!)
Join my Facebook group (lots of awesome crochet talk there)
Also, you can find me on Ravelry or join my subscribers on YouTube.

Market Bag Crochet Pattern Details

To make the bottom of this bag roomy, I created it as a large square motif with a more decorative circle in the middle. Once the square is to the required size, you switch to working in the round in a single crochet mesh.

The single crochet mesh gives the bottom a lot more stability than filet crochet made from double crochet stitches. In this bag pattern, you only change to double crochet mesh after the bottom section has been worked.

Finally, the top band around the bag is constructed using the thermal stitch, which is one of the thickest and sturdiest stitches out there. The handles are also made with the thermal stitch to minimize the chance of stretching out.

How to Customize this Market Crochet Tote Bag

You can choose to make the square base of the bag as large or as small as you’d like. Then, just switch to the single crochet mesh pattern and follow the directions for the rest of the bag, ignoring the stitch counts since they will be different.

If you’d like an even tighter mesh try using a smaller hook – this will tighten up the stitches. I found this gauge gave just the right amount of stretch, but if you start the project and want to make it tighter just change your hook size.

Get the Ad-Free PDF

This pattern is completely free and can be viewed in its entirety below. However, many readers have requested ad-free PDF’s of my patterns so I provide an inexpensive option for these.

If you like to crochet on the go or just prefer paper, you can print this PDF and take it with you anywhere.

Sugarwheel Crochet Market Bag

What You’ll Need

Yarn: Yarn Bee Sugarwheel Cotton, 1 skein Forever Fruity

Crochet Hook: US G (4.00mm)

Notions: Yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker (optional, to mark first stitch)

Gauge: 27 sts and 18 rows = 4” (10cm) in single crochet mesh (sc, ch3)

Finished Size: Approximately 11” tall and 12” wide (not including handles)

Stitch Descriptions and Abbreviations
Chain (ch)
Slip Stitch (sl st)
Single Crochet (sc)
Double Crochet (dc)
Two Double Crochet Cluster (2dc cluster) -(yarn over, insert hook into stitch or space indicated, yarn over and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through two loops on hook) two times (three loops on hook), yarn over, draw through remaining three loops on hook.
Three Double Crochet Cluster (3dc cluster) – (yarn over, insert hook into stitch or space indicated, yarn over and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through two loops on hook) three times (four loops on hook), yarn over and draw through remaining four loops on hook.

Pattern Notes

Rows 1-5 form a circle for the base of the bag (seen here in the darker color), then rows 6-20 are worked as a square. Then the bag is worked even in sc mesh, then dc mesh, finally in a solid thermal stitch for stability at the top. The straps are also worked in the crochet thermal stitch, which is a firm, thick stitch to give strength to the handles.

Sugarwheel Crochet Market Bag (Free Crochet Pattern) (3)

Market Crochet Tote Bag Pattern

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 3, dc in magic ring (ch-3 plus dc counts as a 2dc cluster), *ch 3, 2dc cluster; repeat from * four times more, ch 3, join to top of first dc with sl st. <6 ch-3 sps>

Round 2: Sl st into first ch-3 space, ch 1, *(sc, ch 3, sc) in ch-3 space, ch 3; repeat from * four times to last ch-3 space, (sc, ch 3, sc) in last ch-3 space, ch 1, hdc in first sc of round. <11 ch-3 sps, 1 hdc-sp>

Round 3: Ch 3, 2dc cluster in side of hdc, ch 3, sc in next ch-3 space, *ch 3, 3 dc cluster in next ch-3 space, ch 3, sc in next ch-3 space; repeat from * four times, ch 3, sl st in top of first 2dc cluster. <12 ch-3 sps, 5 3dc clusters, 6 sc>

Common Questions about a Crochet Market Bag, Crochet Grocery Bag or Mesh Bag

How much yarn do you need to crochet a market bag?

For a generous reusable bag you only need one good size skein of yarn that has at least 350 yards. Most of the bag patterns out there for a market bag or mesh beach bag will use 500 yards or less.

What is the best yarn to make a market bag?

By far the best choice is cotton yarn. Cotton tends to hold its shape well, so it won’t get stretched and pull out of shape as easily as a lot of other fibers. It will hold up to wear and tear and be easy to wash if it gets dirty or if there is a leak.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this free pattern for the Sugarwheel Crochet Market Bag! I sure had a blast designing it!

Happy Crocheting!
Amanda

Want even more free crochet market bag patterns?? Check out this collection of 25 other amazing crochet market bags!