Crochet Stylish Two-Tone Market Tote Bag Free Pattern

Crochet Stylish Two-Tone Market Tote Bag: A Free Beginner-Friendly Pattern

If you have never held a crochet hook before, this two-tone market tote is the perfect first real project for you. It uses only two simple stitches, works up flat and fast, and turns into a breezy, lightweight bag that looks far more complicated than it actually is. The finished tote is about 14 inches wide and 12 inches tall, with a sturdy tan base, an airy cream lattice body, and two comfortable reinforced handles. It feels soft but strong in your hands, folds up small when you are not using it, and is roomy enough for market produce, a beach towel, or your everyday essentials. Let's make one together, one stitch at a time.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (also called medium, weight category 4) cotton yarn. You need 200 yards of cream and 150 yards of tan. Cotton is recommended because it is strong and does not stretch much, which keeps your bag from sagging.
• Crochet hook: Size H (5.0 mm). If you are brand new, buy a hook with a soft grip handle; it is much easier on your hands.
• Stitch marker: 1 (a small plastic clip or even a safety pin works).
• Tapestry needle: A large, blunt-tipped needle with a big eye, used for sewing seams and hiding yarn ends.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: Approximately 14 inches wide x 12 inches tall, not counting the handles.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every pattern is written in shorthand. Here is every abbreviation used in this pattern, explained as if you have never crocheted before.

• ch – chain. Make a loop with the yarn on your hook, then pull the yarn through that loop. Each loop you pull through is one chain. Chains are the foundation everything else is built on.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the next stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it up (you now have 2 loops on the hook), wrap the yarn over again and pull it through both loops. One single crochet made.
• dc – double crochet. Wrap the yarn over the hook first, insert the hook into the next stitch, wrap yarn and pull up (3 loops on hook), wrap yarn and pull through 2 loops, wrap yarn and pull through the last 2 loops. One double crochet made.
• st(s) – stitch(es). A stitch is one completed sc or dc.
• sp – space. The small gap created by a chain. When a pattern says "ch-1 sp," it means the little hole under a chain from the row below.
• rep – repeat. Do the same thing again.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert hook into the stitch, wrap yarn and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It joins things together without adding height.
• turn – flip your work over so you can work back across the row you just finished.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• whipstitch – a simple sewing stitch: bring the needle up through both layers, over the edge, and back down, over and over, like a spiral of small stitches along the seam.

Gauge

Gauge: 14 stitches and 8 rows = 4 inches in the double crochet lattice pattern.

Gauge simply means how big your stitches come out. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern expects, your bag will be too big; if smaller, too small. To check, crochet a small square about 5 inches wide in the lattice pattern (dc, ch 1, skip a stitch, repeat). Lay a ruler across the middle and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches. If you have more than 14, try a larger hook; if fewer, try a smaller hook. It is worth the ten minutes, because it means your finished bag will match the size listed above.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count your stitches at the end of every row. Beginners most often lose or add a stitch at the very end of a row. The stitch counts in parentheses are your safety net.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Hold the yarn with gentle tension. Tight stitches are hard to get your hook into and make the bag stiff.
• Use your stitch marker. Place it in the first stitch of each row so you always know where the row begins and ends.
• The turning chain is not a stitch to work into. In the body rows, the ch 3 at the start counts as your first double crochet. Work into the chain spaces, not into the top of the turning chain, except where the pattern tells you to.
• Keep your base flat. The tan base is worked in plain single crochet, so take your time here; a flat, even base makes the whole bag sit nicely.
• Change colors in the last stitch. When you switch from tan to cream, pull the cream through the final loop of the last tan stitch. This hides the change neatly.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Base (worked in tan)

Row 1: With tan yarn, ch 41. Sc in the 2nd ch from your hook and in each ch across, turn. (40 sts)

Rows 2–6: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (40 sts) Do not fasten off. In the last stitch of Row 6, change to cream yarn.

Body (worked in cream)

Row 7: With cream, ch 3 (this counts as your first dc), dc in the next st, ch 1, skip the next st, *dc in the next st, ch 1, skip the next st; rep from * across to the last st, dc in the last st, turn. (20 dc, 19 ch-1 sps)

Rows 8–20: Ch 3, dc in the first ch-1 sp, ch 1, *dc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1; rep from * across to the last ch-1 sp, dc in the last ch-1 sp, dc in the top of the turning ch, turn. (20 dc, 19 ch-1 sps)

That is 13 body rows in total (Rows 7 through 20). Fasten off cream, leaving a long tail (about 24 inches) for seaming.

Side Seams

Step 1: Fold the piece in half with right sides together, matching the short ends (the base rows to the base rows and the body rows to the body rows).

Step 2: Thread the long cream tail onto your tapestry needle. Whipstitch the side edges together from the base up to the top edge, keeping your stitches even so the seam does not pucker. Repeat on the other side. Turn the bag right side out.

Top Edging (in cream)

Round 1: Join cream yarn at one side seam. Ch 1, sc evenly around the top opening, working 1 sc in each st and 1 sc in each side seam. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (Approximately 80 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around. Join with a sl st to the first sc. Fasten off.

Handles (make 2, in cream)

Handle 1: Join cream yarn at the top edge, leaving 4 inches from one side seam. Ch 1, sc in the next 4 sts, ch 30, skip the next 20 sts, sc in the next 4 sts. Fasten off.

Handle 2: Join cream yarn at the opposite side, leaving 4 inches from the other side seam. Ch 1, sc in the next 4 sts, ch 30, skip the next 20 sts, sc in the next 4 sts. Fasten off.

Handle reinforcement (do for each handle): Join cream yarn at one handle base. Work 1 row of sc around the entire handle loop, working into the ch-30 and the scs at the base. Fasten off. Repeat for the second handle.

Assembly and Finishing

Weave in the ends. Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the back of several stitches, then trim close. Never knot your ends; weaving hides them and keeps them secure.

Check your seams. Turn the bag inside out and look along both side seams. If any gap shows, add a few extra whipstitches with your tapestry needle.

Block the bag. Dampen the bag lightly with water (a spray bottle works well), then shape it to the 14 x 12 inch measurements. Lay it flat on a towel, or stuff it lightly with a folded towel so it holds its shape, and let it dry completely. Blocking smooths the stitches and evens out the lattice.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors. Swap the cream and tan for any two colors you love. A bright base with a neutral lattice looks modern, and self-striping cotton adds interest without extra work.
• Make it bigger or smaller. Add or remove chains in multiples of 2 to the base (keep the base an even number of stitches) and add or remove body rows in pairs. Every extra 2 stitches adds about half an inch of width.
• Try a different yarn. Cotton is best for strength, but a cotton-blend or acrylic works too. Just check your gauge again, since different yarns crochet up at different sizes.
• Add a lining. For heavier loads, sew a simple fabric lining inside the bag by hand before attaching the top edging. It adds structure and keeps small items from slipping through the lattice.