Market Bag Knitting Patterns

After I shared my knit market bag pattern last month it occurred to me that I hadn’t done a collection of market or string bag patterns in a long time. In fact, the most recent one I can find is this string market shopping bag pattern roundup from 2021. So it’s well past time to update our collection, wouldn’t you say?

I like both lacey, openwork mesh bags like my newish pattern, but I also like more solid bags for more substantial shopping, so this will be a mix of both.

In the mesh category, we’ve got the marked bag from DK Handgood Knits on Etsy, which is an allover openwork pattern except for the top edge and handle. It’s worked in the round and would be an easy first lace knitting project.

Or try the Rambling market bag from Little Red Window, which has a mostly solid base, top and straps but has a chevron lace pattern on the body. This one also uses larger needles than you’d expect with worsted weight yarn, which helps it go faster.

A Free Lunch by Christina Huling (via Ravelry) is similar to mine in that it has a solid base and lacey sides worked in a contrasting color. Here the strap is integrated into the body rather than being a drawstring.

And then there’s Market Share from Vickie Howell (also on Ravelry), which offers a flat-bottomed bag with allover mesh that’s super simple to knit.

If you want a more solid bag, check out Cora from Emma Munn (on Ravelry). This bag is worked in bulky yarn for extra heft and uses a slip stitch pattern on most of the body for extra durability.

Barbara Seidenfaden’s Buetti bag has a sturdy garter stitch base and a stockinette stitch body with I-cord straps. This is a great basic bag pattern you can embellish with stripes, embroidery or other colorwork designs as you like. Find it on Ravelry.

And speaking of stripes and stockinette, there’s also the Pensacola tote from Etsy seller Apple and Acorn Co. This one is all stockinette and is worked in the round, making color changes for the stripes super easy.

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

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Next Pattern:

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