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:

Linen stitch is one of my favorite knitting stitch patterns that, every time I use it in a project, I think about how I don’t use it often enough.

It’s an easy stitch to make, with slip stitches done with the yarn held to the front of the work on the right/front side and to the back on the wrong/back side, which makes the strand of yarn a visible part of the pattern.

It also makes a fabric that is thick and looks kind of like a woven fabric.

I recently used linen stitch to make a double-thick pot holder, which I worked in a kind of interesting way. I didn’t want to have to do any sewing on the project, so I started it from a crochet cast on and picked up stitches from the side of the cast on to make the hot pad all in one piece in the round with the edge sealed.

This requires working on two circular needles, which is another technique I don’t use that often and am always reminded how much I like it when I do.

The combination of double thickness and the stitch pattern makes for a hot pad that’s already pretty thick, but I also added a bit of old towel to the inside before I closed up the end to make it super thick and extra protective for your surfaces.

I found the engineering challenge of this construction method to be a lot of fun, but you could also just knit it as a tube (casting on twice as many stitches as I did) and sew up the ends by hand when the knitting is done. Either way you’ve got a useful and pretty addition to your kitchen, whether you work it in a solid color, stripes or as a stash busting project will all your cotton odd balls.

You can grab the pattern over at Our Daily Craft, or check it out on Ravelry.

40+ Hot Pads You Can Sew For The Kitchen [Sewing]

A Cozy Knit to Calm Your Mind

Double Knit an Infinity Scarf

Next Pattern:

Have you read?