Tutorial Crochet: La Borsa in Rete — Part 1 (ITA + ENG)

There is something deeply satisfying about making a bag from scratch. Not just any bag, but one that is light, stretchy, endlessly useful, and built entirely from your own hands and a single skein of yarn. The mesh bag — la borsa in rete in Italian — is one of those projects that crochet makers return to again and again, not because it is complicated, but because it is perfect. It travels well, it holds more than it looks like it should, it works at the beach, the market, the farmer’s stand, the library. And once you understand the basic structure, you can make it in an afternoon.

This is Part 1 of a two-part tutorial series. In this installment, we are going to cover everything you need to get started: the materials, the yarn choice, understanding the mesh stitch, and working the base of the bag. Part 2 will walk through the body, the handles, and finishing details. Whether you are following along in English or Italian — this tutorial is written for both communities — you will find clear, step-by-step instructions you can work through at your own pace.

What Is a Borsa in Rete?

The term borsa in rete literally means “net bag” or “mesh bag.” It is a classic item in Italian crafting culture, the kind of thing nonnas have been making for generations, long before reusable shopping bags became a trend. The structure is based on a simple chain-and-stitch mesh pattern that creates open, airy loops — strong enough to carry vegetables, books, or a beach towel, but light enough to fold up and tuck into a pocket.

What makes this project special for crocheters at every level is how the mesh stitch teaches you something fundamental about how crochet fabric works. Unlike solid fabric made with single crochets or double crochets placed side by side, mesh fabric is built on space. You are creating structure out of negative space, which means your tension, your chain counts, and your stitch placement all matter a little more than usual — but once you feel it in your hands, it becomes second nature.

Materials You Will Need

Before we begin, let’s talk about what you need to gather. For this project, simplicity is the guiding principle. You do not need anything fancy.

Yarn: The best yarn for a mesh bag is cotton or a cotton blend. Cotton is durable, washable, and has very little stretch, which means your mesh will hold its shape even when the bag is full. A medium weight cotton (DK or worsted) works beautifully for a sturdy market bag. If you want something lighter and more summery — think beach bag or produce bag — a fingering weight or sport weight cotton will give you a more delicate-looking mesh. Avoid acrylic yarn for this project; it has too much give and your mesh loops will sag over time under weight.

For this tutorial, we are using a DK weight cotton yarn in natural ecru, approximately 200 to 250 meters for a medium-sized bag. You can absolutely use a bright color, a variegated skein, or a bold solid — the mesh structure shows off color beautifully because of all the negative space between stitches.

Hook: For DK weight cotton, a 4.0 mm or 4.5 mm hook is ideal. Cotton tends to be stiffer than other fibers, so many makers go up half a size from what the label recommends. If your mesh feels too tight and stiff, go up a size. If it feels too loose and floppy, go down. Your gauge does not need to be exact for this project, but your tension should be consistent.

Notions: You will need a pair of scissors, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, and optionally a stitch marker or two (a simple loop of contrast yarn works fine). That is genuinely everything.

Understanding the Mesh Stitch

The foundation of this bag is the chain space mesh, sometimes called filet mesh or open mesh. It is built on a simple repeated unit: a single crochet (or slip stitch, depending on the variation), followed by a chain, then skipping a stitch, and working into the next. This creates a row of little arched windows across your fabric.

There are several variations of mesh crochet. For this bag, we are using the most beginner-friendly version, which uses single crochet and chain-2 spaces. Here is how the basic unit looks:

Work 1 single crochet into a stitch, chain 2, skip 2 stitches (or the next chain-2 space), then single crochet into the following stitch. Repeat across.

This unit creates square-ish holes that are just the right size for a shopping bag — large enough to let the bag breathe and flex, small enough that your oranges will not fall through.

If you have never worked mesh crochet before, it is worth practicing a small swatch before you begin the bag. Work a foundation chain of about 25 stitches, then try two or three rows of the mesh pattern. Notice how the fabric wants to lay flat, how the chain-2 arches line up above each other from row to row, and how the whole thing feels lighter and airier than solid crochet. That is the texture we are building the bag from.

A Note on Working in the Round

The bag is worked entirely in the round, starting from the base and building upward. Working in the round with mesh can feel a little unusual at first because you have to pay attention to how your mesh lines up at the join. We will be using a continuous spiral for the base (a flat circle) and then switching to joined rounds for the body of the bag. This gives us a clean, even structure.

For the base, we begin with a magic ring and work outward in increasing rounds until we have the right diameter. Then we stop increasing and simply work straight upward. The transition between the flat base and the vertical walls is where many beginners feel uncertain, but we will walk through it very clearly in the step-by-step section below.

Step-by-Step: The Base of the Bag

Let’s begin. Work at a comfortable pace, and do not worry if your first attempt at the base feels a little wobbly. Cotton yarn can be unforgiving at first because it does not have the bounce of wool to hide small imperfections, but it also becomes more beautiful and supple as you work and handle it.

Foundation: Magic Ring

Make a magic ring (also called a magic circle or adjustable ring). If you are not familiar with this technique, it allows you to begin working in the round with a closed center that you can pull tight to eliminate any hole in the middle of your base. To make one: wrap the yarn around two fingers, pull a loop through, and chain 1 to secure it.

If you prefer not to use a magic ring, you can chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring instead.

Round 1: Work 6 single crochets into the ring. Pull the tail end of your magic ring tight. You have 6 stitches. Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of the round so you can track where each round begins.

Round 2: Work 2 single crochets into each stitch around. You have 12 stitches.

Round 3: Work 2 single crochets into the next stitch, then 1 single crochet into the following stitch. Repeat from around. You have 18 stitches.

Round 4: Work 2 single crochets into the next stitch, then 1 single crochet into each of the next 2 stitches. Repeat from around. You have 24 stitches.

Round 5: Work 2 single crochets into the next stitch, then 1 single crochet into each of the next 3 stitches. Repeat from around. You have 30 stitches.

Round 6: Work 2 single crochets into the next stitch, then 1 single crochet into each of the next 4 stitches. Repeat from around. You have 36 stitches.

Continue this pattern — increasing once per section with one more single crochet between increases each round — until your base measures approximately 12 to 14 centimeters (about 5 inches) across. This gives you a medium-sized bag base. For a larger market bag, work two or three more increasing rounds until the base measures closer to 16 or 17 centimeters.

At this point, your base should lie flat on the table without curling or ruffling. If it is curling upward at the edges, your tension may be too tight — try going up a hook size. If it is ruffling outward and refusing to lie flat, you have too many stitches for your tension — try going down a hook size or working a round without increases.

Transitioning to the Mesh Body

This is the pivot point of the bag, and it is where the magic begins. Once your base has reached the right size, you stop increasing and begin working the mesh pattern. The transition round is simply a regular round of single crochets (no increases), which establishes the stitch count you will carry through the entire body of the bag.

Transition Round: Work 1 single crochet into each stitch around, no increases. Join with a slip stitch to the first stitch of the round. Chain 1. This is the last solid round of the bag.

Now you are ready to begin the mesh pattern.

First Mesh Round: Chain 1. Work 1 single crochet into the first stitch. Chain 2, skip 2 stitches, work 1 single crochet into the next stitch. Repeat from around until you reach the end of the round. If your stitch count is not perfectly divisible by 3, you may need to adjust slightly — either work an extra single crochet without a chain at the end of the round or skip the final stitch. We will address stitch count adjustments more precisely in Part 2. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. Chain 1.

Continuing Mesh Rounds: For each subsequent round, work 1 single crochet into the first single crochet from the previous round. Chain 2, work 1 single crochet into the next single crochet from the previous round. Repeat from around. Join with a slip stitch. Chain 1.

This is the entire pattern for the body of the bag. Repeat this round as many times as you need until the bag reaches your desired height. For a medium market bag, you will typically work somewhere between 15 and 20 mesh rounds after the base. For a tall bag that can hold a baguette or a rolled-up yoga mat, work 25 or more rounds.

Tips for Even Mesh

A few things to keep in mind as you work up the body:

Always work your single crochet into the single crochet from the previous round, not into the chain space. This is a common point of confusion. The chain-2 arches from the previous round will be sitting right there inviting you to work into them, but resist. Instead, look for the single crochet at the top of each arch and work into that. This keeps your mesh aligned in clean, vertical columns.

Keep your chains loose. Chain stitches have a tendency to tighten up, especially in cotton. If your chain-2 spaces are pulling the fabric in, try loosening your grip on the hook as you form the chains, or go up half a hook size just for the chain stitches (some makers keep two hooks nearby for exactly this reason).

Check your stitch count at the end of each round. The mesh pattern is very forgiving, but a missed stitch or an accidental extra chain can throw off your alignment over time. A quick count at the end of every few rounds will save you from having to rip back several rows.

What to Expect at the End of Part 1

By the end of this first part of the tutorial, you should have a completed circular base and the beginning of your mesh body — anywhere from one or two practice rounds up to however many rounds feel comfortable to you today. The bag will not look like a bag yet. It will look like a small basket or an open dish. That is exactly right.

In Part 2, we will continue building the body to full height, work the reinforcement round at the top edge, and add the handles — both a simple chain handle option and a braided or twisted cord option for those who want something more structured. We will also cover finishing: weaving in ends properly so they stay put in the mesh (a slightly different technique than in solid fabric), and blocking your finished bag so the mesh opens up beautifully.

Why This Project Is Worth Your Time

There is a reason the mesh bag keeps appearing in Italian craft culture, in Scandinavian making traditions, in zero-waste communities, and in the feeds of crocheters around the world. It is not a nostalgic object or a niche craft experiment. It is a genuinely excellent bag. It holds weight without distorting. It packs down to almost nothing. It gets better with use as the cotton softens. And it is entirely yours — made in a few hours, with almost no materials, by your own hands.

If you are new to crochet, this project will teach you to work in the round, to increase, to work mesh, and to transition between techniques. If you are experienced, it offers a meditative rhythm and a satisfying finished object. And if you are building your skills to eventually sell your work or teach others, the borsa in rete is one of those projects that photographs beautifully, sells consistently, and translates effortlessly between skill levels.

Take your time with the base. Get comfortable with the mesh round. And we will see you in Part 2.

Buon lavoro — happy making.