14 Knitting Bag Patterns (Totes, Project Bags & More)
If you’ve spent any time knitting, you already know that the hobby comes with an almost comical amount of accessories. There are the needles, the stitch markers, the measuring tape, the yarn swift you told yourself you didn’t need, the half-finished sock that lives permanently at the bottom of your purse. At some point, every knitter arrives at the same realization: I need a better bag for all of this.
The good news is that knitting bags are one of the most satisfying things you can make for yourself. They’re practical, they’re personal, and they give you an excuse to buy more yarn in the name of utility. Whether you’re after a roomy tote that fits your biggest project, a snug little drawstring pouch for travel, or a structured organizer with pockets for every notion you own, there’s a pattern out there for you. In fact, there are fourteen of them right here.
This roundup covers a wide range of styles and skill levels, from beginner-friendly garter stitch bags to more advanced colorwork designs. Some are knitted flat, some in the round, and a few involve a touch of crochet finishing if you’re comfortable with that. All of them are genuinely useful, and most can be completed in a weekend or two depending on how much knitting time you carve out.
Let’s get into it.
Why Knit Your Own Knitting Bag?
Before we dive into the patterns, it’s worth pausing for a moment on why a handmade bag is worth the effort when you could simply order something online.
First, customization. A commercial knitting bag is designed for the average knitter, which means it might be exactly the right size for some people and frustrating for everyone else. When you knit your own bag, you control the dimensions, the pocket placement, the handle length, and every other detail that affects whether you’ll actually use the thing.
Second, durability. A hand-knitted bag made from sturdy cotton or linen yarn, lined with a woven fabric, and finished carefully will outlast most totes sold at craft stores. The lining is especially important for knitting bags, because raw knitted fabric can snag your yarn. A lined bag solves that problem entirely.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, it’s satisfying. Using a bag you made yourself to carry the project you’re currently making is one of those small pleasures that’s hard to explain to non-knitters but feels genuinely wonderful.
What to Look for in a Knitting Bag Pattern
Not all bag patterns are equally well suited for carrying knitting projects. Here are a few things worth considering as you browse.
Sturdiness of construction is the biggest factor. Bags knitted in the round with a firm stitch pattern hold their shape much better than those knitted flat in a loose pattern. Look for patterns that use cotton, linen, or a cotton-blend yarn, which have less stretch than wool and will keep your bag from sagging under the weight of yarn.
Lining instructions are a bonus. Many knitting bag patterns either include guidance on adding a fabric lining or at least mention it as an option. A lined bag protects your yarn from snagging on loose stitches and gives the whole piece a cleaner, more polished look.
Size matters more than you might expect. Project bags come in all sizes, from tiny pouches for a single skein of sock yarn to enormous totes that could fit a sweater’s worth of bulky yarn. Think about what you typically carry before committing to a pattern.
Finally, consider the closure. Open-top bags are easy to reach into but can dump your project onto the floor of the bus. Drawstring bags are secure but slightly awkward to dig through. Zippered bags are ideal but require some hardware and sometimes a bit of sewing. Decide which tradeoff you’re willing to make before you cast on.
The 14 Knitting Bag Patterns
1. The Classic Garter Stitch Tote
This is the pattern that many knitters make first, and for good reason. The garter stitch tote is knitted flat on large needles with bulky yarn, which means it works up quickly and looks impressive without requiring much technical skill. The pattern uses a simple increase-and-decrease shaping for the handles, and the whole bag can be completed in a single weekend. It’s the perfect starter project for anyone who wants to dip their toes into bag making without committing to something complicated. Look for versions that use cotton-acrylic blend yarns, which add the durability that pure acrylic sometimes lacks.
2. The Drawstring Project Bag
Every knitter needs at least one drawstring project bag, and ideally several. These are the small fabric-style bags you see knitters pulling out of larger totes, each one containing a separate project or a set of notions. The knitted version of this classic bag is typically worked in the round from the bottom up, with a simple eyelet row near the top to thread the drawstring through. They’re small enough to finish in a day or two and make excellent gifts. Using variegated or hand-dyed yarn for these is especially rewarding because the small circumference creates beautiful color effects that you’d lose in a larger project.
3. The Structured Linen Tote
Linen yarn is having a well-deserved moment in the knitting community, and bag patterns are where it really shines. Linen is naturally stiff and has very little stretch, which means a bag knitted in linen holds its shape beautifully without any structural interfacing. This pattern typically uses a simple stockinette or seed stitch body with short i-cord handles and sometimes a leather strap option. The finished bag looks polished enough to use as an everyday bag, not just a knitting carrier. It does require patience because linen yarn is less forgiving on the hands than wool, but the result is absolutely worth it.
4. The Colorwork Stranded Tote
If you’re comfortable with basic stranded colorwork, a colorwork tote is a genuinely exciting project. These patterns usually feature Nordic-inspired motifs, geometric patterns, or folk designs worked in two colors across a simple stockinette background. The double layer of yarn created by stranded colorwork adds natural structure to the bag, and the finished result is thick and sturdy. These bags often don’t even need a lining because the fabric itself is dense enough to protect your yarn. Look for patterns that give you a fair amount of design guidance on carrying your floats neatly, because long, loose floats on the inside of a bag will catch on everything.
5. The Market Bag with a Twist
Market bags in a mesh or open stitch pattern have been popular for years, and for good reason. They’re stretchy, they’re light, and they fold down to almost nothing when empty. But the best market bag patterns add something extra, perhaps a gusseted base for stability, or a short row of solid knitting at the top that prevents the handles from digging into your shoulders, or a gathered drawstring that converts the bag from a shopper into a project bag. If you’re making a market bag specifically for knitting rather than groceries, look for a pattern with a slightly tighter mesh to prevent small items from escaping through the holes.
6. The Notions Pouch
Not a bag in the traditional sense, but absolutely essential: the notions pouch is a small, zippered container for all your stitch markers, tapestry needles, scissors, and other tiny tools. These are typically knitted flat in a tube that gets a zipper sewn across the top, and they work up in just a few hours even for slow knitters. They make wonderful gifts because they’re quick to make, genuinely useful, and can be personalized in terms of color and yarn texture. Some patterns include a small loop at one corner so you can clip the pouch to the inside of your bag, which is extremely practical.
7. The Longways Tote
The longways tote is a clever design that turns the typical bag construction on its side. Instead of knitting up from the base, you cast on along the long edge of the bag and work horizontally, which creates a different fabric orientation and often results in a very interesting texture. Many longways patterns use short rows to create a curved or folded base, which adds structural integrity without requiring any sewing. The handles are usually picked up and worked last. The finished bag has a distinctive, slightly boxy shape that’s ideal for carrying flat projects like blankets or shawls in progress.
8. The Cabled Project Bag
Cable patterns add so much texture and visual interest to bags, and the density of the fabric they create is a real functional bonus. A cabled project bag is typically worked in the round with a cable panel on the front, a simple reverse stockinette back, and twisted cord handles worked from the same yarn. The structure of cables means these bags are rigid enough to stand up on their own even when lightly loaded, which makes them easy to dig into while you’re knitting. This type of pattern is best suited for knitters who have already worked a few cables and are comfortable reading a cable chart.
9. The Bucket Bag
The bucket bag silhouette has been popular in fashion for years, and it translates beautifully into knitwear. These bags have a cylindrical shape with a flat base, tapered sides, and either a drawstring or a handle at the top. They’re wonderful for holding a single large project, like a sweater or a thick shawl, because the wide opening makes it easy to reach in and find your place. The best knitted bucket bag patterns use a firm stitch like seed stitch or moss stitch for the body and a short-row technique to join the base seamlessly to the sides. Some include a structured internal lining to help the bag keep its round shape.
10. The Belt Bag or Fanny Pack
Hands-free knitting on the go is a real concept, and the knitted belt bag makes it possible. These small bags are knitted in the round to create a tube, then closed at each end and fitted with a purchased webbing strap or a knitted cord that adjusts to fit around your waist or across your body. They’re ideal for lightweight projects like socks or colorwork mittens where you want to keep working while you walk. The pattern is usually simple since the bag itself is just a tube, but the customization comes in through stitch patterns, closures, and strap choices.
11. The Felted Tote
Felting transforms knitted fabric into something that looks and behaves almost like woven cloth, and it creates an extremely sturdy bag in the process. Felted tote patterns are typically knitted at a very loose gauge in 100% wool yarn (feltable wool, not superwash) and then tossed in a hot washing machine where the agitation shrinks and binds the fibers together. The resulting bag is dense, water-resistant, and strong enough to carry books alongside yarn. The pattern will have you knitting something that looks comically huge before felting, which is part of the fun. Just make sure your yarn is specifically recommended for felting, or you’ll end up with a bag that simply stretches instead of shrinking.
12. The Folded Clutch
The knitted clutch is a slightly more fashion-forward option that works equally well as a notions organizer or a small evening bag. These are typically knitted flat as a long rectangle, folded in thirds envelope-style, and joined at the sides with mattress stitch. A button or snap closure at the top keeps everything secure. Some versions include an internal divider for separating different types of notions. They’re compact enough to slip into a larger tote and structured enough to use on their own. Stiff yarns like cotton or linen work best for clutches, and a fabric lining is strongly recommended for this style.
13. The Double-Handled Project Tote
This is the workhorse of knitting bag patterns: a medium-to-large tote with two sets of handles, one short pair for carrying by hand and one long pair for wearing over the shoulder. Double-handle bags are incredibly practical because you can loop the short handles around a chair arm to keep your bag off the floor while you knit. These patterns typically include a knitted base worked flat, side panels worked in the round, and handles knitted as i-cord or flat strips and sewn on last. Adding interior pockets is optional but highly recommended if you want to keep your notions organized.
14. The Vintage-Inspired Carpetbag
For knitters who appreciate a bit of drama, the carpetbag pattern is the showstopper at the end of this list. Inspired by Victorian-era luggage, these bags feature intricate colorwork or tapestry crochet-style patterns, sturdy round bases, and rigid handles made from bamboo rings or wooden dowels. They’re not quick projects, but the finished result is unlike anything you can buy in a store. The construction usually involves knitting the body in the round with colorwork panels, attaching a felted or sewn base, and finishing with either a purchased frame or a hand-shaped handle. These bags become heirlooms if made well, and they attract compliments everywhere you take them.
Tips for Finishing Your Knitted Bag
Whatever pattern you choose, a few finishing techniques will make a significant difference in the final result.
Blocking is essential for most bag patterns, especially those made in cotton or linen. Wet the finished bag, squeeze out the excess water, and pin it to shape before letting it dry completely. This evens out the stitches and helps the bag hold its intended dimensions.
Lining your bag is strongly recommended for anything you plan to carry regularly. A basic cotton quilting fabric cut to the interior dimensions of the bag and hemmed at the top makes an enormous difference. Sew it by hand with a slip stitch to the inside of the bag, leaving the top edge free to fold over cleanly. If you’ve never lined a bag before, it’s easier than it sounds and there are many tutorials available to walk you through it.
Reinforcing the handles is worth the extra effort, especially for totes that will carry heavy yarn. You can run a strand of waste yarn or a thin strip of nylon webbing inside the knitted handle tube before seaming, which prevents stretching and makes the handles much more comfortable to carry.
Stiffening the base of a bag that tends to sag can be done with a piece of plastic canvas cut to fit the interior bottom of the bag. This is a common trick among crocheters who make handbags, and it works just as well for knitted versions.
Finding and Adapting Patterns
Many of the styles described above can be found on Ravelry, which remains the best database of knitting patterns on the internet. Searching by category (bags and purses) and filtering by attributes like construction method, yarn weight, and skill level will help you narrow down your options quickly. Etsy is another excellent source for independent designers who publish fresh, modern bag patterns. Many of these designers actively update their patterns based on user feedback, so the instructions tend to be clear and well-tested.
Don’t be afraid to adapt what you find. Knitting patterns are more forgiving than they might appear when it comes to bags. You can usually adjust the size simply by changing your yarn weight and needle size, add or remove rows to change the height, or substitute a different stitch pattern for the body without changing anything structural. The main thing to keep in mind is that changing needle size or yarn weight will affect how sturdy the finished fabric is, so err on the side of going slightly tighter than the pattern suggests for the best results.
A Final Word
Making a bag for your knitting is one of those circular, self-referential pleasures that the hobby is full of. You knit to make the bag; you use the bag to carry your knitting. There’s something wonderfully right about that. Whether you start with the simple garter stitch tote or jump straight into the colorwork carpetbag, you’ll end up with something handmade and genuinely useful, which is exactly the point. Cast on, enjoy the process, and don’t be surprised if you end up needing a second bag to carry all your project bags.
