Drawstring Bag Knitting Patterns: Everything You Need to Know to Knit a Beautiful Bag
Whether you are brand new to knitting or have been working with yarn for years, a drawstring bag is one of the most satisfying projects you can make. It is practical, portable, endlessly customizable, and fast enough to finish in a weekend. From tiny gift pouches to roomy tote-style bags, drawstring knitting patterns come in a surprising range of shapes and styles — and once you understand the core techniques, you will find yourself returning to this project again and again.
This guide covers everything from choosing the right yarn and needles to reading a basic pattern, finishing your bag neatly, and finding creative ways to use your finished pieces. By the time you reach the end, you will have all the knowledge you need to cast on with confidence.
Why Knit a Drawstring Bag?
Before diving into the technical side of things, it is worth pausing to appreciate just how versatile this project really is. A knitted drawstring bag solves a lot of everyday problems. It holds your knitting notions, your child’s small toys, a gift of handmade soap, a set of crystals or tarot cards, a phone and wallet, or a drawstring purse for a night out. The same basic construction — a closed base, a tube of fabric, and a channel at the top through which a cord is threaded — can be scaled from tiny to huge.
Beyond functionality, knitting a drawstring bag teaches skills that transfer to almost every other knitting project. You will practice working in the round, decreasing evenly, creating eyelets, and finishing cleanly. If you have always been a flat-knitting crafter who sticks to scarves and dishcloths, a small drawstring bag is one of the most encouraging first adventures into circular knitting.
Choosing the Right Yarn for a Drawstring Bag
The yarn you choose will shape every aspect of your finished bag — its texture, durability, drape, and washability. Here are the main categories to consider.
Cotton yarn is the classic choice for bags. It is strong, holds its shape well, and does not stretch out the way wool does when weight is placed inside. Worsted weight cotton is particularly popular because it creates a firm, structured fabric that looks tidy and wears well over time. Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton, Paintbox Simply DK Cotton, and Paintbox Simply Chunky are all widely available and beloved by bag knitters.
Wool and wool blends are wonderful if you want a softer bag with a bit of stretch. A superwash merino in a sport or DK weight produces a lovely fabric that is gentle against the skin, making it ideal for lingerie or delicate-item pouches. Keep in mind that wool bags may stretch if loaded with heavy items, so they are better suited to lightweight contents.
Jute, linen, and linen blends give bags an organic, earthy feel that has become very fashionable. These fibers are stiff when you first work with them but soften beautifully over time. They are excellent for market bags or rustic-styled gift wrapping.
Acrylic yarn is the budget-friendly, machine-washable option. Modern acrylics like Caron Simply Soft or Red Heart Soft produce a genuinely nice fabric, and they are a solid choice if you are making bags for children or want something that can go through the wash without worry.
Ribbon yarn and tape yarn are specialty choices that create a distinctive flat, silky surface. A drawstring bag knitted in ribbon yarn looks expensive and makes a stunning gift presentation.
For most beginners, a smooth, worsted weight cotton or cotton-blend yarn is the easiest starting point. It shows stitch definition clearly, which helps you catch mistakes early, and it produces a fabric that is sturdy enough to hold its shape.
Needles and Tools You Will Need
For a bag knitted in the round, you have a few options. A set of double-pointed needles (DPNs) works well for small-circumference bags like gift pouches. A short circular needle (16 inches) is ideal for medium-sized bags, and a longer circular needle used with the magic loop technique works for any size. If you have not yet tried magic loop knitting, a drawstring bag is an excellent practice project because the stitch count is manageable and the stakes are low.
In terms of needle size, always check the yarn label and swatch accordingly. Most worsted weight cotton bags knit up nicely on US 5 to US 7 needles (3.75 mm to 4.5 mm). Going slightly smaller than the recommended needle size for your yarn creates a denser, more structured fabric — which is exactly what you want in a bag that will carry things.
Beyond yarn and needles, you will want a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a pair of scissors, stitch markers, and a length of cord, ribbon, or I-cord for the drawstring itself. A row counter is helpful but not essential. A crochet hook in a size that matches your cord makes threading the drawstring through the eyelet channel much easier.
Understanding the Basic Construction of a Knitted Drawstring Bag
Most knitted drawstring bags follow a simple structure, and understanding that structure will help you read any pattern you encounter with greater ease.
The bag begins at the bottom. Some patterns start with a flat circular bottom that is then picked up and knitted in the round to form the sides — this creates a smooth, rounded base with no seam. Other patterns cast on in the round and create a gathered or closed bottom by pulling all stitches together and cinching them shut like a purse base. Still others knit the bag flat and seam it afterward, which is a perfectly valid approach if you prefer knitting back and forth.
The body of the bag is usually worked in stockinette stitch (knit every round when working in the round) or a simple textured stitch like seed stitch, moss stitch, garter stitch ridges, or a basic lace repeat. The choice of stitch pattern dramatically affects the finished look and feel of the bag. Stockinette gives a clean, modern appearance. Seed stitch adds a lovely handmade texture. Simple lace patterns like yarn-over and knit-two-together repeats create an elegant, open fabric that is perfect for a gift pouch or lingerie bag.
Near the top of the bag, most patterns include a drawstring channel. This is typically a band of stockinette or reverse stockinette with a row of eyelets — evenly spaced yarn-overs — placed just below a folded hem, or the eyelets are placed openly in the body with a simple bind-off above them. The cord is threaded through this channel to gather the bag closed.
A Simple Beginner Drawstring Bag Pattern
If you want to jump straight in, here is a simple beginner-friendly pattern that produces a medium-sized bag suitable for yarn storage, a small clutch, or a gift pouch.
Materials needed: approximately 200 yards of worsted weight cotton yarn, US 6 (4.0 mm) circular needles or DPNs, stitch marker, tapestry needle, and roughly 40 inches of cord or ribbon for the drawstring.
Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Gauge is not critical for a bag but affects finished size.
Finished size: approximately 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall (before drawstring is pulled).
Cast on 80 stitches. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist, and place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) until the piece measures 9 inches from the cast-on edge.
Eyelet round: Knit 2, yarn over, knit 2 together — repeat this sequence to the end of the round. This creates the drawstring channel.
Knit 4 more rounds in stockinette to form the hem above the eyelets.
Bind off all stitches loosely.
To close the bottom of the bag, thread a tapestry needle with a length of yarn and run it through the cast-on edge, pulling the stitches together snugly and securing with a knot. Weave in all ends.
Thread your cord through the eyelets using a crochet hook or a large safety pin as a guide. Knot the ends of the cord so they cannot slip back through, and your bag is complete.
Variations and Pattern Ideas to Explore
Once you have the basic construction under your belt, the variations are almost limitless. Here are some of the most popular directions knitters take their drawstring bag projects.
Fair Isle and colorwork bags are a favorite among intermediate knitters. Using two colors in a simple stranded pattern — a band of snowflakes, geometric diamonds, or Nordic stars — transforms a plain bag into something striking. Because bags are worked in the round, colorwork is easier to manage than on flat pieces since you always face the right side.
Lace drawstring bags are among the most beautiful and are surprisingly beginner-accessible. A simple one-row lace repeat worked over the body of the bag creates an airy, delicate fabric. These bags are especially popular for lingerie, jewelry, or wedding favors. Knitting them in a fine sock weight or lace weight yarn in silk or bamboo blend produces a truly luxurious result.
Textured stitch bags using cables, seed stitch, or brioche knitting are satisfying tactile projects. A cabled drawstring bag in a natural, undyed wool makes a stunning gift and a functional project bag. Even a simple two-by-two rib (knit 2, purl 2) gives a bag visual interest and a slightly stretchy fabric that is practical for stuffing full of yarn.
Felted drawstring bags take advantage of the way 100% wool shrinks and densifies in hot water. You knit the bag larger than the intended finished size, then felt it by machine washing on hot (or hand agitating in hot soapy water), and the result is a thick, fuzzy, nearly waterproof fabric that holds its shape beautifully. Felted bags are durable, easy to clean, and have a charming craft-market appeal.
Mini drawstring pouches are perfect for using up yarn scraps and make wonderful gifts. A tiny pouch knitted on DPNs in fingering weight or sport weight yarn can serve as a sachet bag, a ring box, a coin purse, or a small gift wrap for jewelry. These are also ideal convention or craft fair giveaways if you sell handmade items.
Knitting the Drawstring Itself
The drawstring deserves as much attention as the bag. The most common choices are purchased cord (satin ribbon, cotton twill tape, macramé cord, or leather cord), or a hand-knitted I-cord.
I-cord is a small three-to-four stitch tube worked on double-pointed needles. You cast on three or four stitches, knit them, then slide the stitches back to the beginning of the needle without turning your work and knit again, pulling the working yarn snugly across the back. This process creates a neat little rope that is perfectly proportioned for a drawstring. Working I-cord in a contrasting color or a different fiber (such as a strand of metallic yarn held alongside your main yarn) is a simple way to add visual interest.
For a bag that will be used frequently and pulled open and shut repeatedly, a tightly twisted cotton cord or a woven ribbon tends to hold up better than I-cord, which can stretch over time with use.
Finishing Tips for a Professional Look
The difference between a bag that looks handmade and one that looks professionally crafted often comes down entirely to finishing. Here are a few tips that make a real difference.
Weave in your ends securely and in the same direction as the stitches, running the tail at least two inches through the fabric and then back in the opposite direction before trimming. This prevents ends from working loose with use and washing.
Block your finished bag if the stitch pattern calls for it. Lace bags especially benefit from wet blocking — soaking the finished piece, gently squeezing out excess water, and pinning it to shape before drying. Blocking opens up lace patterns beautifully and evens out any tension inconsistencies.
If your bag has a seam (for a flat-knitted version), use a mattress stitch seam for an invisible join on stockinette fabric, or a backstitch seam for extra durability on a bag that will carry heavy items.
When threading your drawstring, thread it through with both ends coming out of the same eyelet (or two adjacent ones) so that pulling the cord draws both sides of the bag closed evenly. Knotting or adding a bead to each end prevents them from slipping back through.
Using Your Finished Drawstring Bags
A knitted drawstring bag fills so many roles that it is worth thinking through your uses before you start, since use affects choices about size, yarn, and structure.
As a project bag, a medium drawstring bag holds a ball of yarn and your current small project — socks, a hat, a dishcloth — and slips easily into a purse or backpack. Knitting this from a washable, durable yarn makes practical sense.
As a gift bag, a drawstring pouch filled with homemade goodies (candles, chocolates, small soaps, tea) makes packaging feel thoughtful and personal. Using the recipient’s favorite colors or a lace pattern you know they will admire elevates a simple gift into something memorable.
As a children’s toy bag or shoe bag for a gym kit, a larger, more utilitarian version in a sturdy machine-washable acrylic or cotton blend is ideal. Children put their bags through a lot of use and washing, so durability matters more than elegance here.
As a jewelry or lingerie bag, a small lace pouch in silk or bamboo yarn is genuinely beautiful and something many people would never think to buy for themselves but love to receive.
Tips for Finding and Adapting Drawstring Bag Patterns
Pattern libraries like Ravelry, LoveCrafts, and Drops Design have hundreds of free and paid drawstring bag patterns across every skill level. When searching, filtering by “bag,” “pouch,” or “project bag” will turn up a huge range of options. Reading pattern reviews before you begin is always worthwhile — other knitters will note if the gauge is finicky, the sizing runs small, or a particular step in the pattern is unclear.
Adapting a pattern to a different yarn weight is straightforward in principle: knit a gauge swatch in your chosen yarn, calculate how many stitches you need to achieve the desired circumference, and adjust the stitch count accordingly. Since most drawstring bag patterns work in simple repeating stitch units (multiples of 4, 6, or 8 stitches), keeping your stitch count as a multiple of the relevant number ensures your pattern repeats work out evenly.
If you want to add height to a pattern, simply knit more rounds before beginning the eyelet row. If you want a wider bag, increase the cast-on stitch count. These are genuinely forgiving adjustments on a bag project, which is part of what makes them such a lovely canvas for building confidence in pattern modification.
Final Thoughts
A drawstring bag knitting pattern is one of those rare projects that delivers at every skill level. For beginners, it introduces circular knitting and basic construction in a low-pressure context. For intermediate knitters, it offers a canvas for colorwork, lace, or texture exploration. For experienced knitters, it is a quick, satisfying make that uses up stash yarn and produces something genuinely useful.
The techniques you practice on a drawstring bag — working in the round, creating eyelets, decreasing evenly, finishing cleanly — are the same techniques that appear in hats, socks, mittens, and sweaters. Every bag you knit makes the next project a little easier.
So pull out that skein of cotton you have been saving, cast on eighty stitches, and find out for yourself why knitters keep coming back to this simple, endlessly versatile project.
