East Ave. Market Bag Knitting Pattern
A Practical, Beautiful Tote You’ll Reach for Every Single Day
There’s something quietly satisfying about carrying a handmade bag to the farmers market on a Saturday morning. The straps settle into your palms with that familiar weight, the fabric stretches generously around a bunch of kale or a few jars of honey, and somewhere along the way someone stops you to ask where you got it. When you tell them you made it yourself, you get to enjoy that particular brand of pride that only handmade things can produce.
The East Ave. Market Bag is one of those projects that earns its place in your regular rotation. It’s sturdy enough to hold a week’s worth of produce, beautiful enough to carry to brunch, and simple enough that you can work on it while watching television on a Tuesday night. It uses an open mesh stitch pattern that lets airflow reach your vegetables while still cradling everything securely, and the long handles mean you can throw it over your shoulder without thinking twice. Once you knit one, you’ll want to knit three more in different colors.
This pattern is written for intermediate knitters, but confident beginners who are comfortable with basic increases, decreases, and yarn overs will find it completely manageable. We’ll walk through every step together, from casting on at the base all the way to finishing the handles, so you’ll never feel lost.
Materials
Yarn: Approximately 200–250 yards of worsted weight cotton yarn. Cotton is the star player here because it’s washable, durable, and has just enough structure to keep the bag from drooping. Look for a smooth, tightly spun cotton like Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton, Paintbox Yarns Simply DK (held double), or Cascade Ultra Pima. A single skein of most worsted weight cotton options will be plenty for one bag, though it doesn’t hurt to grab two just to be safe. The pattern works in any color, but natural ecru, sage green, and dusty terracotta are perennial favorites for a classic market bag feel.
Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) circular needles, 24 inches long. You’ll work flat for the base and then join to knit the body of the bag in the round. If you prefer working flat throughout and seaming, that works equally well. Have a set of double-pointed needles or a second circular in the same size available for the handles.
Notions: Stitch markers (at least 4), a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a row counter if you like to keep track of mesh repeats.
Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. For a market bag, gauge doesn’t need to be exact — a slightly looser gauge gives a stretchier bag, while a tighter gauge gives more structure. Swatch if you’d like consistent results, but don’t stress over a few fractions of an inch.
Finished Size: Approximately 13 inches wide and 14 inches tall before handles, with a 5-inch flat base. The mesh fabric has significant stretch, so the bag will happily accommodate everything from a single baguette to a generous haul of weekend groceries.
Abbreviations
Throughout this pattern you’ll encounter the following abbreviations:
CO — cast on
BO — bind off
k — knit
p — purl
k2tog — knit two stitches together (a right-leaning decrease)
ssk — slip, slip, knit (a left-leaning decrease)
yo — yarn over
pm — place marker
sm — slip marker
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
rep — repeat
st(s) — stitch(es)
rnd(s) — round(s)
The Base
The East Ave. Market Bag starts from a flat rectangular base, which gives the finished bag a satisfying shape that stands upright on its own when full. This is a small but meaningful design detail — nobody wants their bag flopping over and rolling the tomatoes into the dirt.
Cast on 24 stitches using the long-tail cast on method. The long-tail cast on gives a neat, slightly elastic edge that works beautifully here.
Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Repeat these two rows (working in stockinette stitch) until your piece measures 5 inches from the cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. This should be approximately 30 rows, but measure rather than count to be sure.
Do not bind off. You’ll now pick up stitches around the entire perimeter of this rectangle to begin knitting the body of the bag in the round.
Joining to Work in the Round
This step is where the bag really comes to life. You’re going to pick up stitches along all four sides of the base and join them into a continuous round.
With your working yarn still attached at the end of the last WS row, and the right side of your work facing you, pick up and knit stitches around the entire perimeter of the base as follows:
Working across the cast-on edge of the base, pick up and knit 24 stitches (one for each cast-on stitch). Place a stitch marker. Pick up and knit 15 stitches along the short side of the base. Place a stitch marker. Pick up and knit 24 stitches across the live stitches on your needle (knitting them as you go). Place a stitch marker. Pick up and knit 15 stitches along the remaining short side. Place a stitch marker for the beginning of the round.
You should now have 78 stitches total on your needle, divided as 24 across each long side and 15 across each short side, with markers separating each section. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches.
The Body: Mesh Stitch Pattern
The mesh stitch is the design element that makes this bag both beautiful and functional. It’s a simple two-row repeat built on yarn overs and k2tog decreases, and once you’ve worked a few rounds you’ll have it completely memorized.
Setup Round: Knit one full round even. This settles your picked-up stitches and gives you a clean base to start the pattern.
Mesh Pattern (worked over an even number of stitches):
Round 1: Yo, k2tog; repeat from to end of round.
Round 2: Knit all stitches.
That’s it. Those two rounds, repeated over and over, create that open lattice texture that makes this bag so recognizable and so useful. The yarn overs create eyelets and the k2tog decreases maintain your stitch count, so you never need to count stitches obsessively between rounds — if you start with an even number, you’ll end with an even number every time.
Work the mesh pattern (alternating Round 1 and Round 2) for approximately 12 inches from where you picked up the base stitches, or until the bag body is the depth you prefer. Some knitters like a shallower bag (around 10 inches) for errands, while others prefer a deep tote (up to 15 inches) for bigger grocery runs. The pattern is flexible — trust your instincts.
End after completing a Round 2 (plain knit round) so that your yarn overs are tidily secured before you move on to the handles.
The Top Edging
Before working the handles, a simple garter stitch edging at the top of the bag gives the opening a clean, stable finish that keeps the mesh from stretching out of shape over time.
Rounds 1–4: Knit all stitches. (Working in the round, every round knitted creates a garter-like ridge from the outside. If you’d prefer a true garter edge, you can purl even rounds instead, but the visual difference is subtle and the plain-knit version is perfectly lovely.)
After 4 rounds of plain knitting, your stitches are ready for the handles.
The Handles
The East Ave. Market Bag has two long shoulder handles, each worked as a separate I-cord strap that attaches back to the bag body. I-cord handles are wonderfully comfortable — they’re round and smooth in the hand, they don’t crease or fold unevenly, and they look polished and intentional on the finished bag.
Divide for Handles
To find your handle placement, locate the beginning-of-round marker and count inward by 8 stitches from each side of both long edges. This creates two symmetrical attachment points on the front and back panels of the bag.
Mark the following four stitch positions with locking stitch markers or safety pins: on the front panel, mark the 8th stitch from the left and the 8th stitch from the right; on the back panel, mark the corresponding 8th stitches from each side. These marks indicate where your handles will begin and end.
Binding Off the Top Edge
Bind off all stitches across the top of the bag using a standard bind off, stopping when you reach each handle attachment point. At those four marked positions, do not bind off — instead, leave those stitches live (or transfer them to a small holder or piece of waste yarn). Each handle will attach to a group of 6 live stitches at the top of each panel.
You will have four groups of 6 live stitches, two on the front panel and two on the back, with all other stitches bound off.
Working the I-Cord Handles
If you’ve never worked I-cord before, you’re about to fall in love with it. I-cord is a tiny tube of knitting made on double-pointed needles or two circular needles. It seems like magic the first time — you knit a flat row, slide the stitches back to the other end of the needle without turning, pull the working yarn snug across the back, and knit again. Repeat. A little tube appears.
For this bag, however, each handle begins on the 6 live stitches at one attachment point, grows as an I-cord until it reaches the other attachment point, and then grafts back to those live stitches to close the loop.
To make each handle:
Transfer the 6 live stitches at one handle attachment point to a double-pointed needle. With a new length of yarn, knit these 6 stitches. Do not turn. Slide the stitches back to the right end of the needle, bring the working yarn firmly across the back of the work, and knit the 6 stitches again. Repeat this process — knitting 6 stitches, sliding back, knitting again — until the handle measures 22 inches from the attachment point, or to your preferred length.
A 22-inch handle sits beautifully over the shoulder on most adults, but you can adjust freely. Knitters with shorter reaches sometimes prefer 18 inches; those who want a long dropped-shoulder carry might go up to 26 inches.
Once the handle reaches the desired length, use Kitchener stitch or a three-needle bind off to join the end of the I-cord to the corresponding 6 live stitches on the opposite side of the same panel. Repeat the entire process for the second handle on the back panel.
Finishing
Weave in all ends securely using your tapestry needle. Cotton yarn has a tendency to work loose over time, so take a little extra care here — work each tail back and forth through the fabric in two directions to lock it in place.
Wet block the finished bag by soaking it briefly in cool water, pressing out the excess (don’t wring), and laying it flat to dry with the base shaped squarely and the mesh stretched gently open. Blocking transforms this bag from pleasant to polished. The mesh opens up evenly, the base lies flat, and the handles hang with a natural drape. If you have a foam blocking mat and pins, block the base corners squarely — the difference is noticeable.
Once dry, your East Ave. Market Bag is ready to use.
Tips for Customizing Your Market Bag
One of the greatest pleasures of this pattern is how easily it adapts to your preferences and your yarn stash.
Add a second color. A simple stripe at the top of the bag — switch colors for the top edging and handles — gives the bag a polished, intentional look. Two contrasting cottons in the same weight work beautifully together.
Change the mesh size. For a smaller, tighter mesh that holds more without letting things poke through, try a (k1, yo, k2tog) variation worked over every third stitch. For a very open, airy mesh perfect for summer produce, work (yo, k2tog) over a slightly thicker yarn on slightly larger needles.
Lined bags. A simple cotton lining sewn in keeps smaller items from poking through the mesh and gives the bag a more polished interior. A half-yard of quilting cotton is more than enough. Cut a rectangle for the body and a rectangle for the base, sew together, fold in the top seam allowance, and stitch the lining to the inside of the bag by hand using matching thread.
Shorter handles for a hand carry. If you prefer a classic tote silhouette to a shoulder bag, reduce the handle length to 12–14 inches. The bag works beautifully either way.
Use a different yarn base. While cotton is ideal for a market bag, linen yarn (or a linen-cotton blend) gives a slightly crisper drape and often becomes more beautiful with wear. Hemp yarn is another excellent choice for an even sturdier bag. Avoid wool for a market bag unless it’s superwash — wet wool can felt against itself over time, and you’re likely to set your bag down on damp surfaces regularly.
Caring for Your Market Bag
Cotton is wonderfully low maintenance. Machine wash the finished bag on a gentle cycle in cool water and lay flat to dry, or hang it to air dry if you want to encourage a slightly longer shape. Avoid the dryer for the first several washes — high heat can cause cotton to shrink slightly, which might distort your careful gauge work.
If the bag develops a little shape distortion after heavy use, a quick hand wash and re-blocking will restore it completely. One of the best things about cotton knitting is that it holds a blocking so well and recovers so reliably.
Why This Bag Deserves a Place in Your Queue
The East Ave. Market Bag is the kind of project that quietly raises your overall quality of life. It takes a weekend to knit — maybe two if you’re working in shorter sittings — and it produces something you’ll use every week for years. It makes grocery runs feel more intentional, farmers market mornings feel more charming, and any errand that involves carrying things feel just slightly more like an occasion.
It’s also a genuinely lovely gift. A handmade market bag lands differently than a store-bought tote. It communicates care and time in a way that most gifts don’t, and it’s useful in a way that most handmade gifts (beautiful as they are) sometimes aren’t. Knit one in a friend’s favorite color, weave in the ends neatly, and tuck a small card inside with washing instructions. That’s a complete gift, every time.
We hope the East Ave. Market Bag becomes as much a part of your regular knitting rotation as it has become part of ours. Happy knitting, and may your farmers market hauls be abundant.
