Market Bag Knitting Pattern (and Free Video Tutorial)
There is something deeply satisfying about carrying your groceries in something you made yourself. A market bag is one of those projects that sits at the perfect intersection of practical and beautiful — it holds more than you expect, gets better with every wash, and sparks conversations at the checkout line. If you have been looking for a beginner-friendly knitting project that you will actually use every single day, this is it.
In this post, you will find a complete market bag knitting pattern, tips for choosing the right yarn, a breakdown of every stitch and technique, and a free video tutorial to walk you through the whole process from cast-on to finished handles. Whether you are a brand-new knitter or someone coming back to the craft after a long break, this pattern is designed to grow with you.
Why Knit a Market Bag?
Before we dive into the pattern, let’s talk about why a market bag deserves a spot on your knitting queue. Reusable bags have become a staple of everyday life, but most of the ones you find in stores are made from synthetic materials that wear out, pill, and eventually end up in a landfill. A hand-knit cotton market bag, on the other hand, can last for years. With proper care, it outlasts plastic alternatives by a decade or more.
Beyond the environmental argument, there is a real joy in using something handmade. Every time you head to the farmers market or the grocery store, you carry a little piece of your own creativity with you. Knit bags also make exceptional gifts. They are universally useful, they look thoughtful, and they cost far less to make than they look.
From a knitting perspective, market bags are a wonderful skill-builder. The open mesh construction typical of most bag patterns means you practice consistent tension, you get comfortable with yarn overs, and you learn how working in the round actually feels in your hands. By the time you finish your first bag, you will have gained confidence that transfers directly to more complex projects.
Materials You Will Need
One of the things that makes this pattern so accessible is how little you need to get started. Here is your complete supply list.
Yarn: Approximately 200–250 yards of worsted weight cotton yarn. Cotton is the traditional choice for market bags because it is sturdy, washable, and has just enough give to stretch around bulky items like cabbages or wine bottles without distorting permanently. Look for 100% cotton or a cotton-linen blend if you want something with a slightly crisper drape. Avoid wool for this particular project — wool felts with repeated washing and lacks the structural integrity you want in a bag that might carry canned goods.
Needles: US size 7 (4.5mm) circular needles, 24 to 32 inches long. You can also use double-pointed needles if you prefer, though circular needles make working in the round much smoother for most knitters. If you find your gauge is off (more on that below), go up or down a needle size to compensate.
Additional tools: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, stitch markers (at least four), and a ruler or gauge swatch tool. Optional but helpful: a row counter and a small crochet hook for picking up any dropped stitches.
Understanding Gauge
Gauge is one of those knitting concepts that beginners often skip, and it almost always comes back to bite them. For a market bag, gauge matters more than it would for a dishcloth but less than it would for a fitted sweater. Still, it’s worth taking ten minutes to check.
For this pattern, you are aiming for 18 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch using your chosen yarn and needles. Knit a small swatch, wash it the way you plan to wash the finished bag, let it dry flat, and then measure. If your stitches are larger than the target, go down a needle size. If they are smaller, go up. A bag that knits up with too-open a mesh will drop small items through the holes, and one with too-tight a mesh will be stiff and uncomfortable to carry.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
Knitting patterns use abbreviations to save space and maintain readability. Here are the ones you will encounter throughout this tutorial.
CO — cast on. K — knit. P — purl. YO — yarn over. K2tog — knit two stitches together (a right-leaning decrease). SSK — slip, slip, knit (a left-leaning decrease). PM — place marker. SM — slip marker. BOR — beginning of round. Rep — repeat. St/sts — stitch/stitches. Rnd/rnds — round/rounds.
The Pattern
Finished Measurements
The finished bag measures approximately 13 inches wide and 14 inches tall before the handles, with a carrying depth of about 12 inches when loaded. This is a generous market-bag size — large enough to fit a week’s worth of produce but compact enough not to feel unwieldy over your shoulder.
Cast On and Base
Using a long-tail cast on, CO 80 stitches onto your circular needle. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round.
Rounds 1–4: Knit every stitch. This creates a small, dense band at the base of the bag that gives it some structural integrity when set down.
Round 5: K10, PM — repeat from to until end of round. You will place 7 additional markers evenly spaced around the round, giving you 8 sections of 10 stitches each.
Body of the Bag
The body uses a simple mesh pattern. The YO paired with the K2tog creates the open, lacy holes that give the bag its stretch and visual texture. This is the kind of stitch pattern that looks complicated but becomes automatic within a row or two.
Round 6 (mesh round): YO, K2tog — repeat from to to end of round, slipping markers as you encounter them.
Round 7: Knit every stitch.
Repeat Rounds 6 and 7 until your bag body measures approximately 11 inches from the cast-on edge. This will take roughly 44 rounds total, though the exact number may vary depending on your gauge.
Transition Round
Once your bag body is at the desired length, work one final knit round. Remove all stitch markers except the BOR marker. You are now ready to shape the top edge and handles.
Top Edge
Rounds 1–3: Knit every stitch. This creates a clean, stable band at the top of the bag that prevents the mesh from rolling outward and gives the handles a firm base to attach to.
Handle Shaping
Divide your stitches into two equal sections of 40 stitches each. The first 40 stitches will become the front of the bag, and the second 40 stitches will become the back.
First Handle (front):
Work back and forth in rows rather than in the round for this section.
Row 1 (RS): K5, bind off the center 30 stitches, K5. You will have 5 stitches on either side of the bound-off gap — these become the two sides of your handle. (10 stitches total remaining for this handle.)
If working on circular needles, slide the back 40 stitches onto a stitch holder or spare circular needle while you work the handle.
Now join the two sets of 5 stitches to form the handle strap. You can do this by placing both sets on the same needle and working them together, or by knitting an I-cord strap. The I-cord method is slightly more polished and is explained below.
I-Cord Handle Method (recommended):
With double-pointed needles or a short circular, pick up all 10 stitches across both sides of the handle opening. Work in I-cord as follows: knit across all 10 stitches, do not turn, slide stitches back to the right-hand end of the needle, pull yarn snugly across the back, knit again. Repeat until the I-cord handle measures 10–12 inches, or your preferred strap length. Bind off all stitches and sew the end of the I-cord to the opposite side of the handle opening using a yarn needle.
Second Handle (back):
Return to the 40 back stitches. Repeat the handle instructions exactly as above.
Finishing
Weave in all ends securely using your yarn needle. Because cotton yarn has very little grip, weave your ends in two different directions and dab a small amount of fabric glue or fray check on the woven section if you want extra security.
Wet-block your finished bag by submerging it in cool water, gently squeezing out the excess (do not wring), and laying it flat or hanging it to dry over a towel. Blocking opens up the mesh stitch and gives the bag a much more polished, professional appearance.
Free Video Tutorial
The written pattern above covers everything you need, but knitting is a craft that truly comes alive when you can see it in motion. The free video tutorial linked below walks through every step from casting on your first stitch to weaving in your final end. Timestamps in the video description let you jump directly to any section you need to revisit — the mesh stitch, the handle construction, and the blocking process each have their own dedicated segment.
The tutorial runs approximately 45 minutes and is filmed in clear, close-up detail so you can see exactly how the yarn moves through each stitch. Whether you are watching on your phone propped up beside your knitting or on a laptop at your craft table, the video is designed to be a companion you return to as many times as you need.
Tips for Customizing Your Market Bag
Once you have knitted your first bag and understood the basic structure, there are all kinds of ways to make it your own.
Play with color. Solid colors show off the mesh stitch beautifully, but stripes are equally striking and use up odds and ends of yarn from your stash. To add stripes, simply switch colors at the beginning of a new round. Carry the unused color up the inside of the bag for short color changes, or cut and weave in ends for longer gaps between colors.
Adjust the size. The cast-on number in this pattern is 80 stitches, but any multiple of 2 will work for the mesh stitch, and multiples of 10 will keep your stitch markers evenly spaced. CO 60 stitches for a smaller produce bag or 100 stitches for a generous beach tote.
Try different base yarns. A cotton-linen blend gives the finished bag a crisper hand and makes it slightly more structured. Bamboo yarn produces a silkier surface with a subtle sheen. Hemp yarn is the most durable option if you plan to use your bag for very heavy loads.
Experiment with the mesh pattern. The YO-K2tog repeat creates a diagonal visual texture because the yarn overs lean slightly. If you prefer a more symmetrical look, alternate your mesh round with a K2tog, YO repeat on the following mesh round. This creates an eyelets-and-columns pattern rather than a diagonal one.
Add a lining. Some knitters prefer a market bag with a fabric lining for carrying items like loose herbs or bread crumbs that would otherwise fall through the mesh holes. A simple rectangle of cotton quilting fabric, folded and hand-sewn to the interior of the bag, does the job perfectly.
Caring for Your Knit Market Bag
Cotton yarn is wonderfully easy to care for. Wash your bag in cool or warm water — hot water can cause some cotton yarns to shrink slightly on the first wash. Most cotton yarns are machine-washable on a gentle cycle, but hand-washing extends the life of the mesh structure.
Lay the bag flat to dry rather than hanging it while wet, at least for the first few washes. A wet cotton bag is surprisingly heavy, and drying it on a hook while saturated can stretch the handles unevenly. After a few washes, the cotton fibers relax and the bag actually becomes softer and more flexible over time.
Avoid putting a wet bag in the dryer with high heat. Low or no heat is fine if you are in a hurry, but air drying produces the best long-term results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I knit this bag flat instead of in the round? Yes, with some modifications. Knit the body flat in two panels, working back and forth in rows, and then seam the sides together. The mesh pattern will look slightly different because you will be purling back across alternating rows, which changes the angle of the yarn overs. The construction is functional but slightly less elegant than the seamless in-the-round version.
What if I don’t know how to do the I-cord technique? The video tutorial covers I-cord in detail, but you can also substitute a simple three-needle bind-off to join the handle stitches, or skip the I-cord entirely and use a purchased webbing strap sewn to the inside of the bag.
How much yarn do I actually need? For a standard-size bag in worsted weight cotton, plan on 200–250 yards. If you are making a smaller bag or using a lighter-weight yarn, you can get away with 150 yards. Always buy a little more than you think you need — running out of yarn mid-project is one of the most frustrating experiences in all of knitting.
Is this pattern suitable for a complete beginner? With the video tutorial, yes. You need to know how to knit and purl, how to do a yarn over, and how to do a basic decrease. If any of those are new to you, the video covers them in the context of the bag, and there are many short standalone tutorial videos online that teach each technique in isolation if you want a warm-up before starting.
A Few Final Thoughts
A market bag is one of those projects that gives back far more than it costs in time and materials. An afternoon’s worth of knitting — or a week of relaxed commute knitting — produces something you will reach for constantly. There is a real pleasure in the practicality of it, in the way a handmade object wears into your daily routine and eventually becomes just another part of life.
Start with one bag in a yarn color you genuinely love. Use it. Wash it. Let it get a little beat up. You will find that the more you use it, the more you want to make another one — for yourself, for your sister, for a housewarming gift, for the friend who always brings the best snacks to the farmers market. This pattern scales easily, works up quickly, and never gets boring.
If you make your own version of this bag, share it — leave a comment below with questions or photos, and feel free to tag your project online so others in the knitting community can find inspiration in your work. Happy knitting.
