Crochet Tote Bag Pattern (Free, Striped V Stitch)

Why You’ll Love This Crochet Tote

• Big enough for real shopping. At about 15 in (38 cm) wide with a 3½ in (9 cm) base, it takes a baguette, a bunch of flowers and the groceries for the week.
• A firm, flat base. The oval of single crochet keeps the bag standing on the table and stops heavy things from sagging.
• A texture that hides small mistakes. The little offset V stitches look woven, and an uneven stitch here and there disappears into the pattern.
• Two stripes, two colors. The terracotta stripes are four rounds in all, so the color change is quick and easy to plan.

Materials You’ll Need

• Worsted weight (4) cotton yarn: natural ecru (about 600 yd / 550 m) and terracotta (about 60 yd / 55 m).
• 5 mm (US H-8) crochet hook. If your hook only shows a letter, check the hook size chart.
• Three locking stitch markers, a yarn needle, a tape measure and scissors.

Use a cotton or a cotton blend. It is strong, it does not stretch much under weight, and it keeps the stitch texture crisp. Pure acrylic makes a softer bag that stretches when it is full. The yarn weight guide helps if your label says “aran” or “10 ply”.

Gauge, Size and Skill Level

• Skill level: Easy. You need chains, slip stitches and single crochet; the V stitch is explained below.
• Finished size: about 15 in (38 cm) wide, 12 in (30 cm) tall and 3½ in (9 cm) deep, with handles of about 20 in (51 cm).
• Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rounds = 4 in (10 cm) in single crochet; about 5½ Vs and 15 rounds = 4 in (10 cm) in the V stitch pattern.

Check the gauge on the base: after Round 7 it should measure about 14 in (36 cm) long. If it is longer, go down half a hook size and start again. A bag that is too loose stretches out of shape the first time you fill it.

Abbreviations and Special Stitches

US terms. The US/UK stitch converter has the UK names.

• Increase (inc). Work 2 single crochets in the same stitch.
• V stitch (V). Work a single crochet, chain 1 and another single crochet all in the same place. Each V has a chain-1 space in its middle.
• Space between Vs. The gap between two Vs of the round below, just under where their single crochets meet. In every round after Round 9, the new Vs go into these spaces, so each V sits between two Vs of the round below and the texture looks like brickwork.
• Back loop only (BLO). Work under the back loop of the stitch only.

Pattern Notes

• The base is worked in a spiral around a foundation chain. The sides are worked in joined rounds with the right side facing; do not turn.
• The ch 1 at the start of a joined round does not count as a stitch.
• To change color, work the last slip stitch of the round with the new color. Carry the ecru loosely up the inside while the stripes are worked, instead of cutting it.
• The number in parentheses at the end of each round is its stitch count. In the V rounds, count the Vs: there are always 44.

How to Crochet a Tote Bag

This crochet tote bag pattern has four parts: the oval base, the V stitch sides with the two stripes, a band of single crochet at the top, and two handles sewn on at the end.

The base starts on a chain of 48. The first round goes up one side of the chain and down the other, and every round after it adds 3 stitches at each end. After 7 rounds you have a flat oval of 132 stitches.

The sides. Round 8, in back loops only, makes a neat ridge where the base ends. Round 9 sets up 44 Vs, one on every third stitch, and from Round 10 every V goes into the space between two Vs below. In a few rounds the base turns into a shallow basket.

The stripes come after 22 ecru rounds: two rounds of terracotta, one ecru round, two more rounds of terracotta. Then the bag continues in ecru for 13 more rounds.

Finishing

1. Top band. Five rounds of single crochet close the top: three stitches for each V, so the count stays at 132. The band stiffens the opening and gives the handles a strong place to sit.
2. Handles. Lay the bag flat with the color-change seam at one side. On the front, mark two stitches of the band about 5 in (13 cm) apart, centered. Pin the ends of one handle inside the bag on these marks, overlapping the band by 1¼ in (3 cm), and sew each end with a square of backstitches and an X across it. Repeat on the back with the second handle.
3. Ends. Weave every end through at least 3 in (8 cm) of stitches inside the bag. Cotton is slippery, and a short end works loose under weight.

Tips for Success

• Count the Vs every few rounds. Put a marker every 11 Vs, at the quarter points; each quarter must have 11 Vs.
• Keep the join straight. Start each round in the space just after the join of the round below, and the seam runs in a straight line up one side.
• Do not pull the carried yarn. When you carry the ecru past the stripes, leave it loose, or the bag pulls in at the stripes.
• Reinforce the handles. For heavy shopping, work a round of slip stitches along both long edges of each handle before sewing it: it stops the handles from stretching.

Variations and Color Ideas

• Crochet market bag. Leave out the top band and the stripes, and work the sides in Vs with an extra chain (sc, ch 2, sc) for a lighter, more open bag.
• Beach colors. Natural with navy stripes, or white with a mustard yellow pair of stripes.
• A smaller tote. Start with ch 36 and stop the base at 108 stitches (36 Vs). The bag is about 12 in (30 cm) wide; work 8 fewer ecru rounds before the stripes.
• Lined. Sew a cotton fabric lining with a pocket inside: it stops small things from slipping through the V spaces.

An easy crochet bag like this is a good first big project. If you would rather start smaller, the crochet heart takes twenty minutes and teaches the same tension control.

Care Instructions

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, or machine wash on a gentle cycle inside a pillowcase. Press the water out in a towel and dry the bag flat, stuffed with a towel so it keeps its shape. Do not hang it wet by the handles: wet cotton is heavy and the handles stretch.