ECO FRIENDLY SHOPPING BAGMaterials:
• Around 150 Yards of Worsted Weight Yarn (preferably cotton)
• Size H or J Crochet Hook (Go with the J if you crochet tightly)
Gauge:
The gauge of this pattern is not important because it will stretch.
Construction:
This bag is crocheted in the round from the top down. It might be helpful to use a paperclip or a stitch marker to define the start of the round.
Instructions:CH- Chain
SL- Slip Stitch
SC- Single Crochet
DC- Double Crochet
Top & Handles:
1. CH 86.
2. SL 1 to join chain into a circle being careful not to twist the foundation row. SC the next 86 ST (row 1). SC two more rounds.
3. The next row you will be separating the handles from the body of the bag. SC 13, CH 11 (Skip 17 to create first handle), SC 26, CH 11 (Skip 17 to create second handle), SC 13.
4. SC 74 (one round)
Body
1. CH 4, {Skip 1, DC 1, CH 1} ←Repeat the bracketed stitches until you reach the end of the round.
2. DC into the opening created by the chain stitch openings of the previous round. {CH 1, DC 1} ← Repeat the bracketed stitches for three more rounds.
3. (CH 2, DC 1} ← Repeat for one round.
4. {CH 2, DC 1} ←Repeat for four more rounds.
5. {CH 1, DC 1} ← Repeat for one round.
6. {CH 1, DC 1} ← Repeat for one round.
7. Bag Bottom: At the end of the previous round, lay the bag flat so that the handles are lying on top of one another. While holding the front and the back of the bag together, SC through both sides to close up the bottom of the bag, and tie a knot at the end.
8. Weave in ends.
Use of Pattern:
If you would like to post about this pattern on your website or blog, please include a link to this entry. Copyright 2008 Cassiemarie - All Rights Reserved. You may use this pattern to crochet items for personal use or charity. You may not sell the pattern itself or any items made using this pattern under any circumstances, neither individually nor in any compilation of patterns. You may not copy this pattern and post it elsewhere, not on a web page, nor message board, nor via e-mail, nor via any other electronic means. If you make modifications to the pattern, please only post the modifications you made, not the entire modified pattern. Thanks! :)
Fun Facts:--Every year, each person in this country uses about 1,000 plastic bags.
--Using reusable bags will lower your carbon footprint and also save about 1,000 bags over the lifetime of the bag.
oh i am in love! i never seem to have enough of these and am to cheap to buy more... yippee now i'll just make a few! thanks!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Now I just have to learn how to crochet correctly! lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I picked up a crochet hook. I'll have to try out your pattern as I never have enough reusable grocery bags around. Thanks for the pattern!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! I will have to give it a try! Thx!
ReplyDeleteI want to learn to crochet just so that I can make this bag.
ReplyDeleteHow hard is this pattern? Do you think a beginner could do it?
ReplyDeleteHey Carol,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty basic pattern.
I would get a basic crochet book to learn the stitches, and then have at it. The great thing about this bag is that it is a grocery bag, so if you make a few mistakes it isn't going to be life altering or project destructive. :)
--Cassie
Cassie,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this pattern. Thank you so much ;) You are so incredibly talented in so many venues. I love looking through your site.
I hadn't crocheted in 25 years and I started this pattern one night about midnight and crocheted until nearly 4 AM and had to make myself stop.
I've now made 4 bags! Two in hot lime green, one in ecru and just finished one in hot pink. They are great. The girls at the produce store where I shop love them :)
I just started my own art club (been wanting to for about a decade.) This is the first project I started with. Two with experience in crocheting finished theirs. The others are diligently continuing :)
I'm going to make one for my niece for Christmas. I'm going to line it, maybe with a batik print? She'll use it as a purse.
Thanks for sharing ;))
Sheila
I just wanted to thank you for sharing this pattern with everyone. I had been looking for just a bag & since I know how to crochet (self taught) I was determined to make my own and not buy one.
ReplyDeleteI just finished my first one in a Lemon-Lime color by peaches& creme. It was easy to make. I admit when I finished it I had my doubts that this lil bag could stand up to my shopping. So I loaded it up with what I had in my pantree. Talk about shocked!
My younger sister is the trendy eco-friendly fanatic in the family and she is also very hard to shop for, for Christmas. Guess who will be getting 4-6 of these this Christmas in eco-friendly yarn of course!
It took me about 3 hours to do over the course of two nights. I started it last night at about 9 and after about an hour and a half I had to forcebly make myself stop to go to bed. I was forcing myself to keep from studying as that has become my most recent obsession and found that this bag did the trick. Then the chore became stopping the crocheting. LOL
Thank you again for sharing. I am looking forward to making more; namely one to use to carry some of my gear in Oct when I run our local Susan G. Koeman Race for the cure 5K.
I have been looking for a really good pattern to be able to crochet my own grocery bags... I googled and found you!
ReplyDeleteAnd to think, you are a fellow etsier!
Thanks for the awesome pattern!
Love the bag! Will make my daughter one in hot lime, 2 for friends, 2 for relatives I'm visiting this summer, oh yes, & one for myself!
ReplyDeleteGrammaof7
So I started on the pattern and I understood the beginning of it until I got stuck on #2 of the body part where it says:
ReplyDelete"2. DC into the opening created by the chain stitch openings of the previous round."
I don't understand how to do that. Could you explain it better for me? Because I've tried to figure out on my own and it just looks messed up. Thank you!
Looks like a good pattern, I'm going to try it. I just finished one of my own design which worked out well but I'd like to have some other patterns to try too.
ReplyDeleteWill try to make this one out of yarn made from plastic grocery bags.
thanks for posting a great pattern on your site! Here's a pic of mine if you are interested
ReplyDeletehttp://curiouslifeofautumn.blogspot.com/
Thanks again, it worked up quickly and was a fun easy project :)
I just posted a link to your pattern on my blog I just started, I think the bag is very pretty and a useful item to have.
ReplyDeleteWhy is my bag only nine inches long and not stretching? It's a pretty little purse for a nine year old girl, but I'm a 32 year old man who wanted a mesh grocery bag! LOL! I used super saver acrylic yarn, is that my problem? Is it not stretchable? I used the correct hook size and am an experienced crocheter ( meaning I can follow any pattern and do it if I've the patience). I guess next bag I'll just do every step twice?
ReplyDeleteHi Cassie,
ReplyDeleteI came across a link to this pattern on Pinterest. From reading the comments, it sounds like several people have made it sucessfully, but I'm I'm have the same problem as "ammasboy108" above: I'm down to step 4 of the body -- according to the instructions 2 rounds from the end -- and it's still wider than it is long. I don't think I put more than a single tin of coffee in this bag. Are the instructions missing a step? I'm using a size J crochet hook and a yarn that's marked as a "3". My dishcloths are usually made of a "4", but I didn't think it would make this big of a difference.
Also, point of clarification: Body steps 3 & 4 appear to be identical: {CH2, DC1} repeat for X rounds ... I'm not sure why 3 doesn't just say "repeat for five rounds". Likewise steps 5 & 6 appear to be identical: {CH1, DC1} ... again I'm not sure why step 5 isn't just "repeat for two rounds. Did something get lost in transcribing this to the internet?
Many thanks for your help.