Easy Mini Mesh Market Bag : Free Knitting Pattern

I’ve been trying to be more thoughtful about romanticizing my knitting life lately — not just making things, but surrounding myself with things that are actually beautiful to look at while I make them. This easy mini mesh market bag turned out to be one of those things.

I designed it as a mini market bag for smaller quantities of produce, when you don’t want to tote your big market bag around. But when it came time to photograph it, I didn’t have any produce on hand… so I filled it with yarn instead.

And I’m so glad that I did. Because now this bag doesn’t live by my door waiting for a Sunday market trip — it lives on my shelf, full of yarn, being one of the prettiest things in my knitting space… and I get to enjoy it everyday. It’s the little things in life.

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About the Mini Mesh Market Bag Knitting Pattern

This bag is knit top-down in the round, using just knit stitches, yarn overs, and knit-2-together decreases — no purling at all. The mesh body is a simple 4-round lace repeat, easy to memorize after the first pass. The top rolls naturally into a casing, where a crocheted chain drawstring cinches the bag closed. Finished size is about 9″ x 9″ after steaming, using worsted weight cotton and US 6 circular needles — a quick knit at around 100 yards, so it’s an easy one to finish in a weekend.

The mesh stitch is one of my favorites — it knits up fast and creates such a pretty open texture. Doesn’t it kind of remind you of fishnet?

It holds 4-5 balls of yarn comfortably, so it’s become less of a market bag and more of a beautiful place to keep a small project or few skeins of yarn that I love.

Available Sizes: One
Pattern Format: Written Pattern, No Chart
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
PDF Format: Printer Friendly
Pattern Name: Sunday Morning

What Skills You Need to Knit This Pattern

This mesh market bag pattern uses the following knitting techniques:

Knit in the Round
Knit Stitches
Lace Stitches
Decrease Stitches
No Purl Stitches :)
Crochet a Chain (draw string)

The drawstring closure is what keeps everything cinched and contained rather than gaping open the way a lot of market bags do — a simple crocheted chain threaded through a knit casing, tied off in a bow. If you’ve never crocheted before, don’t let that stop you — it’s just one loop pulled through another, over and over, until you have a cord long enough to tie into a bow.

Yarn & Substitutions

Yarn Weight: Worsted
Yardage: 98 – 104 yards (90 – 95 meters)
Suggested Yarn: Lion Brand 24/7

Alternative Yarn Substitute Options:

• Knit Picks Dishie or Comfy Worsted: cotton-blend, budget-friendly, good stitch definition).
• Cascade Ultra Pima: worsted weight, mercerized pima cotton, lovely sheen, slightly more drape than 24/7.
• Premier Cotton Fair: worsted, mercerized, widely available and affordable.
• Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton: worsted, budget option, decent mercerized finish.
• Sugar ‘n Cream / Lily Sugar’n Cream Worsted: less mercerized/shinier, more matte and rustic looking, but sturdy and very affordable. Good if you want a more “farmhouse” look rather than the polished sheen.

Check out Yarnsub’s for more yarn substitutions.

Needles & Notions

Needle Size: US 6 (4mm) Circular Needles with a 16″ (40cm) Cable
Stitch Marker
Crochet Hook: US G6 (4mm)
Scissors
Darning Needle

Gauge Guide: This visual reference can help you compare your fabric and gauge.

Details

Measurements: 9” (23cm) x 9” (23cm) wide, after steaming
Gauge: 16 STS & 32 rounds per 4” (10cm) square, knit in the round in the lace stitch, after steaming, using US 6 (4mm) circular needles.
Weight: 1.9oz (55g)

Notes

Not reversible.
Knit from the top down.
When knitting in the round, you’re always knitting the right side of your work.

Video

Knitting Abbreviations

*– * – repeat between the asterisks
CO – cast-on (long-tail cast-on method)
K – knit stitches (K1 means to knit 1 stitch)
K2TOG – knit 2 stitches together
PM – place marker
SKP – slip 1 stitch knit-wise, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch
STS – stitches
YO – yarn over

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Knit-in-the-Round Pattern Instructions

CO 64 STS, PM, join in the round

Top Roll Section:

Rounds 1-4: Knit all stitches

Lace Bag Section:

Round 1: *K2TOG, YO*

Round 2: *K*

Round 3: *YO, SKP*

Round 4: *K*

Repeat rounds 1-4, 13 more times, for a total of 14 times.

Next 3 Rounds: *K*

Decrease for the bottom:

Next Round: *K6, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K5, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K4, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K3, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K2, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K1, K2TOG*

Next Round: *K2TOG*

Do not bind-off. Leave a tail, about 8″ (20cm), and pull it through the remaining STS. Pull tight and push through the center hole to the inside and weave in the ends.

Drawstring:

Using your crochet hook and the same yarn, chain until you have a cord approximately 26″ (66cm) long. Tie an overhand knot at each end to secure the stitches and prevent unraveling.

If you’ve never crocheted before: make a slip knot on your hook, then pull a new loop through the loop on your hook, over and over, until your chain reaches 26″ (66cm) long. Don’t pull too tight,  you want a soft, flexible cord.

Creating the Casing:

Before you sew, lay the bag flat and identify Round 4 down from the cast-on edge. This is where the cast-on edge will fold down to meet.

Fold the cast-on edge down to the outside, so it overlaps Round 4, forming a tunnel (casing) around the top of the bag. Lay the drawstring inside the fold, running all the way around the tunnel you’re getting ready to create. Pin or clip in place if needed to hold the fold as you sew.

Thread a darning needle with a long tail (about 3x the length of your opening) of the same yarn.

Starting at the point where you want the drawstring to exit (this will become the bow location), whip stitch the folded edge down to Round 4: insert your needle under the outside leg of the first stitch on the cast-on edge, then under one leg of the corresponding stitch on Round 4, and pull the yarn through snugly — tight enough to close the gap, but not so tight that it puckers the fabric. Take care to stitch through only the fold itself, not through the drawstring — the cord needs to stay free to slide.

Continue your whip stitch all the way around the top of the bag, keeping the drawstring loose inside the tunnel as you go. When you reach your starting point again, fasten off and weave in both ends.

Both ends of the drawstring should be hanging free at this same point. Pull both ends to cinch the bag closed and tie in a bow to secure.

Steaming:

Give the finished bag a good steam once it’s off the needles. Steaming really pulls everything together. It evens out the stitches and encourages a relaxed feel. Steaming helps smooth out uneven tension and softens the fabric. This final step gives the piece its polished finish, transforming it from handmade to beautifully finished.

Share your Mini Market Bag

If you make this one, I’d love to see it. Tag @bromefields or use #bromefields so I can find it — nothing makes my day quite like seeing my patterns out in the world, whether it’s full of produce, yarn, or something else entirely.

And if you’re not ready to cast on today, go ahead and save this one to Pinterest for later — future you will thank you.

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