How To Crochet Mesh Stitch and The Perfect Market Bag
Once you learn to crochet mesh stitch you open up a huge world of projects, including the classic crochet market bag. This isn’t just an easy crochet stitch to master, it’s one that uses very little yarn to make some impressively large and practical projects. What could be better!
How To Crochet Mesh Stitch
Mesh might look intimidating, but it’s actually one of the most fabulously easy crochet techniques around. Can you make a chain? Can you slip stitch? Then congratulations, you can crochet mesh with the best of them.
Crochet mesh involves making a series of even length chains, slip stitching first into the starting chain or stitches, then into the chains made in the previous rounds.
It’s wonderfully versatile too, because you can make the chains in different lengths to give really quite different effects.
Diamond Crochet Mesh
This mesh stitch produces wide diamonds and is the one I make use of the most often. The chains are three loops long, and on each progressing row you work into the previous chain loop with your slip stitch.
The length of your chain makes a huge difference to how the finish of your mesh stitch will look.
Square Crochet Mesh Stitches
A less common way to crochet mesh is working little squares instead of diamonds. The method is very similar, but you make single or double crochets stacked in each row, with the chains between them.
I think the best way to practice crocheting mesh is with a simple pattern, and my favorite is my market bag.
Crochet Mesh Stitch Market Bag
For this bag you will need 150g green DK cotton blend yarn, and 100g cream DK cotton blend yarn.
Begin in your green cotton blend DK yarn using a 4mm crochet hook.
Round 1
Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)
Round 2
ch2, 1dc in the same stitch, 2sc x 7, slst into top of chain (16)
Round 3
ch2, 2dc, (1dc, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (24)
Round 4
ch2, 1dc, 2dc, (1dc x 2, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (32)
Round 5
ch2, 1dc x 2, 2dc, (1dc x 3, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (40)
Round 6
ch2, 1dc x 3, 2dc, (1dc x 4, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (48)
Round 7
ch2, 1dc x 4, 2dc, (1dc x 5, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (56)
Round 8
ch2, 1dc x 5, 2dc, (1dc x 6, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (64)
Round 9
ch2, 1dc x 6, 2dc, (1dc x 7, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (72)
Round 10
ch2, 1dc x 7, 2dc, (1dc x 8, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (80)
Round 11
ch2, 1dc x 8, 2dc, (1dc x 9, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (88)
Round 12
ch2, 1dc x 9, 2dc, (1dc x 10, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (96)
Round 13
ch2, 1dc x 10, 2dc, (1dc x 11, 2dc) x 7, slst into top of ch2 (104)
Round 14
*(ch3, sk1, slst). Repeat from * for the length of the round, then slst into the top of the first chain gap
Round 15 – 20
*(ch3, slst into the next chain gap). Repeat from *, working in a continuous manner for these rounds.
Round 21
ch2, *1sc into the top of the chain loop, ch1. Repeat for the length of the round, then slst into the first chain of the chain 2.
cc to cream
Round 22 – 23
ch2, then 1dc into every stitch
Round 24
*(ch3, sk1, slst). Repeat from * for the length of the round, then slst into the top of the first chain gap
Round 25 – 31
*(ch3, slst into the next chain gap). Repeat from *, working in a continuous manner for these rounds.
Round 32
ch2, *1sc into the top of the chain loop, ch1. Repeat for the length of the round, then slst into the first chain of the chain 2.
Round 33 – 34
ch2, then 1dc into every stitch
cc green
Round 35
*(ch3, sk1, slst). Repeat from * for the length of the round, then slst into the top of the first chain gap
Round 36 – 43
*(ch3, slst into the next chain gap). Repeat from *, working in a continuous manner for these rounds.
Round 44
ch2, *1sc into the top of the chain loop, ch1. Repeat for the length of the round, then slst into the first chain of the chain 2.
Round 45 – 46
ch2, then 1dc into every stitch
Round 47
*(ch3, sk1, slst). Repeat from * for the length of the round, then slst into the top of the first chain gap
Round 48 – 53
*(ch3, slst into the next chain gap). Repeat from *, working in a continuous manner for these rounds.
Round 54
ch2, *1sc into the top of the chain loop, ch1. Repeat for the length of the round, then slst into the first chain of the chain 2.
Round 55 – 56
ch1, 1sc into every stitch, slst into the starting chain to close
Round 57
You are now going to make shell stitches around the top of the bag.
*sk1, 6dc, sk1, slst. Repeat from * around the entire row.
Hide the loose ends within the body of the bag, and you’re now ready to crochet the handle.
Crochet Bag Strap
I worked the strap from my crochet bag from a central chain, working into each side of it with three rows of single crochets, one side in green and the other in cream.
To begin, fold your bag in half and make sure that there are the same number of shell stitches on each side. Mark the two far sides with a stitch marker, this will show you where to attach each end of your handle.
Row 1
Begin at one stitch marker, attaching the yarn first. ch70, then slst into the opposite side of the bag where your other stitch marker is placed.
Row 2
slst into the next stitch on the shell, then make 1sc into each loop of the chain. slst into the next stitch at the starting side, adjacent to your starting point.
Row 3 – 4
slst into the next stitch of the shell, make 1sc into each stitch of the strap, then slst into the shell at the far end of the bag.
Rows 5 – 7
For the other side of the handle, do exactly the same thing, working into the other side of your strap’s chain with the other color you used for your bag.
