Eco Friendly Bag

Crochet an eco-friendly bag to carry fresh produce from the farmer's market, daily essentials, or to tote your refillable water bottle. This is a quick and easy bag crochet pattern in eco-friendly cotton yarn and you can easily make more than one so you always have a bag to grab as you head out the door to the grocery store.  These bags allow produce to breathe and are lightweight, so they won't weigh you down if you find yourself toting more than one.  Easy enough for beginners, this crocheted tote is one pattern you may find yourself coming back to again and again.

Materials:

• 2 skeins Red Heart “Eco-Cotton™ Blend” yarn in Candy Marl
• 5mm [US H-8] crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Elastic pony tail band

Gauge: Rounds 1-5 of Base = 6½”.

Instructions:
Bag diameter measures 10” x 12” tall.

Pouch

1. Round 1: Make a slip knot, working around elastic band, work 48 sc around band, slip st to first st in join – 48 sts.
    
2. Round 2: Ch 3, dc in each st around, slip st in first st to join – 48 sts.
    
3. Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next st, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * around, slip st to first st in join – 72 sts.
    
4. Round 4: Ch 3, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * around, slip st in first st to join – 96 sts.
    
5. Fasten off.

Base

1. Ch 8, slip st in first st to form a ring.
    
2. Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), 23 dc in ring, slip st in first st to join – 24 sts.
    
3. Round 2: Ch 3, dc in same space, [2 dc in each st] around, slip st in first st to join – 48 sts.
    
4. Round 3: Ch 3, dc in each st around, slip st in first st to join.
    
5. Round 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next st, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * around, slip st in first st to join – 72 sts.
    
6. Round 5: Ch 3, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * around, slip st in first st to join – 96 sts.
    
7. Round 6: With right sides together, join Base and Pouch, matching sts and working through both thicknesses, ch 1, sc in each st around, slip st in first st to join – 96 sts.
    
8. Rounds 7-9: Ch 3, dc in each st around, slip st in first st to join – 96 sts.
    
9. Round 10: Ch 1, sc in same st at joining, *ch 5, skip next 3 sts, sc in next st; repeat from * around to last 3 sts, ch 2, dc in first sc forming last loop – 24 loops.
    
10. Rounds 11-25: Ch 1, sc in loop just formed, *ch 5, sc in next loop; repeat from * around to last loop, ch 2, dc in first sc to form last loop.
     
11. Round 26: Ch 1, 3 sc in loop just formed, 5 sc in each loop around to first loop, 2 sc in loop, slip st in first st to join.
     
12. Fasten off.

Finishing
Strap

1. Ch 201, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across.
    
2. Fasten off.
    
3. Weave through loops of Round 25. Sew ends together.
    
4. Weave in ends.
    
5. Fold Bag inside Pouch.