PATTERN: Hexagonal Market Bag

July 13, 2009 at 11:17 pm 24 comments

My version of Knitty’s Everlasting Bagstopper.

MATERIALS:

350-400 yds cotton or hemp yarn (I recommend Lily Sugar N Cream)
US 5-7 needles (circular – 24″)
US 10.5 needles (circular – 24″)

With smaller needles, CO 19 sts.

Knit 2 rows.
Row 3 (RS): k1, kfb, k to last 2, kfb, k1
Row 4 (WS): knit all sts

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 55 sts.

Begin decreasing.
RS: k1, k2tog, k to last 3, k2tog, k1
WS: knit all sts

Repeat these 2 rows until you are back to 19 sts.

With RS facing, pick up and knit 19 sts along each side of your base. You will have 114 sts total.

You should now be working in the round. Knit 5 rounds.

Change to larger needles and knit 1 round.

Begin mesh pattern:
Row 1: *YO, k2tog* around
Row 2: k all sts

Continue in mesh pattern until back measures 7-8 inches from base.

Knit one round.

Change to smaller needles. Work in garter stitch (k 1 round, p 1 round) for 10 rounds.

Set up for handle:
BO 24
K 9
BO 48
K 9
BO to end

The live stitches will now be worked as the handle. Work 1×1 rib, slipping the first stitch of each row, for 20-22 inches. (Handle will stretch with weight, so make sure it’s not longer than you’re comfortable with!)

Use a 3-needle bind off to attach handle to the other set of live stitches. Weave in ends.

USE WITH PRIDE!

Entry filed under: patterns. Tags: hexagonal market bag.

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24 Comments Add your own

1. sarah | September 26, 2009 at 11:44 pm

very pretty!
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2. Sue | October 13, 2009 at 1:05 pm

I like this pattern but I think I caught a typo. When picking up stitches along the edge of the base I think it should be 19 on each side, not 14. 19 gives the right total. Also, I’m not sure what size needles are being indicated for the base since it says 5-7. thanks for your response.
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- 3. Laura! | October 13, 2009 at 4:29 pm
  
  Thank you for catching that! I will change it to reflect the correct numbers.
  
  Also, I used a US7 for the base, because I knit very tight, but US5, US6, or US7 needles should give you a base that is sturdy enough. It’s more for personal preference.
  Reply
  - 4. Sue | October 14, 2009 at 11:11 am
    
    You’re welcome. Keep knitting and designing!
5. Vicki | November 21, 2009 at 4:54 am

what a great pattern! finished result is pretty, pattern is simple enough to make this “tv knitting”. i’m going to make some of these as soon as i finish my christmas knitting. thanks for much for sharing!!
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6. Wendy | February 14, 2010 at 5:58 pm

Great bag, found a link on Ravelry. Can’t wait to try it out. Am going to use 11’s for the larger needles, tho. I can’t find any of my 10-range circs. :-p
Thanks for sharing this pattern!
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7. Julie | March 12, 2011 at 5:57 pm

*love* the market bag. I badly need one and looked for a likely pattern on Ravelry; yours I chose and will be casting on soon as the blankie is done …so, this week. It’s a lovely pattern and I like the hexagonal base; should help with stability, no?
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8. Ruby Aoude | April 14, 2011 at 12:50 pm

I like this pattern, great idea to use those left over yarns from other projects
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9. Julia Mason | June 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm

When I make my bags, I knit the bottom first in garter or seed stitch then pick up stitches around the base . I then knit a garter or seed stitch border of 5-10 rows then I start the mesh pattern and knit it to about 11″ before doing the upper border. Then I bind off. I attach the yarn where I want my handles and use garter or seed stitch on about 10 stitches for about 20-24 inches then bind off and sew the end opposite the side where I picked up the stitches for the handle. I use two handles on bags.I knitted over 8 of them for my daughter to give her co-workers as Christmas gifts. I also used a mercerized cotton yarn and smaller needles to knit one that everyone at the Tampa FL VA center just loved when I had an appointment he on June 17th.
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10. June Rodgers | August 21, 2011 at 11:27 am

What does kfb mean? I have many knitting books and none of them show kfb for an abreviation.
Thanks
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- 11. Laura! | October 11, 2011 at 3:34 pm
  
  KFB means knit front and back. Knittinghelp.com has a great video! http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/increases
  Reply
12. Angie | September 4, 2011 at 9:28 am

Already made 2 of these with this pattern. Very nice pattern design! Keep up the good work.
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13. Martha McNicol | December 13, 2011 at 5:56 am

From Martha, Ontario, Canada

I love this bag, I’m a senior and it’s perfect for me. I particularly like the firm, strong bottom. Keep up the good work.
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14. Char | December 15, 2011 at 5:40 am

I like this bag. I am having trouble to join the handles together.?
Please reply, need your comment.
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- 15. Laura! | December 15, 2011 at 4:28 pm
  
  Thanks! I used a three needle bind off to join the handles.
  http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/casting-off (Go to the very bottom of this page for a video!)
  
  Hope this helps! 🙂
  Reply
16. Julie | January 5, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Can you explain picking up stitches? I dont understand WHAT stitches TO pick up.
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- 17. Laura! | January 5, 2012 at 6:17 pm
  
  You’re essentially creating new stitches where there weren’t any before.
  
  Hopefully these links can help you understand!
  http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/FEATwin04TT.html
  http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips
  Reply
18. Julie | January 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm

I’ve made several of these now – thanks again for the pattern. Next I plan to modify the pattern (for my own use) to make a rectangular base, to use as a book bag for school.
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19. anonymous | February 21, 2012 at 8:44 pm

I’ve never made a bag and can’t wait to try this! I had some of the same questions that others had, so thank you very much for being so helpful!
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20. Mary Hancock | June 1, 2012 at 11:04 pm

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for the great pattern and let you know that I’ve adapted it for a project that I posted on my blog recently. I can’t wait to make more market bags! – Mary http://unravelandmend.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/tutorial-free-people-esque-shimmer-bag.html
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21. uguisumochi | September 14, 2012 at 9:34 am

My friend was knitting this at our weekly meet-up and I really liked it. She gave me the copy and said, “Here you are. Start knitting!”
So, here I am. I went to JoAnn this morning, bought the yarn and am knitting the bottom right now.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful pattern with us!
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22. ANOTHER RAINBOW GROCERY BAG - made by julianne | April 26, 2013 at 10:36 am

[…] followed the hex bag pattern pretty exactly, except at the handles. I decided to make two handles to more evenly distribute the […]
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23. Julianne Dodds | April 28, 2013 at 9:18 am

I really like the mesh pattern for this bag. It’s sturdy but has plenty of stretch. I made mine with two handles to distribute the weight better: http://madebyjulianne.com/?p=5119

Thanks for the pattern!
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24. Shelley | July 5, 2013 at 2:41 pm

I am making this bag in 3 different fall colors-burnt orange, golden brown and a pumpkin color. I am thinking of lining it….perhaps. My mother is going to love this! (She turns 80 soon)
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