I’m loving how this new pattern turned out, you guys! It’s an easy crochet tote pattern, perfect for summer. Roughly 16x16x8 inches, it holds a ton of stuff for the perfect summer day hitting up the farmer’s market, the library or the beach. This chunky bag is an awesome & fun way to use fabric yarn if you’ve never tried it, and the pattern is great for beginners!
Supplies
size Q crochet hook
1200 g t-shirt yarn (you can make it or buy it)
scissors
2-3 yds t-shirt yarn from jersey fabric selvage (optional – for pom pom accent)
cardboard (optional for accent)
Directions
If you make the fabric yarn to use for this project, I recommend following my tutorial as I used the yarn I made in the creation of that tutorial to crochet this bag. :) You can also buy fabric yarn to work with. This stuff comes in 312 g skeins, so you’ll need 4 skeins to make this bag. If you DIY your yarn, you’ll need 6.75-7 yds of fabric to cut into yarn.
Abbreviations
ch – chain
st – stitch
sc – single crochet
sc 3 in 1 – sc 3 times in same st
sl st – slip stitch
join – join (finish round) with a slip stitch
rnd – round
turn – turn your work over to the other side and reverse the direction in which you’re working
(X sts) – X indicates number of stitches currently in the round
incl – including/include
The Pattern
Form Base
ch 15
rnd 1. turn, sc 14 starting in 2nd ch from hook
rnd 2. ch 1, turn, sc 3 1st sc, sc 12, sc 3 in 1 twice, sc 12, sc 3 in 1, join (36 sts)
rnd 3. ch 1, sc 1 (in same st), sc 3 in 1, sc 14, sc 3 in 1, sc 2, sc 3 in 1, sc 14, sc 3 in 1, join (44 sts)
rnd 4. ch1, sc 2, sc 3 in 1, sc 16, sc 3 in 1, sc 4, sc 3 in 1, sc 16, sc 3 in 1, sc 1, join (52)
rnd 5. ch 1, sc 3, sc 3 in 1, sc 18, sc 3 in 1, sc 6, sc 3 in 1, sc 18, sc 3 in 1, sc 2, join (60)Form Tote Sides
rnds 6-30. ch 1, sc 59, join (25 rnds of 60 sts)
rnd 31. ch 1, sc 14, ch 20 (skipping 12 sts), sc 18, ch 20 (skipping 12 sts), sc 3, join (76 sts)
rnd 32. ch 1, sc 14, sc 20 around the chained sts, sc 18, sc 20 around ch sts, sc 3, join
rnd 33. ch 1, sc 75 around (incl strap sts), joinBreak yarn, leaving a tail to weave in ends.
Optional: make accent pom poms for your tote!
Using selvage, make 2 pom poms following this tutorial, and sew them to each end of a yard of selvage. Fold in half and weave into tote wherever you like, knotting it to secure!
I made the accent poms out of the selvage cut off during the yarn making process. I love how the pom poms look with the selvage – each “string” was rolled tightly, and I think the finished effect is really cool! It adds some nice texture, breaking up the repeating single crochet stitches making the tote.
I love this tote! I can’t wait to haul it all over the place.
Tania Meyer
November 29, 2014 at 5:16 pmHallo Heidi,
I am trying to crochet the T-shirt yarn tote, this is the most advanced project I am trying since I taught myself to crochet the basic stitches. So far everything looks like I suppose it should but in the pattern, in the round 3 you say “chain one, SC 1 (in the same stitch)”. Is the sc in the chain stitch or the first stitch. Sorry if this is a stupid question. Thanks for the help, Tania Meyer
Heidi
November 30, 2014 at 9:23 amIn the first stitch. Just remember to take the time to count the number of stitches at the end of each round to make sure your rounds are starting and ending in the right place. Since this tote is constructed loop after loop after loop, though, small mistakes are rarely visible! Let me know if you need anything else! -Heidi :)
Laura
May 15, 2015 at 11:32 pmHi Heidi, this is my second fabric yarn crochet project so I am just a newbie! At the end of round one I have 15 stitches but then in round two you have asked for two sets of sc12 (+ some 3 in 1s) but i ran out of stitches to crochet into after the first set – does that make sense? Can you help? Laura
Heidi
May 17, 2015 at 12:55 pmIn rnd 2, are you doing your 3 in 1 in the very first space? That might be the issue. If this doesn’t help, I have shot a video class using this pattern that hasn’t yet been released that I can alert you to when it’s out so you can see me work on this pattern up close. -Heidi :)
Kathy
July 4, 2015 at 10:39 amHi! Love this pattern! Thanks for sharing. I am having trouble when I crochet with shirt yarn. It seems to stretch and then my piece ends up misshapen. What am I doing wrong? How do I stop the stretching as I work??
Heidi
July 7, 2015 at 3:28 amHi Kathy, great question! Tshirt yarn will always stretch a fair bit, so you’ve got to do the best you can. Blocking (how to block: https://www.anniescatalog.com/crochet/content.html?content_id=628&type_id=S) your finished piece will help, and using a tshirt yarn with a consistent width helps too. Stretching is simply a fact of life when working with tshirt yarn, but those are my best tips for working around it. -Heidi :)
Joyce
July 4, 2015 at 6:39 pmHello, I really like the looks of this t-shirt bag & was wondering if regular yarn could be substituted for the t-shirt yarnn and if so what type of yarn and how much?
Heidi
July 7, 2015 at 3:23 amOf course! Look for a yarn that calls for a size Q hook in the label and you’ll be all good. I’ve also crocheted this bag using Bernat Softee Chunky, holding two strands together at the same time.
agneskye
August 12, 2015 at 6:52 amHi from south of France! I’ve just strated your tote and am thrilled! BUT same question as Laura and I’m blocked! I can’t understand how you finish the second round!
can I send you a picture of my work?
Go on with this blog, very inspiring!
Agnès
agneskye
August 12, 2015 at 6:57 amOh my, just seen your amazing video… Sorry for the previous message!
You’re a living goddess!!!!
Thanxxxxx
Heidi
August 12, 2015 at 7:30 pmNo problem at all! :D
Colleen
August 22, 2015 at 11:34 amHi, would love to see the video for this. Is it available yet? Love this tote, want to make it for Christmas gift.
Heidi
August 25, 2015 at 5:48 pmHere you go! :)
NikkiB
August 15, 2016 at 7:53 pmHi,
About how many actual t-shirts are needed to make the required amount of yarn? Not sure how much 1200 grams is…thanks!
Heidi
August 26, 2016 at 9:02 amIt depends on the size of shirt you use. I made the yarn I used for this project (here’s how I did it) from yards of fabric, so I weighed my yarn as I made it. Best of luck!