Crochet Produce Bags: A Set of Three Mesh Drawstring Bags

Three small mesh bags, three sizes, one pattern. Each produce bag is a flat circle that turns into a tube of filet mesh, finished with a narrow band and a drawstring threaded through the last row of holes. The only thing that changes between sizes is where the base stops and how tall the sides grow.

Filet mesh is used instead of a loopy net because its holes are small and square, so lemons, shallots and garlic stay put.

Sizes at a glance

The finished sizes are approximate; mesh gives a little in both directions. As a rough guide, the small bag suits garlic, chilies or a couple of lemons, the medium a handful of apples or onions, and the large leafy greens or a bunch of carrots.

Materials and gauge

• Light (#3, DK or light worsted) cotton yarn, about 230 yd (210 m) for the set of three
• US G-6 (4 mm) crochet hook
• Yarn needle, scissors and a safety pin for threading the cords

Gauge: 16 double crochet and 9 rounds = 4 in (10 cm). Work firmly. Short, tight chains are what keep the holes small, so bag gauge here should be tighter than the yarn label suggests.

Sport (#2) or fingering (#1) cotton also works with a US E-4 (3.5 mm) or US D-3 (3.25 mm) hook. The stitch counts stay the same and the bags and their holes come out smaller. Choose a smooth cotton that tolerates frequent washing; the guide to yarn for crochet bags goes into the options.

Stitches used

US terms throughout: chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc) and double crochet (dc). In the base, ch 3 counts as the first dc. In the mesh, ch 4 counts as a dc plus ch 1. Every round is joined with a sl st.

The base

Work the rounds below and stop after Round 4 for the small bag, Round 5 for the medium and Round 6 for the large. Join each round with a sl st in the top of the starting ch 3.

1. Round 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3, 11 dc in the ring, pull closed, join. (12 dc)
2. Round 2: Ch 3, dc in the same stitch, 2 dc in each of the next 11 stitches, join. (24 dc)
3. Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next stitch, [dc in the next stitch, 2 dc in the next stitch] 11 times, join. (36 dc)
4. Round 4: Ch 3, dc in the next stitch, 2 dc in the next stitch, [dc in the next 2 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch] 11 times, join. (48 dc)
5. Round 5 (medium and large): Ch 3, dc in the next 2 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch, [dc in the next 3 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch] 11 times, join. (60 dc)
6. Round 6 (large only): Ch 3, dc in the next 3 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch, [dc in the next 4 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch] 11 times, join. (72 dc)

The mesh sides

Filet mesh needs an even number of stitches, and 48, 60 and 72 all qualify. There are no increases from here on, so the circle turns upward on its own into a tube.

1. Mesh round 1: Ch 4, skip the next stitch. [Dc in the next stitch, ch 1, skip the next stitch] around. Join with a sl st in the 3rd chain of the ch 4. (24, 30 or 36 dc and the same number of ch-1 spaces)
2. Mesh round 2: Ch 4. [Dc in the next dc, ch 1] around. Join in the 3rd chain of the ch 4. (24, 30 or 36 spaces)
3. Repeat Mesh round 2 until the sides measure 6 in (15 cm) for the small bag, 8 in (20 cm) for the medium or 10 in (25 cm) for the large, measured from the edge of the base.

Each dc sits directly on the dc below, so the mesh forms straight columns. Other bag meshes, and how they compare for stretch, are covered in crochet mesh stitches for bags.

The top band

1. Band round 1: Ch 1, sc in the same stitch as the join, sc in the next ch-1 space. [Sc in the next dc, sc in the next ch-1 space] around. Join with a sl st in the first sc. (48, 60 or 72 sc)
2. Band round 2: Ch 1, sc in each stitch around, join. (48, 60 or 72 sc)

Fasten off and weave in the ends. Two rounds are enough to stop the top edge from stretching out; a deeper band makes the gathered top bulky.

The drawstring

The last mesh round, just under the band, doubles as the eyelet round, so there is nothing extra to work.

1. Chain until the cord measures 20 in (51 cm) for the small bag, 24 in (61 cm) for the medium or 28 in (71 cm) for the large.
2. Turn and sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each chain back to the start. Fasten off. The return row of slip stitches makes the cord round and stops it stretching.
3. Pin the safety pin to one end and weave the cord through the top mesh round, over one dc and under the next, all the way around. Because the number of dc is even, the cord ends on the same side it started.
4. Knot the two ends together about 1 in (2.5 cm) from the tips.

Using and washing the bags

If produce is weighed in the bag, the bag’s own weight is included. Weigh each finished bag on a kitchen scale and note the figure on a small fabric tag tied to the cord, so the weight can be deducted at the checkout where a shop allows it.

Wash the bags according to the yarn label and reshape them while damp. Very small items such as loose peas or bulk grains will still escape through filet mesh. A set of three nests inside the mesh market bag, which handles the larger items.