Crochet Mesh Stitches for Bags: Net, Filet and V-Stitch Compared

“Mesh” covers several quite different fabrics. A chain-loop net stretches to twice its width and lets a lime fall straight through; a filet mesh barely stretches and holds a clove of garlic. Choosing between them comes down to two questions: how much should the bag grow when it is loaded, and what is the smallest thing it has to keep inside?

Each of the four options below comes with a short recipe in US terms, for rows and for rounds.

The four options at a glance

Mesh	Hole size	Stretch	What falls through	Good for
Chain-loop net	Large, opens into diamonds	Very high in every direction	Small fruit, keys, pens, coins	Market bags for large items
Filet mesh (dc, ch 1)	Small squares	Low to moderate	Only very small or thin items	Produce bags, beach bag sides
V-stitch mesh	Small to medium, V-shaped	Moderate, mostly lengthwise	Thin items such as pens	Totes that should look lacy but keep their shape
Solid with eyelet rounds	A few small holes	Low	Almost nothing	Everyday bags that need some airflow

A useful rule: the more of the fabric that is made of chain, the more it stretches. Chains have nothing beside them to hold them in place, so they straighten under load. Stitches worked into stitches behave more like solid fabric.

Chain-loop (net) mesh

This is the classic string-bag fabric: loops of chain anchored with a single crochet (sc) in the loop below. It uses the least yarn of the four and expands the most, so the bag is small when empty and large when full.

In rows

• Chain (ch) a multiple of 4, plus 2.
• Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook. [Ch 5, skip 3 ch, sc in the next ch] across. A starting chain of 22 gives 5 loops.
• Row 2: Ch 5 (counts as a double crochet plus ch 2), turn. Sc in the first ch-5 loop, [ch 5, sc in the next loop] across. Ch 2, double crochet (dc) in the last sc.
• Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first dc, [ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 loop] across, working the last sc in the 3rd chain of the turning ch-5.
• Repeat Rows 2 and 3. Row 2 has one loop fewer plus a half loop at each edge; Row 3 returns to the full count.

In rounds

Start from a solid round with a multiple of 3 stitches. Sc in the first stitch, [ch 5, skip 2 stitches, sc in the next stitch] around, replacing the final loop with ch 2 and a dc in the first sc so the hook ends at the top of a loop. On later rounds, sc into each loop with ch 5 between. The crochet market bag pattern does exactly this on 72 stitches, for 24 loops.

Loop length is adjustable: chain 3 for a tight net, chain 7 for a very open one.

Filet mesh (dc, ch 1)

Filet mesh is a grid: one double crochet, one chain, repeated. Each dc sits on the dc below, forming columns, so the fabric holds its width well. The holes are one chain wide and one dc tall, small enough for most produce.

In rows

• Chain an even number.
• Row 1: Dc in the 6th ch from the hook (the skipped chains count as a dc, a ch 1 and the base under them). [Ch 1, skip 1 ch, dc in the next ch] across. A starting chain of 20 gives 9 dc and 8 spaces.
• Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as dc plus ch 1), turn. Skip the first space, dc in the next dc. [Ch 1, dc in the next dc] across, working the last dc in the 3rd chain of the turning chain.
• Repeat Row 2.

In rounds

Start from an even number of stitches. Ch 4 (counts as dc plus ch 1), skip 1 stitch, [dc in the next stitch, ch 1, skip 1 stitch] around, and join with a slip stitch (sl st) in the 3rd chain of the ch 4. On later rounds, ch 4, then [dc in the next dc, ch 1] around and join the same way. A round of 48 stitches gives 24 spaces, as in the small size of these crochet produce bags.

V-stitch mesh

A V-stitch is (dc, ch 1, dc) worked into one place. With two stitches for every chain, it is the sturdiest of the three true meshes. It stretches mainly lengthwise, as the Vs close up under weight.

In rows

• Chain a multiple of 3, plus 5.
• Row 1: (Dc, ch 1, dc) in the 6th ch from the hook. [Skip 2 ch, (dc, ch 1, dc) in the next ch] across until 2 chains remain. Skip 1 ch, dc in the last ch. A starting chain of 20 gives 5 V-stitches with one edge stitch at each side.
• Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn. (Dc, ch 1, dc) in the ch-1 space of each V across. Dc in the top of the turning chain.
• Repeat Row 2.

In rounds

Start from a multiple of 3 stitches. Ch 4 (counts as dc plus ch 1), dc in the same stitch, [skip 2 stitches, (dc, ch 1, dc) in the next stitch] around, skip the last 2 stitches and join in the 3rd chain of the ch 4. On later rounds, sl st into the first ch-1 space, ch 4, dc in the same space, then work a V in each space around. A round of 60 stitches gives 20 Vs.

Solid fabric with eyelet rounds

When a bag has to hold small things but should still breathe, add rows of holes to an otherwise solid fabric. On a round of single crochet with a multiple of 3 stitches, work [sc in the next 2 stitches, ch 1, skip 1 stitch] around. On the next round, sc in every stitch and every ch-1 space, which restores the count. Repeat every 3 to 5 rounds.

The result behaves almost like plain single crochet. For fully solid, low-stretch fabrics, see the guide to sturdy crochet stitches for bags.

Choosing a mesh for a particular bag

• Groceries in large pieces: chain-loop net. Nothing else packs down as small.
• Loose produce: filet mesh, worked on a hook one size smaller than usual so the chains stay short.
• A bag carried by its own mesh, with no solid band: V-stitch, because the paired stitches spread the pull.
• Sand and wet towels: filet or V-stitch above a solid lower section, as in the crochet beach bag.