I was cleaning out my crafting stash and I found these granny squares:
I made them so long ago I have no idea what my original intention was. But rather than unravel them or just throw them away, I decided to see if I could turn them into produce bags instead!
A little experimenting and I had success:
I’ve written out the instructions and information below, but the easiest way to learn is to watch the video:
Overview
This pattern is based off the mesh pattern of two earlier produce bag patterns I designed:
Materials
I used a size G hook (4.5 mm), but a size F (3.75 mm) would work too.
I used Aunt Lydia’s #10 crochet cotton. It is equivalent to “lace weight” or “0 weight” yarn. I like working in the lightweight yarn because it makes a nice looking bag without adding significantly to the weight if my produce needs to be weighed at checkout.
The granny square used here is the first four rounds of “Granny Square 10” by Carole Prior. The pattern is copyrighted, so I will not reproduce it here, but I will say that, at the time of the publication of this article the instructions are viewable on Amazon using the “Look Inside” feature for the 99 Granny Squares book by Leisure Arts.
Fortunately this pattern is versatile and can be adapted to probably any granny square, even ones that are made with a different yarn.
Basic Mesh Pattern
The mesh of these bags is created with a very simple stitch pattern: a double crochet followed by two chains which I abbreviate as dc+ch2.
For the initial round, the mesh pattern can be adapted to any granny square by working it evenly along the edges of the square. I make my double crochets about a half inch apart. Yours might vary depending on your gauge.
Each round starts with a chain 5 (abbreviated ch5), which counts as a dc+ch2.
Each round ends with a slip stitch into the chain 5 that started the round. I’m not very exact about my placement and just work into the space, but if you want to be more careful and tidy, you could slip stitch precisely into the 3rd chain of the chain 5.
Once you have the first joining mesh round, work the following sides round: Ch5, *in the next ch2 space work one dc+ch2 stitch.* Repeat from * to * around. To join sl st into ch5.
Keep repeating the sides round until the bag is as long as you like. I repeated the round about 14 times.
Optional Mesh Increasing Rounds
If you want a bigger bag (or perhaps want to make the Retro Produce Bag or a Mesh Market Bag instead of the Original Produce Bag), and need a bigger granny square, it is very easy to increase in the mesh pattern.
For an increasing round, the starts and joins remain the same, but instead of working the dc+ch2 stitch evenly around your square, work an additional dc+ch2 stitches in each corner space. At the end of the round, you should have dc+ch2 worked evenly along the sides of the square, and two (2) dc+ch2 stitches in each corner.
Here’s the granny square I made with one additional round of increasing:
You can increase indefinitely by continuing to work two (2) dc+ch2 in each corner space (the ch2 space after the first dc in the corner space of the previous round) and one (1) dc+ch2 in every other space.
To stop increasing, simply stop working increasing rounds and start working sides rounds instead.
Here’s a rough chart comparison of what adding a round of increasing looks like compared to just working evenly around the square:
Finishing
There are myriad ways to finish the produce bag. The simplest is to finish off after the last slip stitch and weave a piece of ribbon or i-cord or lightweight braided material through the last round to act as a drawstring.
My preferred method is to add a few rounds of single crochets with a foundation single crochet stitch handle.
I start the first round with a chain and then start working 3 single crochets (sc) into each chain 2 space. The exact number of spaces will vary depending on the circumference of your bag, but I work 3 sc for about one sixth (1/6th) the circumference. Then I work 30 FSC for the handle, skip about another 1/6th of the spaces, and join the handle. Then I work 3 sc for about a third (1/3rd) the circumference of the bag before starting the next handle. I skip another sixth of the spaces before joining and continuing the 3 sc pattern until the end of the round.
To join, I prefer to skip the slip stitch. *After the last sc of the round, chain one (1) and then start single crocheting in the first sc of the round. Be careful not to work into the chain 1 that started the round. Then I work 1 sc in each stitch around.* I only do one row in the video, but you can work from * to * as many as you like until the handles are as wide as you prefer. To join the final round, instead of a chain 1, work a slip stitch to join, then finish off and weave in your ends.
If you’re looking to make more of a larger market bag than a produce bag, I recommend doing many increasing rounds to make a very large square, then popping over to my Retro Produce Bag pattern and following those instructions for the gathering and handles rounds.
Final Thoughts
Firstly, when people make these produce bags, I think the instinct is to make them much bigger than they need to be. The bags are amazingly stretchy and sturdy, and to hold a few apples, or oranges, or potatoes, or whatever, to keep them separated in your cart before checkout, they just don’t need to be all that big.
The smaller the bag, the less material required to make it, and the less it weighs against you at checkout!
The bags I made with one increasing round easily fit 4 large jars:
Even the bag that had no increasing rounds could hold 3 jars:
I wanted to push these bags to their limits to see what they could take, so here’s a picture of one of a bag with one increasing round holding my husband’s 35 lb. (almost 16 kg) kettle bell:
The bag was pretty strained and stretched, so I don’t think it could tolerate much more, but I have no doubts about the sturdiness of these bags. 35 pounds is a LOT! More than I can hold with one hand to take a picture with the other, which is why I had to get my husband to take the picture for me.
Lastly, the purpose of this project was to use up what I had and try to turn an otherwise wasted craft project into something useful. And that’s what this website is all about, trying to use our creativity to find more sustainable ways to live in this world.
To that end I encourage you to look for opportunities with this pattern to reduce and reuse! Have old doilies that are falling apart? Unravel them and use the yarn for a bag. A knitted sweater with a hole? Salvage the yarn you can and use it up! Look for a creative reuse center in your area, or search for second hand supplies on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or ShopGoodwill.com.
