STITCH ROUND Color pop crochet tote: an everyday bag pattern
Follow every round from oval base to shell-stitch body to handles to build this striped crochet tote.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 10 rounds
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 4.5 mm
- Time
- 4-6 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
10 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
Worsted
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This is a market-and-errands tote worked in stages: a three-round oval base, a single-crochet transition round, a shell-stitch body that repeats with a color change every round through round 24, a two-round top edge, and two-round handles — 28 rounds in total from base to finished handles, which makes this a build-up-over-a-few-sittings project rather than a one-sitting make.
The shaping lives almost entirely in the base, where increases at both ends turn a straight chain into an oval footprint, and stitch markers track where those increases land. Slow down through that first pair of rounds and again at the shift into shell stitch, since that's where the stitch pattern changes and the color-change rhythm for the striped body begins.
Colors and handle length are easy to make your own — swap in any favorite colorway for the stripes, and lengthen or shorten the chain-60 handles to taste.
- Chain a long oval and work half double crochet around both long sides to lay the base.
- Increase at each rounded end of the oval so the base lies flat before joining the round.
- Work a shell stitch round of double crochet clusters separated by chain-2 spaces around the body.
- Repeat the shell stitch pattern, changing yarn color each time, to build the striped sides.
- Close out the top edge once the body reaches the height wanted for the bag.
What goes wrong
- Losing the base stitch markers Move each marker up into the matching stitch as soon as a round is joined. Without them, the two increase points on the oval base are easy to miscount.
- Uneven oval base increases Count stitches on each side of the oval before slip stitching to join. An uneven split between the two ends shows up as a lopsided bag bottom.
- Shell stitch spacing drifts Count the skipped stitches between each shell before starting the next one. Drifting spacing throws off the chain-2 spaces the following rounds work into.
- Bulky color-change joins stacking up Shift the join point for each new color a stitch or two from the last one. Stacking every join in the same spot creates a visible ridge up the side.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
- Worsted weight yarn (various colors for stripes)
- 4.5 mm crochet hook
- Stitch markers
- Scissors and tapestry needle (for finishing)
Progress tracker
0 of the 10 rounds on this page are ticked.
The pattern, round by round
Kept in the order and the wording the source used. Tick a round as you finish it; the ticks stay on this device.
Base
Round 1
Chain 49 HDC (half double crochet) in 2nd chain from hook and across (98 sts) Place stitch marker in the first HDC3 HDC in the last chain Place stitch markers in the 1st and 3rd of the 3 HDCs HDC across the other side 2 HDC in the final stitchPlace stitch marker in the first of these Slip stitch to first HDC to join
Round 2
Chain 1 2 HDC in the first stitch HDC in each stitch to the marker 2 HDC in each of the next 3 stitches (increase section)HDC in each stitch to the next marker 2 HDC in each of the last 2 stitches Slip stitch to join (104 sts)
Round 3
Chain 1 HDC in each stitch in the back loop only
Body
Round 4
Change color Chain 1 SC (single crochet) in each stitch around
Round 5
Chain 3 DC (double crochet) in same stitch Chain 2 2 DC in same stitch (shell stitch)Skip 3 stitches, shell stitch in the 4th stitch Repeat around (26 shell stitches)Slip stitch to join
Rounds 6–24
Chain 3 In each chain-2 space: 2 DC, chain 2, 2 DC Change color every round for striping effect
Top Edge
Round 25
Standing SC in any chain-2 space Chain 3 SC in the next chain-2 space Repeat aroundSlip stitch to join
Round 26
Chain 1 SC in same stitch 3 SC in each chain-3 space SC in next SC Repeat aroundSlip stitch to join (104 sts)
Handles
Round 27
SC in each stitch until first marker Chain 60 (first handle) SC across to next markerChain 60 (second handle)SC to beginning Slip stitch to join
Round 28
Chain 1 SC in each stitch HDC in each chain of the handle SC across the bag top HDC in each chain of second handleSC in remaining stitches Slip stitch to join Fasten off and weave in ends
Finish
- Weave in every color-change tail along the inside of the body before the stripes get hard to trace.
- Block the finished tote over a bag form or stiff box to open up the shell-stitch chain spaces evenly.
- Attach or adjust the handles to the preferred length once the body and top edge are complete.
Bigger or smaller
- Larger
- Move up to a heavier yarn weight with a larger hook to scale every round proportionally, giving a roomier base and taller body without changing the stitch pattern.
- Smaller
- Work fewer repeats of the shell stitch body round to shorten the bag, or drop to a lighter yarn and smaller hook to shrink the whole piece.
Photographs of this one
Every photograph on this page was taken by whoever published the pattern, and they are printed in the order the source listed them.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
What does the standing SC in the chain-2 space do?
It starts a round cleanly inside one of the shell stitch's chain-2 spaces without a separate chain and join. This keeps the color-change transitions neat along the striped body.
Why are stitch markers needed on the base rounds?
They flag the exact stitches where the oval base increases, since those spots are easy to lose track of mid-round. Keeping them in place prevents a warped or uneven bottom.
Can a single color be used instead of stripes?
Yes, the color changes are a styling choice built into the body rounds, not a structural requirement. Working every round in one color still produces the same shell-stitch texture.
Does worsted weight yarn need to match exactly across colors?
Keep every color at the same worsted weight so the stripe rounds stay consistent in height. Mixing weights can make the shell stitch rows uneven from one stripe to the next.