Purlbed

Bags · Easy

Tote bag

Tote bag: AI picture of the finished item
AI picture of what this pattern makes, drawn to its own construction (hems, shaping, seams). Not a photo of a real piece.

The body is knitted as one piece, twice the height of the bag: the top edge of the front is the start hem, the top edge of the back is the closing hem, and the fold in the middle is the bottom. Two narrow strips make the handles. Use a firm cotton so the bag keeps its shape under a load.

Open in Make

Which knitting machine do you have?

Not sure? Look for the model name on the carriage or the box and compare it with the examples.

Only machines that can knit this pattern are listed.

All steps, charts, sizes and checks (for printing)

Virtual test knit

✓ Virtual test knit passed

Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

728 rows and 32,488 stitches knitted, 0 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
MeasurementShould beSimulated
Width31–33 cm✓ 32 cm
Length66–70 cm✓ 68.5 cm
Rows end where they started0–0 rows✓ 0 rows
Handle: width2.5–4.5 cm✓ 3.7 cm
Handle: length54–56 cm✓ 55 cm
Handle: rows end where they started0–0 rows✓ 0 rows

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Medium · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

MeasurementMediumSmall
Width32 cm26 cm
Height34 cm28 cm
Handle length55 cm50 cm

You will need

Yarn: A firm cotton or cotton blend that does not stretch with the load: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge, worsted on bulky.

About 95 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn (single bed), Optional: a lining of fabric

Gauge swatch first

  1. Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
  2. Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
  3. Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
  4. Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Bag body

Cast on 96 sts, 288 rows. Flat size about 32 × 68.5 cm.

Row by row

  1. Bring 96 needles into work (L48 to R48). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
  2. Turned hem: knit 6 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 6 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 014). Remove the waste yarn later.
  3. Knit 261 rows at MT (RC 275).
  4. Closing hem: knit 6 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 6 rows at MT−1 (RC 288), then a few rows of waste yarn, and release. Fold the hem inside along the loose row and sew the open loops to the first hem row.
Bed chart
Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.
Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (7)
RowsWhat the carriage knitsTension
1–6Stocking stitchMT−1
7Stocking stitchMT+2
8–13Stocking stitchMT−1
14–275Stocking stitchMT
276–281Stocking stitchMT−1
282Stocking stitchMT+2
283–288Stocking stitchMT−1
Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Handle (knit 2)

Cast on 11 sts, 220 rows. Flat size about 3.7 × 55 cm.

Row by row

  1. Bring 11 needles into work (L5 to R6) and cast on in the main yarn with an e-wrap (closed edge). Set RC to 000.
  2. Knit 220 rows at MT (RC 220).
  3. Cast off loosely with the latch tool (or knit a few rows of waste yarn and cast off by hand).
Bed chart
Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.
Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (1)
RowsWhat the carriage knitsTension
1–220Stocking stitchMT
Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

  1. Weave in the ends and steam lightly.
  2. Fold the body in half at the middle, right sides together, and sew the two side seams with mattress stitch. Turn right side out. Turn the hems to the inside.
  3. Sew the ends of each handle to the inside of the hem, about a third of the way in from each side seam. Sew them on twice, to be safe.

Notes and changes

  • The sizes and the handle length are starting values from common tote bags, not rules: change them in the size boxes. A shoulder handle is 50–70 cm.
  • Knitting stretches under weight. A lining of fabric sewn inside stops the bag from growing; a firm cotton helps.
  • A punch-card pattern or a picture suits the front; put it above the fold so it is not lost in the bottom.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返)
knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold
the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem
a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib
one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase
making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool
the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn
a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension)
the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter)
the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10
needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch
the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch
embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

purlbed.com/templates/tote-bag/ · Virtual test knit passed

Suits these machines

Techniques used

More templates

All templates