Almeria Market Bag in Hoooked Eco Barbante - Downloadable PDF

Almeria Market Bag Crochet Pattern – Free Downloadable PDF by Hoooked

The Almeria Market Bag is a stylish and practical crocheted market bag pattern released as a free downloadable PDF by Hoooked. Designed with a classic open-net body and sturdy handles, this bag is an ideal project for crochet enthusiasts who want a functional accessory with beautiful texture. The pattern is rated as beginner-friendly, making it a wonderful introduction to working in the round and constructing a shaped base before building upward into a decorative mesh structure.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a market bag — a roomy, open-weave tote designed for shopping, carrying everyday essentials, or use as a beach bag. The bag features a solid crocheted oval base for structure and durability, transitioning into an airy net stitch pattern for the body, which allows the contents to be visible and keeps the bag lightweight. Two separately worked handles (hengsels) are attached to complete the design. The combination of a firm base and open mesh body is a hallmark of classic European market bag construction.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Hoooked Eco Barbante — 2 x 200g skeins. Eco Barbante is a worsted-weight cotton yarn known for its sustainability credentials and smooth, sturdy texture, making it particularly well-suited for bags that need to hold their shape under the weight of everyday items.
• Hook: 4mm crochet hook (haaknaald 4mm)

The worsted weight of Eco Barbante gives the finished bag excellent stitch definition, which is especially important for the net pattern section where the open loops need to hold their form without stretching excessively.

Construction Overview

The Base (De Bodem)

Construction begins at the bottom of the bag with a flat oval base worked in the round. The foundation is a chain of 44 stitches plus 2 turning chains. Stitches are worked into the third chain from the hook, with increases placed at each end of the oval to create the rounded shape. The base is built over 5 rounds, with strategic increases in rounds 1 and 2 to expand the stitch count from 96 to 104 stitches. Rounds 3 through 5 are worked even at 104 stitches to establish a firm, flat foundation. Each round is closed with a slip stitch (hv).

Working an oval base is a fundamental crochet technique that differs from a circular base — by starting with a chain rather than a magic ring or chain loop, the crocheter creates length at the center, resulting in an elongated shape ideal for a bag bottom. The increases at both short ends of the oval mirror each other, producing smooth, symmetrical curves.

The Net Body (Netstructuur)

Beginning at round 6, the pattern transitions into a net or mesh stitch pattern. This section is worked by chaining 9, skipping 3 stitches, and working a single stitch into the 4th stitch — a technique repeated all the way around to create 26 mesh arches per round. Each new round begins with 9 chains and a stitch, maintaining the open-loop mesh structure consistently. This net pattern is worked from rounds 6 through 18, building the airy, open body of the bag that is synonymous with traditional market and string bag designs.

The mesh or net stitch is a classic crochet technique used widely in bag making because it is lightweight, stretchy enough to accommodate varying loads, and visually attractive. The large chain loops create the characteristic open grid that allows the bag to expand when filled.

The Handles (Hengsel)

Two handles are crocheted separately and identically. Each handle begins with a foundation chain of 100 stitches plus 1 turning chain. Rounds 2 through 7 are worked as 6 rows of 100 half double crochet or double crochet stitches (100 v), creating a flat, dense strap with good strength and comfort. The handle is then fastened off. The two handles are attached to the bag body to complete the construction.

Working handles separately and then joining them is a common approach in bag construction, as it allows the crocheter to create a firm, reinforced strap without interrupting the mesh pattern of the bag body. The multiple rows of solid stitches give the handles