Dubrovnik market bag

Dubrovnik Market Bag Crochet Pattern

What is Being Made

The Dubrovnik market bag is a practical, structured tote designed by Helga Mandl. This downloadable crochet pattern creates a versatile shopping or everyday carry bag suitable for intermediate-level crocheters. The bag features an open, airy construction with decorative spacing that allows for visual interest while maintaining functionality.

Craft and Primary Technique

This project is created entirely using the crochet technique. Crochet is a fiber craft that uses a single hook to form interlocking loops of yarn into fabric. The open construction of this market bag demonstrates how strategic spacing and stitch placement can create a lightweight, breathable design ideal for carrying items while allowing air circulation through the fabric.

Stitches Used

The Dubrovnik market bag employs several fundamental crochet stitches to build its structure:

• Chain (ch): The foundation stitch that creates the base loops for the project
• Slip stitch (sl st): Used to join rounds or secure stitches without adding height
• Single crochet (sc): A short, tight stitch that creates dense, stable fabric, used for the bag's edges and foundation rows
• Single crochet 2 together (sc2tog): A decrease technique that combines two stitches into one, used for shaping
• Double crochet (dc): A taller stitch that creates a more open, draping fabric, used throughout the body for the decorative spacing pattern
• Skip (sk): Technique of passing over stitches to create intentional gaps and openwork effects

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This pattern calls for 4-ply weight yarn, specifically 100% cotton fiber. The project requires 4 skeins of yarn, with each skein providing 125 meters (136 yards) and weighing 50 grams (1.80 ounces). The primary yarn specified is Drops ♥ you No.9 in Uni color.

Multiple suitable alternative yarns are suggested for this project, including Scheepjes Catona, Patons Grace, Schachenmayr Catania, Phildar Phil Cotton 3, Ice Yarns Camilla, Kartopu Organica, and Rowan Cotton Glace. These alternatives offer similar weight, fiber content, and yardage, allowing crocheters flexibility in yarn selection while maintaining pattern integrity.

Tools and Notions

To complete this project, you will need a 3 mm crochet hook, a stitch marker for tracking your position in the pattern, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends after completion. The pattern references video tutorials for specific techniques, such as working into the back bumps of the foundation chain, which is a method for creating a finished appearance on the base row.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, indicating it is suitable for crocheters with foundational knowledge of basic stitches and comfortable reading pattern instructions. The combination of multiple stitch types, spacing techniques, and the overall construction method requires more experience than a beginner project but remains accessible to those with some crochet practice.