The Jana Market Bag is the first pattern I am releasing as part of Maddy Lou Crochet! I’ve named it after my mom, who started teaching me to crochet when I was four years old. The bright colors and style of the bag remind me of her. This is also the first pattern in a series of patterns I intend to release which utilize my favorite stitch: the half double crochet in the very back loop.

What You’ll Need:

Tools: a 3.5 - 5.5 mm hook (depending on your tension and the yarn you choose), a stitch marker, and your trusty scissors. That’s it!

Yarn: at least 250 yards of a cotton yarn (or anything else sturdy!) of your choice. This bag is very customizable so you can have lots of fun with your color choices. For both of my bags, I used one whole 180 yd skein of Premier Cotton Batik and roughly a third of a 240 yd skein of Lion Brand Truboo.

Stitches Used:

chain (ch)
double crochet (dc)
half double crochet (hdc)
half double crochet in the very back loop (hdcvbl) - more on this in the pattern!
treble crochet (tc)
slip stitch (ss)

Other Pattern Notes:

This pattern is written in English using US crochet terms.

The ch2 or ch3 at the beginning of rounds for the base and body of the bag do not count as a stitch. The ch2 at the beginning of rows for the strap do count as a stitch.

Swatch recommendations: because this bag is customizable, finished sizes will vary. However, I recommend doing a test swatch of your chosen yarn with your selected hook size to make sure you like the finished fabric, especially for the base, which you’ll want to be sturdy.