Natural fibres such as cotton are biodegradable and compostable and better for the environment than man-made fibres such as polyester or nylon which are made using coal and oil. Cotton grown in drought prone areas has production issues around water usage, so cotton sourced from producers who grow in water-abundant areas is more environmentally sustainable.

Cotton as a yarn is less stretchy than acrylic yarn, giving market bags a more solid construction. Cotton will also not shed plastic microfibres into the waterways when washed as man-made plastic fibres such as acrylic, polyester and nylon do.

Use and reuse natural fibres to lower your Eco Foot Print. Be responsible, buy responsible, and the world will be a better place :-)

This market tote is crocheted using a rectangular base and mesh stitch sides using a size 4 crochet hook, 8ply 100% cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills, and the finished product weighs approximately 100g. BWM sells cotton in 200g balls so you should be able to get 2 totes from one ball.

The handles are designed and constructed so that even heavier loads will not cause stitches to break where the handles join the tote body, as can happen in other designs.

This particular market tote is designed to be carried by hand, rather than slung over the shoulder, which is why the handles are shorter, but longer handles can be created by adding more rows, as indicated in the pattern.

I tend to prefer rectangular bases to my market totes rather than circular, and have found that placing a rectangular piece of lightweight thin ply or balsam, or even corrugated plastic in the bottom, can give the base a firmness similar to the reusable green shopping bags you can purchase from supermarkets. Personally I try very hard not to use plastics where possible, and use 2 layers of cardboard if I choose to have a firm bottom.

Washing Instructions: Warm hand wash, warm rinse well without rubbing, normal spin, warm iron, dry cleanable 30 degrees, dry flat in shade, do not tumble dry, do not bleach.

Dimensions: base is approx 10cm x 33cm, with height being changeable due to the stretchy mesh stitch, but the sides comfortably fit the height of a carton of milk which is approx 28cm.