Crochet Tote Bag Free Pattern for the Beach

Get your free crochet tote bag pattern! Crochet beach tote bags made of chunky colorful T-shirt yarn are everywhere! With chunky tube yarn, the crochet tote bag works up quickly! Crochet your own with this free crochet beach bag crochet pattern!

(*This post contains some affiliate links and I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links are marked as *.)

Materials and Specifications

• Tools: Crochet hook 12 mm*, a threading needle and a stitch marker*.
• Yarns: T-shirt yarn or tube yarn in pink and orange colors. The bag weighs a bit over 1 kg / 2.2 lbs so one big ball of each color should be enough. Make sure that two balls weigh at least a total of 1,2 kg / 2.65 lbs. You’ll need more pink yarn (than orange) for this particular bag. Yardage is unknown.
  Find yarn suggestions below:
  • Paintbox Yarns Recycled T-Shirt*
  • Hoooked Zpagetti* (also available on Amazon* and Hoooked Yarn).
  • Hoooked Ribbon XL Solids*
  • You can also check your local yarn stores for t-shirt or tube yarns that aren’t necessarily listed to their web shops.
• Gauge: 6 sc stitches and 6 sc rows in 10 cm (4″).
• Terminology: US.
• Skill level: Easy.
• Size of the crochet handbag: width 41 cm / 16.1″ and height (excl. the bag handles) 30 cm / 11.8″.

Free Crochet Tote Bag Pattern

The crochet tote beach bag is crocheted from the bottom to the handle. The bag is crocheted double-stranded which means you crochet with two yarn strands at the same time.

The base is crocheted in rows. Then the body of the bag is crocheted around the base.

Note: the single crochet stitches (sc) are crocheted as “X” or “cross” single crochet stitches (instead of the traditional “V”-shape single crochet stitches). Find instructions for the X-shape single crochet stitch in my other free crochet bag pattern!

Base of the Tote Bag

Base row 1: Chain 20 (with two yarn strands of different colors).
Starting from the second chain from your hook, insert 18 single crochet stitches (sc). Chain 1 and turn the work (ch1tw). [18 sc in the row]

Base row 2. Insert a single crochet increase stitch (sc-inc) which means 2 sc in the first sc. Then 16 sc. Finish the row with another sc-inc. Ch1tw. [20]

Base row 3. Sc-inc, 18 sc, sc-inc. Ch1tw. [22]

Base row 4. 22 sc. Ch1tw. [22]

Base row 5. Insert a single crochet decrease stitch (sc-dec) which means crocheting two sc together through front loops only. Then 18 sc. Finish the row with another sc-dec. Ch1tw. [20]

Base row 6. Sc-dec, 16 sc, sc-dec. Ch1tw. [18]

Base row 7. 18 sc. Do not turn the work. [18]

Body of the Tote Bag

Start the body of the bag by crocheting sc stitches in the round. Start the first round by crocheting the first sc stitch to the left short side of the base. Note: the short side has a curved form.

Round 1:
Crochet 6 sc to this short curvy side. Insert these sc stitches to each row.
Then insert 18 sc to the long side of the base.
Again, insert 6 sc to the other curvy side of the base.
Insert 18 sc to the other long side.
Place a stitch marker to indicate the start of the round from now on. [48 sc in the round]

Rounds 2-5: Insert 48 sc. Place the stitch marker to the first stitch in each round. This way you know when a new round starts. [48]

Rounds 6-12: Change the yarn color so that you now have two strands of the same color (pink in this case). Insert 48 sc.

Rounds 13-14: Change the yarn color to orange (two strands). Crochet 48 sc. [48]

Bag Handles

Bag handle round 1: Continue with the orange color.
Insert 8 sc.
Chain 30. Skip 14 sc and attach this bag handle to the 15th sc stitch from the start of the handle with a sc stitch.
Insert 9 sc.
Chain 30. Skip 14 sc and attach this second bag handle to the 15th stitch with a sc stitch.
There should be 1 stitch left before the stitch marker. Remove it and move on to the last bag handle round.

Bag handle round 2:
Insert 9 sc.
Insert 30 slip stitches to the bag handle into the back bump of the chain. (To make the handles thicker, you can also insert sc stitches.)
Insert 10 sc.
Insert 30 slip stitches to the bag handle into the back bump of the chain.
Insert a slip stitch to the first sc stitch after the handle.

Weave in the ends with a threading needle or simply let them unwoven. A photo below shows how unwoven ends can also look pretty cool!

Enjoy your colorful chunky crochet tote bag wherever you go! If you have any feedback, feel free to comment the crochet tote bag pattern below!

I’d love to see your crochet beach tote bags so remember to share your creations on Instagram and tag @swoolify!

Other Crochet Patterns

Free Crochet Water Bottle Holder Pattern
Free Crochet Bucket Hat Pattern
Free Crochet Bandana Pattern
Crochet Beach Cover Up Crochet Pattern
Free Crochet Granny Square Top Pattern
Crochet Lace Top Pattern
Crochet Crop Top Pattern
Free Crochet Balaclava Pattern
Free Crochet Bralette with Lace Edges Crochet Pattern