This is a crochet pattern review of the Rowyn Tote Bag pattern by designer Through the Loop Yarn Craft. Review done by A Stitch Shy of Normal for EyeLoveKnots.
This post contains affiliate links for Amazon and WeCrochet. If you make a purchase by clicking on them, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Find the crochet pattern review below, click here to view the free tote bag crochet pattern, or purchase the PDF on Ravelry!
In a hurry? Pin this for later when you have more time.

As a millennial who grew up without cable TV and therefore watched a lot of PBS Kids, I should be ashamed of myself that I briefly forgot the wonderful lifestyle a public library can provide. You remember that classic Arthur earworm, right? It’s not just me? “Having FUN – isn’t HARD – when you’ve got a LIBRARY CARD!” If I misremembered those lyrics, don’t correct me please, I couldn’t handle the generational shame!
Anyway, I had drifted away from regularly visiting the library over the past few years. I suppose during the period of having a newborn it wouldn’t have been the most practical. But now with our current household schedule there’s a period of time each afternoon after picking my son up from daycare but before dinner where we’re looking for fun things to do. And because it’s a daily occurrence, I want it to be free of course. One day it hit me that the library would be the perfect fit! We’re loving it, and he enjoys a chance to touch every book and pick out some of his favorites.
Because me and my husband both grew up as big readers, and we keep buying the little dude piles of books, he loves picking out a bunch to take home from the library. And when I’m carrying him, and a purse, and his backpack of diapers and whatnot, a stack of books was a challenge! So I set a plan in my head to make a nice tote bag for the two of us specifically to use for the library. That way I can put our books in there when we’re done reading them and they’ll (hopefully) be easier to find when we’re ready to go back for the next round. I’ve had it for a couple of weeks and it’s been helpful so far! This is the pattern I chose because it was the perfect combination of practical and adorable, my favorite sort of thing.

It’s me, Abigail with A Stitch Shy of Normal.
Visit with me on Instagram @astitchshyofnormal for all kinds of awesome crochet makes and inspiration!
What Materials Do I Need to Crochet a Tote Bag?
- 550-570ish yards of worsted weight cotton or similar yarn–I used most of one skein of Bernat Strada, a yarn that’s unfortunately discontinued so that’s a link to the Ravelry page for some basic information (it’s polyester rather than cotton but that was an intentional choice to use this yarn from my stash)
- H8/5mm crochet hook – I love to use Clover Amour
- Scissors and yarn needle for finishing
- Rowyn Tote Bag, available as a free pattern on Through the Loop Yarn Craft’s blog or a paid download on Ravelry here!
Material Notes:
While I did enjoy this yarn, it’s totally discontinued and it’s even hard to find much information on it online. That definitely seems like Bernat doesn’t plan to bring it back anytime in the near future. It’s also not the intended fiber for this pattern. If I was buying yarn specifically for this pattern, I would choose a cotton, but I had this in my stash and thought it was pretty cute and would make a nice bag. And although I started it last year, a focus of 2025 for me is “shopping my stash” as much as possible.
What would I recommend using instead for this pattern? I think Lion Brand’s 24/7 Cotton would be really nice, but not the cheapest option considering you’d need 4 skeins to be safe (3 would be cutting it very close or you could leave out some height). However that is one of my favorite cottons. For a more affordable and still very cute and durable option, most of the Lily Sugar & Cream line would be wonderful too! The creator used Knit Picks Dishie, which I’ve only used a couple of times but also enjoy.

Any of those would be great, and a cotton is a good idea for a bag like this. It’ll wash up great if you get it dirty, and it folds up to shove into your bag easily when not in use. These are also sturdy yarns that hold up well through use and don’t seem to stretch out much in my opinion. I would not really suggest using a non-cotton like I did, of course. I chose free/shopping my stash over spending money on new yarn right now, and the consequences are bearable. I’ll use this for now and make a sturdier one in cotton now that I know I love the pattern.
How Long Does it Take to Crochet a Tote Bag?
This is a very quick pattern with repetitive rows, and a fun texture. My bag was finished after maybe 6-8 hours of work, making it a lovely project to work up in your downtime. You could easily stitch up a few for the family to bring along on a shopping day or to the library like us so everyone can get their own pile of books!

What Size Is a Crocheted Tote Bag?
The pattern dimensions are listed as 15″ tall and 16.5″ wide, laying flat. This is unstretched.
My bag measures about 14″ tall and 14.5″ across. This is a little smaller but my yarn will stretch more than theirs too so that’s probably for the best, actually.
Gauge:
I did not compare gauge before starting because I wanted to use this yarn regardless, but here’s the comparison anyway.
Pattern gauge: 9 stitches by 5 rows = 2″ square
My gauge in my finished item: 8 stitches by 5 rows = 2″ square.
The gauge comparison doesn’t really translate here because with mine having fewer stitches in that width it should mean my gauge is larger and therefore my finished item would be larger. However, that’s all going to be up to stretch and how the yarn lays. I measured my gauge on the base of my finished bag while they might have done a flat swatch, I have no idea. My bag certainly has stretched already and will continue to do so as I use it. You can see below that this is not a perfect fit for books with any weight…(which again, was my own choice and not the pattern’s fault!)

All About the Rowyn Tote Bag Crochet Pattern:
There won’t be a whole lot to say about this bag but I’ll try to share some thoughts here. It’s just a fairly short and simple pattern that leads to a gorgeous but simple result. Plus I’ve already addressed why my yarn was not a great fit and why I would use something else, so I’m not going to factor that into my thoughts here.
The designer notes this pattern as being “easy – intermediate” and I agree with that assessment. Most of the bag is simple stitching, and the featured stitch being a puff stitch is pretty approachable for relative beginners. You might get tired of working them up after a while but it’s also good practice on tension if you’re not experienced with puff stitches yet.
I really enjoyed the choice of puff stitches as the texture for this bag. I didn’t want an extremely simple bag with “only” double crochets in just plain rows around. Even playing with color, I wanted some visual texture to the stitches themselves. However, because I wanted to use this bag ASAP, I didn’t want complicated cables or a slow-stitching tapestry pattern. I knew there had to be something in that happy medium, some texture but not anything overly complex! I browsed around for a while to find just the right Goldilocks combo and I found it in this bag. A solid color allows the stitches to shine, while the puffs add visual interest without taking away from the structure of the bag.

I also want to say that I love when a strap is worked directly onto the bag in a pattern like this. Some patterns have you work that as a separate piece and then stitch it onto the bag, which is fine too, but I like directly crocheting it onto the top of the bag like this. To me it just feels more sturdy and gives a smoother look. I also appreciate that you mark where it goes before you start so it’s not confusing on where to attach it when you’re finished.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this simple little tote bag pattern and I will make this again–but hopefully with actual cotton yarn next time! But this yarn needed to get out of my stash and this was a good way to use it up for something useful and cute.
What would you use this bag for? Grocery shopping, craft markets, or books like me? Do you like to keep reusable totes in your car/bag for any random use? I’d love to hear about it!
Looking for More Crochet Tote Bag Patterns?
Be sure to check out this awesome collection of 33 Tote Bag Crochet Patterns!
You can also find these free tote bag patterns right here on EyeLoveKnots:
Don’t forget to visit with me on Instagram @astitchshyofnormal for all kinds of awesome crochet makes and inspiration.
Join one of our awesome Facebook groups to share your creations, and see what others are up to!
β Yarn Crafts & Coffee Community
β DIY Home On Rockwood Lane
β Alexandra Lane Lifestyle
Leave a Reply