Learn to crochet this generous, colour-soaked tote that carries everything from farmers market finds to beach-day essentials, all in one beautifully striped bag. Sling it over your shoulder on a grocery run, pack it full of yarn for a craft day, or use it as your everyday carry when the mood calls for something handmade and joyful.
The Rainbow Tote Bag
The Crochet Rainbow Tote Bag is the kind of piece that stops people mid-street, prompting the familiar and deeply satisfying question: “Did you make that?” It is airy yet structured, built with enough body to hold its shape under the weight of a full haul, while the multicoloured stripes give it an almost vintage-market warmth. Each row reads like a line of a song, shifting through teal, mustard yellow, dusty pink, sage green, warm orange, and soft mauve before cycling back around. This is a bag for people who love colour without apology and who believe that useful things deserve to be beautiful.
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The colour palette shown in the video leans into a curated scrappy aesthetic, where no two consecutive rows share the same hue and the overall effect is a glorious, organised riot of tone. You could recreate this exact multicolour effect by working through your stash of cotton yarn leftovers, or choose a more restrained palette of three or four colours for something quieter and more coordinated. Either way, the rosy mauve border and handles ground the whole design and give it a polished, finished feel that makes it look far more complex than it truly is.
Materials and Tools
To make your own Crochet Rainbow Tote Bag, you will want to reach for a worsted weight cotton yarn, which gives the fabric that satisfying density and slight sheen visible in the finished bag. Cotton holds its structure beautifully in tote bags, resisting stretch under load while remaining breathable and washable, two qualities that matter enormously in an everyday carry. A 4mm crochet hook is the sweet spot for this weight, producing a firm, close fabric with just enough drape to feel pleasant against the arm. Keep a set of locking stitch markers nearby to track your stripe placement, especially as the colour changes begin to stack up row after row.
Stitch by Stitch
This Crochet Rainbow Tote Bag relies on a small, approachable set of stitches that layer together to create the distinctive ridged stripe texture.
BULLET:SC (Single Crochet) The foundational stitch used to create the firm, compact rows that give the bag its body and structure.
BULLET:DC (Double Crochet) Worked in groups to build the slightly raised, textured columns visible between each colour stripe.
BULLET:CH (Chain Stitch) Used at the start of rows and to create the turning chains that keep the fabric flat and even.
BULLET:SL ST (Slip Stitch) Worked at the end of rounds and during joins to connect new yarn colours cleanly and without bulk.
Once you settle into the meditative rhythm of the stripe sequence, your hands find their own pace and the colour changes begin to feel like small celebrations rather than interruptions.
Construction
The bag is worked flat in rectangular panels, which makes it wonderfully manageable for beginners who find working in the round more challenging. The main body panel is built row by row with regular colour changes, and once the fabric reaches the desired dimensions, the sides and base are seamed together to form the tote shape. The mauve border is then worked around the upper opening to unify the piece, and the handles are crocheted separately as long, firm strips before being attached securely at even intervals. If you want a deeper bag, simply add more rows before seaming, or for a slimmer silhouette, reduce the starting chain slightly at the very beginning.
Wearing Your Rainbow Tote Bag
Pair your finished Crochet Rainbow Tote Bag with a simple white linen dress and sandals for that effortless summer market look, or sling it over a denim jacket with canvas shoes for a more casual, everyday feel. It also works beautifully as a project bag, holding a skein of yarn and your current work-in-progress while you travel between knitting nights. Every time you pull it out, you will feel quietly proud that your hands made something this good-looking and this genuinely useful.
Washing and Storing Your Rainbow Tote Bag
Because the bag is made from worsted weight cotton, it can be hand washed in cool water with a gentle detergent without losing its shape or vibrancy. Lay it flat on a clean towel to dry, reshaping the base and sides gently while it is still damp so the seams sit neatly and the fabric dries evenly. Avoid wringing or twisting the wet fabric, as this can distort the stripe alignment around the sides. When storing between uses, fold it flat or stuff the inside lightly with tissue paper to help the bag hold its open, structured form.
You made something with your own hands that is both practical and quietly radiant, and that is worth far more than anything pulled from a shop shelf. If you loved making this Crochet Rainbow Tote Bag, save this post to your Pinterest boards and share your finished version with the tag so the whole community can admire what you made.
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Tutorial and photos of this rainbow tote bag by: August Craft & Crochet.