The Cottage Pantry Bag Holder is a tall crocheted tube that tidies your loose plastic bags. Stuff bags in through the top, then pull them out one at a time from the narrow bottom opening. It hangs from a cabinet knob or hook by its own crocheted loop.
The sample is cream cotton, which looks soft and farmhouse-style next to wood and white cabinets. Sage green works just as well. The design has three sections: a solid domed cap, an openwork shell lace middle where the bags peek through the triangular windows, and a firm solid band at the bottom.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder measures about 6.9 in (17.5 cm) wide laid flat and 16.75 in (42.5 cm) long, not counting the loop. With the loop, the total hanging length is about 19.75 in (50.2 cm).
The whole holder is worked top down in joined rounds. You start with a magic ring for the dome, increase to 48 stitches, and work straight. Next comes 16 rounds of shell lace, then a conversion back to single crochet for the bottom band, which decreases to a 32-stitch opening and ends with a crab stitch edge. The hanging strap is worked directly off the top of the dome.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 6.9 in (17.5 cm) wide flat × 16.75 in (42.5 cm) long
- Hanging loop: about 3 in (7.6 cm) tall above the dome
- Skill level: Easy-Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: #4 worsted, cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 1 (the loop is worked onto the body)
- Layout: single vertical tube, worked top down
- Body circumference: 48 sts, about 13.7 in (34.8 cm)
- Size before border: 14 in (35.6 cm) long (cap plus lace)
- Border (bottom band) depth: 2.75 in (7.0 cm)
Materials
Pick a smooth, firm worsted cotton. It holds its shape under the weight of the bags, doesn’t stretch much and washes well. Acrylic will also work, but the tube will sag a little more.
- Cream (main color): 110 g, about 200 m (219 yd)
- Optional second holder in sage green: 110 g, about 200 m (219 yd)
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Stitch marker
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Measuring tape
– Blocking pins and a rolled towel (for blocking)
Yarn quantities include a margin of about 15% for your gauge swatch and small differences in tension.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rnd – round
Special stitches:
– Shell: 5 dc in the same stitch.
– Crab stitch (reverse sc): working from left to right (right-handers), insert the hook in the next stitch to the right, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, then pull through both loops.
Turning or starting chains never count as a stitch in this pattern.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Sc gauge: 14 sc and 16 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm)
Lace gauge: 2 shell repeats = 3.5 in (8.9 cm); 8 lace rnds = 5 in (12.7 cm)
Before you start the holder, make a test swatch: ch 15, then work 16 rows of sc (14 sts each) and measure. The body depends on 48 stitches giving a 13.7 in (34.8 cm) circumference, so gauge matters here.
Checkpoints:
1. After Rnd 16 (end of cap): flat width 6.9 in (17.5 cm); cap measures 4 in (10.2 cm) from the ring down the side.
2. After Rnd 24 (8 lace rnds): the lace section measures 5 in (12.7 cm).
3. After Rnd 32: the lace measures 10 in (25.4 cm), and the total length is 14 in (35.6 cm).
4. After Rnd 40: total length 16 in (40.6 cm).
5. After Rnd 43: total length 16.75 in (42.5 cm); bottom opening about 4.6 in (11.7 cm) flat.
If your flat width is outside 6.6–7.2 in (16.8–18.3 cm): If it’s too wide, go down half a hook size. If it’s too narrow, go up half a hook size. Keep the 48-stitch count, because the shell repeat needs a multiple of 6.
Pattern: Domed Cap
Every round is joined with a sl st to the first sc. Ch 1 at the start of each rnd (it doesn’t count). Put a marker in the first st of each round.
Rnd 1: Magic ring, 6 sc in the ring. Join. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc 6 times. (18)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc 6 times. (24)
Rnd 5: Sc in each st around. (24)
Rnd 6: Sc 3, inc 6 times. (30)
Rnd 7: Sc 4, inc 6 times. (36)
Rnd 8: Sc in each st around. (36)
Rnd 9: Sc 5, inc 6 times. (42)
Rnd 10: Sc 6, inc 6 times. (48)
Rnds 11–16: Sc in each st around. (48 each rnd)
The plain rounds 5 and 8 slow the increases, so the top curves into a dome instead of lying flat. Check against checkpoint 1.
Pattern: Shell Lace Body
Each shell sits on the sc between two shells of the round below. The ch-2 spaces on either side of each shell leave a triangular window beneath it. Because the start point moves to the center of a shell each round, the shells stagger automatically.
Rnd 17 (setup, conversion round): Ch 1, sc in the first st, ch 2, sk 2, shell in next st, ch 2, sk 2, sc in next st 7 times, ch 2, sk 2, shell in next st, ch 2, sk 2. Join to the first sc.
Count: the 48 base sts become 8 repeats of 6 (1 sc worked, 2 skipped, 1 shell st, 2 skipped). The round has 8 sc + 8 shells (40 dc) + 16 ch-2 sps.
Rnd 18: Sl st in the next ch-2 sp, then sl st in each of the next 3 dc (you are now in the center dc of the first shell). Ch 1, sc in the same st, ch 2, shell in the next sc, ch 2, sc in the center dc of the next shell 7 times, ch 2, shell in the next sc, ch 2. Join to the first sc.
Count: 8 sc + 8 shells (40 dc) + 16 ch-2 sps.
Rnds 19–32: Repeat Rnd 18. Each round keeps the same count: 8 sc + 40 dc + 16 ch-2 sps.
That’s 16 lace rounds in total (Rnds 17–32). Check against checkpoints 2 and 3.
Border: Bottom Band and Dispensing Edge
This tube has no flat sides, so in this pattern the “border” is the solid bottom band. Its gauge is the sc gauge: 14 sts and 16 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm). To track counts per side, flatten the tube: each round splits evenly into a front half and a back half.
Rnd 33 (conversion round): Ch 1, hdc in the sc, sk ch-2 sp, sc in each of the next 5 dc, sk ch-2 sp 8 times. Join.
Count: 48 sts worked 1 per existing sc/dc + 0 added = 48 (24 per side). All 16 ch-2 sps are skipped. The hdc fills the low point between shell tops, so the band starts level.
Rnds 34–40: Sc in each st around. (48 each rnd; 24 per side)
The band is now 2 in (5.1 cm) deep. Check against checkpoint 4.
Rnd 41: Sc 4, sc2tog 8 times. (40; 20 per side)
Rnd 42: Sc 3, sc2tog 8 times. (32; 16 per side)
Rnd 43: Ch 1, crab stitch in each st around. Join and fasten off. (32; 16 per side)
Why the math works:
– 48 is 8 shell repeats of 6, so the lace and the conversion round line up exactly.
– The 8 evenly spaced decreases in Rnds 41–42 take 8 sts each round, so they taper the bottom evenly.
– Every count splits evenly in half (24 / 20 / 16), so the flattened holder lies symmetrically.
– The final 32 sts give a circumference of about 9.1 in (23.1 cm). That opening is snug enough to hold the bags in, but wide enough to pull one out.
The band from Rnd 33 to Rnd 43 measures 2.75 in (7.0 cm): 2 in (5.1 cm) of straight band plus 0.75 in (1.9 cm) of decreases and edging.
Hanging Loop
Hold the holder with the dome facing you. Find any 3 neighboring sts of Rnd 3 and join yarn in the first of them.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc in each of the 3 sts. (3)
Rows 2–28: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (3 each row)
The strap is about 7 in (17.8 cm) long and 0.9 in (2.3 cm) wide. Fold it over and sew the last row to the 3 sts of Rnd 3 directly across the dome (9 sts away). The two attachment points are about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) apart, which leaves a loop about 3 in (7.6 cm) tall. Sew through both layers twice, because this seam carries all the weight.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the inside. Run them through solid sc areas, not the lace.
- Soak the holder in cool water for 10 minutes, then gently press the water out. Don’t wring it.
- Roll a bath towel into a firm cylinder about 4.4 in (11.2 cm) across and slide the holder over it.
- Smooth the shells so each triangular window opens evenly and the rows of shells sit straight.
- Pull the length to 16.75 in (42.5 cm) and check that the flat width is 6.9 in (17.5 cm).
- Pin the hanging loop straight up so it dries flat.
- Let it dry completely, which takes about 24 hours.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Dome: smooth curve with no puckering and no ruffling.
- Every lace round has exactly 8 shells and 8 sc.
- Each shell is centered on the sc below it.
- Rnd 33 has 48 sts, and the band sits level.
- Opening edge: 32 crab stitches, neat and firm.
- Hanging loop is centered and sewn securely.
- Finished size: 6.9 in × 16.75 in (17.5 cm × 42.5 cm).
- All ends are hidden inside.
Troubleshooting
- Dome lies flat or ruffles: Check the plain rounds (Rnds 5 and 8). If it ruffles, your tension is loose, so go down a hook size for Rnds 1–10.
- Shells drift into a spiral: You probably landed off the center dc. Count 3 dc after the ch-2 sp sl st before you start each round.
- Lace flares wider than the cap: Shorten the ch-2 sps to ch 1. The stitch count stays the same, with 16 ch-1 sps.
- Band pulls in under the lace: Use one hook size larger for Rnds 33–40.
- Bags fall out of the bottom: Work one more decrease round, sc 2, sc2tog 8 times (24), then work the crab stitch round.
- Loop stretches over time: Stitch a second strap underneath it, or work the strap with a hook one size smaller.
Care
Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle in a laundry bag, then reshape and air dry. Don’t tumble dry, because heat can shrink cotton unevenly.
Final Notes
Here’s the measurement chain to follow: a gauge of 14 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives 48 sts and a 13.7 in (34.8 cm) circumference. That makes a 4 in (10.2 cm) cap and 10 in (25.4 cm) of lace, for 14 in (35.6 cm) before the border. The 2.75 in (7.0 cm) bottom band brings the holder to 16.75 in (42.5 cm), and the loop adds 3 in (7.6 cm). If each checkpoint matches, the finished holder will match. Make a second one in sage green for the laundry room.
Happy crocheting!