The Petal Pouf is a small square soap saver that works two ways. Laid flat, it’s a textured soap pad covered in rows of raised fan petals. Put a bar of soap in the center, pull the drawstring, and it gathers into a round, flower-like pouf that lathers well and hangs up to dry.
The sample is made in a single warm beige cotton. Using one neutral color keeps the focus on the texture: every petal has a defined rim that catches the light, and the staggered rows look like a soft, scaled bloom once the piece is cinched.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished square measures 7.25 in (18.4 cm) per side when flat. Cinched around a standard 3 in (7.6 cm) bar of soap, it makes a pouf about 4 in (10.2 cm) across.
You’ll crochet a flat single-crochet base, working selected rows in the back loop only so a line of free front loops is left behind. Petals are then worked into those free loops. A three-round border adds a ring of eyelets for the drawstring, and a slip-stitch cord finishes the piece.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 7.25 in × 7.25 in (18.4 cm × 18.4 cm), flat
- Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 4.5 mm (US 7)
- Number of pieces: 1 single square, plus 1 drawstring cord
- Layout: 7 petal rows, alternating 6 full petals and 5 full + 2 half petals
- Base size before border: 6.25 in × 6.25 in (15.9 cm × 15.9 cm), 25 sts × 28 rows
- Border depth: about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per side, 3 rounds
- Finished border count: 29 sc per side
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth, firmly twisted 100% cotton or cotton cord in worsted weight. Cotton holds up to soap and water, dries reasonably fast, and gives the petal rims a clean shape. Avoid acrylic, which tends to squeak and pill when wet.
- Beige / latte: 100 g, about 170 m (186 yd)
This amount includes a margin of about 15 g over what the sample used: roughly 35 g for the base and border, 40 g for the petals, and 8 g for the cord.
Tools:
– 4.5 mm (US 7) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– 5 locking stitch markers
– Measuring tape
– Blocking mat and pins
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- BLO – back loop only
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitches:
- Full petal: 7 dc worked into one free front loop.
- Half petal: 4 dc worked into one free front loop, used at the row ends of offset petal rows.
- Petal rim: a sc edging worked back across the tops of the petal dc so each petal has a firm, raised edge.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc × 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in rows.
The base is small, so think of the first 14 rows as your gauge test. Measure before you go on.
Checkpoints:
– After Row 1: width is 6.25 in (15.9 cm).
– After Row 14: height is about 3.1 in (7.9 cm).
– After Row 28: the base is 6.25 in × 6.25 in (15.9 cm × 15.9 cm).
– After border Round 3: each side is 7.25 in (18.4 cm).
If your piece is too big, go down 0.5 mm in hook size. If it is too small, go up 0.5 mm. Don’t change the stitch counts, because the petal repeat and the eyelet spacing both depend on the base being exactly 25 stitches wide.
Base Square
Every BLO row is a RS row. On the RS, the front loop is the one closest to you, so each BLO row leaves a ridge of free front loops on the front of the fabric. The petals are worked into those loops later.
Foundation: Ch 26.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (25 sc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1 (does not count as a st), sc in each st across, turn. (25 sc)
Row 3 (RS, anchor row): Ch 1, sc BLO in each st across, turn. (25 sc) Put a marker on this row.
Rows 4–6: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (25 sc each)
Row 7 (RS, anchor row): Ch 1, sc BLO in each st across, turn. (25 sc)
Rows 8–28: Repeat the 4-row sequence: 3 rows of regular sc, then 1 anchor row in BLO. Anchor rows fall on Rows 11, 15, 19, 23 and 27. Row 28 is a regular sc row. Each row has 25 sc. Don’t fasten off.
There are now 7 anchor rows: Rows 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23 and 27. Each one has 25 free front loops on the RS.
Checkpoint: 25 sts × 28 rows; 6.25 in × 6.25 in (15.9 cm × 15.9 cm).
Border
Border gauge is the same as the base: 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Round 1 (RS): Ch 1, then work around the square as follows.
- Top edge: sc in each of the 25 sts, ch 2 for the corner.
- Each side edge: 25 sc over 28 row ends, worked as (sc in each of the next 8 row ends, sk 1 row end) 3 times, sc in the last row end. That is 24 + 1 = 25 sc, with 3 row ends skipped.
- Bottom edge: sc in each of the 25 foundation ch.
Put a ch 2 at each corner. Join with a sl st to the first sc.
(25 sc per side, 100 sc total + 4 ch-2 corner sps)
Round 2 (eyelet round): Sl st into the next ch-2 corner sp, ch 1, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the same sp. Then repeat this for each side:
Sc in the next sc, (ch 1, sk 1, sc in the next sc) 12 times, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the next corner sp.
On the last side, leave out the final corner group and join to the first sc.
Per side: 1 corner sc + 13 sc + 12 ch-1 sps + 1 corner sc = 27 sts.
Total: 60 sc, 48 ch-1 eyelets, 4 ch-2 corners.
Round 3: Sl st into the corner sp, ch 1, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the same sp. Then repeat this for each side:
Sc in each sc and in each ch-1 sp across, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner sp.
Per side: 27 sts worked 1 per existing st + 2 new corner sc = 29 sc.
Total: 116 sc + 4 ch-2 corners.
Hanging loop: When you reach the last corner, ch 12 and sl st into the same corner sp to form the loop. Then join to the first sc and fasten off.
Why the math works: 25 is an odd number, so the eyelet sequence (sc, then ch 1–sk 1–sc 12 times) begins and ends with a sc. That gives 12 eyelets per side, spaced evenly and symmetrically. Round 3 brings each side to 29 sc, and 29 sc at 4 sc per inch is 7.25 in (18.4 cm), which is the finished size.
Checkpoint: each side measures 7.25 in (18.4 cm).
Petals
Turn the square RS up, foundation edge toward you. The petals are worked into the free front loops of each anchor row, starting with Row 3 and working up. Join new yarn for each petal row and fasten off at the end.
Each full petal fan is about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and 0.6 in (1.5 cm) tall. Each petal sits partly over the base of the anchor row above it, which gives the overlapping, scaled look.
Row Type A (anchor rows 3, 11, 19, 27): 6 full petals
Fan pass: Join with a sl st in loop 1. Then work (sk 1 loop, 7 dc in the next loop, sk 1 loop, sl st in the next loop) 6 times.
Loop check: 1 + (4 × 6) = 25 loops.
(42 dc + 7 sl st)
Rim pass: Turn. Work (sl st in the sl st, sc in the next 3 dc, 3 sc in the center dc, sc in the next 3 dc) 6 times, then sl st in the last sl st. Fasten off.
(9 sc per petal, 54 sc + 7 sl st)
Row Type B (anchor rows 7, 15, 23): 5 full petals + 2 half petals
Fan pass:
1. Join in loop 1 with ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), then 3 dc in the same loop for a half petal (4 dc).
2. Sk loop 2, sl st in loop 3.
3. Work (sk 1, 7 dc in the next loop, sk 1, sl st in the next loop) 5 times. This ends at loop 23.
4. Sk loop 24, 4 dc in loop 25 for the second half petal.
Loop check: 3 + (4 × 5) + 2 = 25 loops.
(43 dc + 6 sl st)
Rim pass:
1. Turn, ch 1. Work 2 sc in the first dc, sc in the next 3 dc. This is the first half-petal rim (5 sc).
2. Work (sl st in the sl st, sc in the next 3 dc, 3 sc in the center dc, sc in the next 3 dc) 5 times.
3. Sl st in the last sl st, sc in the next 3 dc, 2 sc in the top of the ch-3. Fasten off.
(5 + 45 + 5 = 55 sc + 6 sl st)
The full petals in each B row sit centered over the gaps between the A-row petals, so the pattern looks staggered like brickwork.
Checkpoint: you have 7 petal rows. Rows 3, 11, 19 and 27 have 6 petals each, and Rows 7, 15 and 23 have 5 full petals plus 2 half petals each.
Drawstring
Cord: Ch 150, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail. Sl st in the back bump of the 2nd ch from the hook and in each back bump across. (149 sl st) Fasten off, leaving another 4 in (10.2 cm) tail. The cord should measure about 38 in (96.5 cm).
Threading:
1. Choose the corner opposite the hanging loop.
2. Starting from the WS, weave the cord over and under through all 48 eyelets, going all the way around.
3. Bring the cord back out to the WS at the starting corner, so both ends come out next to each other on the back.
Tie an overhand knot about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) from each cord end. Weave in the tails so they sit inside the knots, and trim.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the WS. Leave the drawstring loose so the square lies flat.
- Soak the piece in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, then press out the water gently in a towel. Don’t wring it.
- Lay it WS down on a blocking mat and pin each corner to a 7.25 in (18.4 cm) square.
- Pin the middle of each side straight, but don’t stretch past 7.25 in (18.4 cm).
- Use your fingertips to fluff each petal upright and round out its rim.
- Let it dry completely, about 24 hours.
- Unpin it, put a soap bar in the center of the RS, and test the cinch.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] The base is 25 sts wide and 28 rows tall.
- [ ] All 7 anchor rows were worked in BLO on RS rows, so the free loops are on the front.
- [ ] Rows A have 6 petals; Rows B have 5 full petals and 2 halves.
- [ ] Every full petal rim has 9 sc; every half-petal rim has 5 sc.
- [ ] Border Round 1 has 25 sc per side.
- [ ] Border Round 2 has 12 eyelets per side, 48 in total.
- [ ] Border Round 3 has 29 sc per side.
- [ ] Each side measures 7.25 in (18.4 cm).
- [ ] The hanging loop is secure and about 1 in (2.5 cm) tall.
- [ ] Both drawstring ends come out at the same corner, knotted.
- [ ] The pouf gathers smoothly with no puckered gaps.
Troubleshooting
Petals lie flat instead of standing up. Your dc may be too loose, or you may have skipped the rim pass. Work the dc a little tighter, or go down 0.5 mm in hook size for the petals only.
The free loops are on the back. The BLO rows were worked on the WS. Check that every anchor row is an odd-numbered row.
Petal rows don’t fit across. Count the loops again. Row A uses 25 loops as 1 + 6 × 4. Row B uses 25 loops as 3 + 5 × 4 + 2.
The side edges ruffle or pull in. Recount the border Round 1 side edges: there should be exactly 25 sc over 28 row ends.
The pouf won’t close completely. The cord may be too thick, or the eyelets too tight. Use a single sl-st cord, not a doubled one.
The pouf is too loose around the soap. Tie the cord ends in a bow, or slip a cord lock bead over both ends.
Care
Rinse out the soap after each use, squeeze out the water gently, and hang it by the loop to air dry. Machine wash warm in a laundry bag every week or two, then reshape the petals and air dry.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other in a simple chain. The 25-stitch base gives you 6.25 in (15.9 cm), and that width fits exactly 6 petal repeats or a 5 + 2 offset row. The three-round border adds about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per side and brings each side to 29 sc, or 7.25 in (18.4 cm). The 48 eyelets let it gather evenly into a round pouf. If your gauge matches at the first checkpoint, every later count will line up.
Happy crocheting!