This hanging holder stores three spare toilet rolls in three cloud-shaped baskets stacked one above the other on two long straps. The straps meet at a wooden ring, so the holder hangs from a single hook or knob.
Every piece is worked in one soft sky blue. Staggered rows of popcorn bobbles cover the walls, and a scalloped rim gives each basket its cloud outline. A twisted reverse single crochet edge finishes the rim. The style is calm and a little playful, and it suits a bathroom with natural wood and plants.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder is about 24 in (61.0 cm) long including the ring. Each basket is about 7 in (17.8 cm) wide and 4.75 in (12.1 cm) deep. It stands 3 in (7.6 cm) tall at the scallop dips and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall at the peaks.
Here is how it goes together. You crochet an oval base in joined rounds, turn the wall up with a back-loop round, and work the wall straight with three popcorn rounds. A two-round scalloped rim finishes each basket. Two flat single crochet strips are sewn to the ends of all three baskets and then folded over the ring.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 24 in (61.0 cm) long overall, 7 in (17.8 cm) wide
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: worsted (#4) cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 5 (3 baskets, 2 straps), plus 1 wooden ring
- Layout: 3 baskets in a vertical column, about 3 in (7.6 cm) apart
- Piece size (one basket): base 7 in × 4.75 in (17.8 × 12.1 cm), 3 in (7.6 cm) tall at the dips
- Size before rim: wall 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall from the turning ridge, 84 sts around
- Rim depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) at the dips, 0.75 in (1.9 cm) at the peaks
- Strap size: 1 in (2.5 cm) × about 23 in (58.4 cm) before folding
Materials
Choose a firm worsted cotton or cotton blend. Cotton holds the basket shape, copes with bathroom humidity, and shows the popcorns clearly. Acrylic also works, but the walls will slump more.
- Light sky blue: 200 g, about 340 m (two 100 g / 170 m skeins)
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- Wooden ring, 3 in (7.6 cm) outer diameter
- 4 locking stitch markers
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors and measuring tape
- Rust-proof pins and a spray bottle
Quantities include a margin of about 25%. One holder uses roughly 250-270 m.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- tr: treble crochet
- sl st: slip stitch
- st(s): stitch(es)
- BLO: back loop only
- inc: 2 sc in the same st
- rev sc: reverse single crochet (crab stitch). Working left to right, insert the hook in the next st to the right, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops.
Popcorn (pc): Work 5 dc in the same st. Take the hook out of the loop, insert it from front to back into the top of the first dc, pick up the dropped loop, and pull it through. Ch 1 to close. A pc counts as 1 st. The closing ch does not count.
Standing sc: With a slip knot on the hook, insert the hook into the st and work a sc as usual.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm), worked in joined rounds or rows.
Gauge matters here for two reasons. The base has to fit a roll, and the strap rows have to line up with the wall rounds. Make one complete basket first and test it with a roll.
- After Rnd 6 (54 sts): base about 5 in × 2.75 in (12.7 × 7.0 cm)
- After Rnd 11 (84 sts): base about 7 in × 4.75 in (17.8 × 12.1 cm)
- After Rnd 23: wall 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall from the turning ridge, 21 in (53.3 cm) around
- After Rnd 25: 3 in (7.6 cm) tall at the dips, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) at the peaks
Too big: go down 0.5 mm. Too small: go up 0.5 mm. A standard roll is about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across, so the base must be at least 4.5 in (11.4 cm) deep. Change your hook rather than changing the stitch counts.
Basket (Make 3)
Work in joined rounds with the right side facing, and do not turn. Join each round with a sl st to the first st. The ch 1 at the start of a round does not count as a st.
Oval Base
Each curved end gains 3 sts per round. Each straight side stays at 9 sts.
Rnd 1: Ch 12. Work 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 9 ch, and 3 sc in last ch. Rotate and work along the opposite side of the chain: sc in next 9 ch. Join. (24 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, [2 sc in each of next 3 sts, sc in next 9 sts] twice. Join. (30 sts)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, [(sc in next st, inc) 3 times, sc in next 9 sts] twice. Join. (36 sts)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, [(sc in next 2 sts, inc) 3 times, sc in next 9 sts] twice. Join. (42 sts)
Rnd 5: Ch 1, [(sc in next 3 sts, inc) 3 times, sc in next 9 sts] twice. Join. (48 sts)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, [(sc in next 4 sts, inc) 3 times, sc in next 9 sts] twice. Join. (54 sts)
Rnds 7-11: Keep the same pattern, working 1 more sc before each inc in every round.
- Rnd 7: 5 sc before each inc (60 sts)
- Rnd 8: 6 sc before each inc (66 sts)
- Rnd 9: 7 sc before each inc (72 sts)
- Rnd 10: 8 sc before each inc (78 sts)
- Rnd 11: 9 sc before each inc (84 sts)
After Rnd 11, each end has 33 sts and each side has 9: 33 + 9 + 33 + 9 = 84. Place markers in st 17 and st 59, the centers of the two ends.
Walls
The walls go straight up with no increases. The straps will cover about 4 sts at each marker, so any popcorn next to a marker is worked as a plain sc instead. That keeps the seams flat. A swapped popcorn still counts as 1 st.
Rnd 12 (turning round): Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st around. Join. (84 sts)
Rnds 13-14: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (84 sts)
Rnd 15: Ch 1, [sc in next 3 sts, pc in next st] 21 times, working sc instead of pc in sts 16 and 60. Join. (84 sts: 65 sc, 19 pc)
Rnds 16-17: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (84 sts)
Rnd 18: Ch 1, [sc in next st, pc in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 21 times, working sc instead of pc in sts 18 and 58. Join. (84 sts: 65 sc, 19 pc)
The popcorns in this round sit halfway between the ones in Rnd 15, which gives the staggered bubbles.
Rnds 19-20: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (84 sts)
Rnd 21: Repeat Rnd 15. (84 sts: 65 sc, 19 pc)
Rnds 22-23: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (84 sts)
Move the markers up to sts 17 and 59 of Rnd 23 and fasten off. The wall should measure 2.75 in (7.0 cm) from the turning ridge. Work the rim (see Border) before making the next basket.
Make All Pieces
Make all pieces in light sky blue:
- Baskets: 3, each with its rim
- Straps: 2
Strap (Make 2)
Row 1: Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (4 sts)
Rows 2-104: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (4 sts)
Fasten off and leave a 24 in (61.0 cm) tail. The strap should measure 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and about 23 in (58.4 cm) long.
Mark the zones, counting from Row 1:
- Rows 1-14: bottom basket
- Rows 15-28: gap, about 3 in (7.6 cm)
- Rows 29-42: middle basket
- Rows 43-56: gap
- Rows 57-70: top basket
- Rows 71-97: free section, about 6 in (15.2 cm)
- Rows 98-104: ring fold, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
Check: (14 × 5) + 27 + 7 = 104 rows.
Layout Grid
( RING )
/ \
strap A strap B
| [ TOP ] |
| gap |
| [MIDDLE] |
| gap |
| [BOTTOM] |
Joining
Method: Whipstitch with the strap tail and a tapestry needle.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: At the dips, the wall from Rnd 12 to Rnd 25 is 14 rounds tall. Each basket zone on the strap is also 14 rows. Rows and rounds share the same gauge, so you sew 1 strap row to 1 wall round.
- Lay strap A on the outside of a basket end, centered on the st-17 marker so it covers about 4 sts.
- Line up the zone’s first row with Rnd 12 and its last row with Rnd 25 at the dip.
- Whipstitch one long edge, 1 strap row to 1 wall round. Then sew the other long edge.
- Sew strap B to the opposite end the same way, centered on st 59.
Sew Rows 1-14 to the bottom basket, Rows 29-42 to the middle basket, and Rows 57-70 to the top basket. Leave the gap rows free.
Tension: Pull each stitch snug but not tight. Tight seams pucker the wall and pull the scallops out of line.
Ring: Pass both strap tops through the ring from front to back. Fold Rows 98-104 over the ring so Row 104 lies against the back of the strap, then whipstitch its 4 sts in place.
Size checkpoint: Hang the holder. It should be about 24 in (61.0 cm) from the top of the ring to the base of the bottom basket, with even 3 in (7.6 cm) gaps and level baskets.
Border (Scalloped Rim)
Work the rim on each basket after Rnd 23, at the same gauge. The rim adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm) at the peaks and 0.25 in (0.6 cm) at the dips.
Scallop repeat (over 14 sts): sc in next st, hdc in next st, dc in next st, tr in next st, 2 tr in each of next 2 sts, tr in next 2 sts, 2 tr in each of next 2 sts, tr in next st, dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st. (14 sts become 18)
Rnd 24: Join with a standing sc in marked st 17. That sc is the first st of the repeat. Finish this repeat, then work 5 more repeats, ending in st 16. Join. (84 sts worked 1-per-st + 24 added = 108 sts)
Rnd 25: Ch 1, rev sc in each st around. Join and fasten off. (108 worked 1-per-st + 0 added = 108 sts)
Counts per side: Markers 17 and 59 are 42 sts apart, so each long half of the basket has 42 wall sts. That is 3 scallops per half, and 3 × 18 = 54 rim sts per half. Two halves give 54 + 54 = 108.
Why the math works: Six 14-st repeats use exactly 84 sts. Starting at st 17 puts a dip at each end center, which is where the straps go. The middle scallop on each long side is centered over the 9-st straight section. The 4 extra sts per scallop let the tr peaks fan out without ruffling.
Weave in all ends on the inside.
Final Blocking
- Mist each basket lightly until damp.
- Put a roll or a rolled towel inside each basket.
- Pin the scallop peaks gently up and out so all six match.
- Pinch the turning ridge into a crisp edge.
- Lay the straps flat and pin them at 1 in (2.5 cm) wide.
- Let everything dry fully, 12-24 hours.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each base is 7 in × 4.75 in (17.8 × 12.1 cm)
- Each basket has 84 wall sts and 108 rim sts
- Each popcorn round has 19 popcorns
- 6 even scallops per basket, with a dip at each end center
- Straps are 4 sts × 104 rows
- Each seam covers 14 rows from the turning ridge to the rim dip
- Gaps are an even 3 in (7.6 cm)
- Holder hangs level at about 24 in (61.0 cm)
Troubleshooting
Base cups: Your tension is tight. Go up a hook size and check every inc.
Base ripples: Your tension is loose. Go down a hook size.
Roll won’t fit: The base is under 4.5 in (11.4 cm) deep. Rework it with a larger hook.
Popcorns sink inward: Close each one from front to back with the right side facing.
Lopsided scallops: Rnd 24 started in the wrong st. Recount and restart it in st 17.
Baskets tilt: The strap zones don’t match. Re-sew so both straps start at Rnd 12 on the same row number.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, pat the wooden ring dry, and dry flat with towels inside the baskets.
Final Notes
Everything follows from one chain of measurements. A gauge of 16 sc and 18 rounds per 4 in (10.2 cm) gives an 84-st base of 7 in × 4.75 in (17.8 × 12.1 cm). The wall rises 2.75 in (7.0 cm), and six 14-st scallops become a 108-st cloud rim. The 14 rounds of wall and rim match 14 strap rows, so the three baskets hang 3 in (7.6 cm) apart. The finished holder is about 24 in (61.0 cm) long.
Check each checkpoint as you go and all three baskets will match.
Happy crocheting!