The Golden Twist Plastic Bag Holder is a tall crocheted tube that hangs from a wall hook. You stuff used grocery bags in through the top and pull them out, one at a time, through the bottom. The mustard body is covered in raised diagonal ridges that wind all the way around the tube. Dark forest green bands finish both openings, and a green strap at the top forms the hanging loop.
It’s a practical piece with a warm, cozy look. The mustard and deep green work well in a kitchen, laundry room, or pantry, especially next to wood, wicker, and plants. The spiral ridges are simple front post stitches. Every round has the same stitch count, so you never have to increase or decrease.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder is 14.8 in (37.6 cm) tall without the strap and 5.2 in (13.2 cm) in diameter. Laid flat, it is 8.1 in (20.6 cm) wide. The hanging loop rises about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) above the top rim.
Construction overview: you work the mustard body from the bottom up as one continuous spiral of 61 stitches. Because 61 is not a multiple of the 6-stitch pattern repeat, each ridge moves over by one stitch every round, and that is what creates the twist. Next, you add a green band to the top edge and another to the bottom edge. Last, you crochet a short green strap and sew it inside the top band.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 14.8 in (37.6 cm) tall x 5.2 in (13.2 cm) diameter; 8.1 in (20.6 cm) wide laid flat
- Circumference: 16.3 in (41.4 cm)
- Skill level: Easy to intermediate (post stitches, working in a continuous spiral)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted weight (#4)
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished item, made from a tube body plus a sewn-on hanging strap
- Layout: Vertical tube, open at both ends, strap across the top opening
- Body size before border: 12.8 in (32.5 cm) tall x 16.3 in (41.4 cm) around
- Border depth: 1 in (2.5 cm) green band at the top and at the bottom
- Strap: 8 in (20.3 cm) long x 0.75 in (1.9 cm) wide
Materials
Use a smooth worsted-weight yarn that holds its shape. Cotton or a cotton-acrylic blend gives crisp ridges and stands up to frequent handling. Pure acrylic works too, though it is a little stretchier. Avoid fuzzy or very splitty yarns, which hide the post-stitch texture.
- Color A (mustard / golden yellow): 140 g, about 280 m (306 yd)
- Color B (dark forest green): 30 g, about 60 m (66 yd)
These quantities include a margin of about 15 percent for your gauge test and small tension differences.
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- 2 locking stitch markers
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Rust-proof pins and a spray bottle for blocking
- A rolled towel or cardboard tube about 5 in (12.7 cm) across, for blocking
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- FPdc – front post double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rnd(s) – round(s)
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – FPdc (front post double crochet): Yarn over. Insert the hook from front to back to front around the post of the indicated stitch from the round below. Yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). [Yarn over and pull through 2 loops] twice. The FPdc replaces the stitch you would normally work into the top of that stitch, so the stitch count does not change.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Body gauge: 15 hdc and 10 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in hdc worked in the round.
Border gauge: 15 sc and 16 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm).
Test the first few rounds before you commit. Work the foundation and Rnd 1, then 5 spiral rounds, and check the measurements below. If they are off, it is quick to pull out and start again with a different hook.
Checkpoints:
- After Rnd 1: the circumference is 16.3 in (41.4 cm). Flattened, the tube is 8.1 in (20.6 cm) wide.
- After Rnd 11: the body is 4.4 in (11.2 cm) tall, and the ridges lean clearly to one side.
- After Rnd 32 (body finished): the body is 12.8 in (32.5 cm) tall.
- After both borders: the total height is 14.8 in (37.6 cm).
If your piece is too big: go down to a 4.5 mm (US 7) hook. If it is too small: go up to a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. Change the hook, never the stitch count. The spiral only works with exactly 61 sts.
Body
Work the body with Color A. After the foundation ring, do not join the rounds. Work in a continuous spiral and move a marker to the first st of each new round.
Foundation: Ch 61. Without twisting the chain, sl st into the first ch to form a ring. (61 ch)
Rnd 1: Ch 1 (does not count as a st). Hdc in the back bump of each ch around. Do not join. Place a marker in the first hdc. (61 hdc)
Keep the free V-shaped loops of the foundation chain clean, because you will work the bottom border into them later.
Rnd 2 (start of spiral pattern): Hdc in next 4 sts, FPdc around next 2 sts. Keep repeating from * continuously. When you reach the marked st, move the marker up to the st you just worked into it and keep going in pattern without a break. (61 sts per round)
How the spiral works: Each round has 61 sts, and the pattern repeat is 6 sts. 61 = (6 x 10) + 1, so every round ends 1 st past a full set of repeats. As a result, each new FPdc pair lands one stitch over from the pair below it: it is worked around the hdc just before that pair and the first FPdc of that pair. The ridges climb diagonally around the tube on their own. Don’t try to line them up with the marker. The marker only counts rounds.
Rnds 3–32: Continue the hdc in next 4 sts, FPdc around next 2 sts sequence without a break. (61 sts in each round)
That gives 31 pattern rounds (Rnds 2–32) above Rnd 1, for 32 body rounds in total.
Height check: 32 rnds at 10 rnds per 4 in = 12.8 in (32.5 cm).
Finishing the body: When you reach the marker at the end of Rnd 32, stop wherever you are in the repeat. Sl st into the next st to soften the spiral step, then fasten off. The green border will hide this small jog.
The finished body is a tube 12.8 in (32.5 cm) tall and 16.3 in (41.4 cm) around, with ten diagonal ridges.
Hanging Strap
Work the strap with Color B.
Foundation: Ch 31.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (30 sc)
Rows 2–3: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (30 sc)
Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail for sewing.
The strap measures 8 in (20.3 cm) x 0.75 in (1.9 cm). Set it aside until after the top border is finished.
Border
Both borders are worked in Color B with sc, in joined rounds. Each border round has 61 sts. When you flatten the tube, that is 30 sts across one side and 31 sts across the other.
Border gauge: 15 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) across, the same width as the body’s 15 hdc. 4 rnds of sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) deep.
Top Border
Rnd 1: Join Color B with a standing sc in the st after the sl st at the top of the body. Sc in each st around, working into the tops of the hdc and the FPdc alike. Sl st to the first sc to join. (61 sc: 61 sts x 1 sc each + 0 extra)
Rnds 2–4: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to the first sc to join. (61 sc)
Fasten off and weave in the end.
Bottom Border
Turn the tube upside down.
Rnd 1: Join Color B with a standing sc in any free loop of the foundation chain. Sc in each free loop around, sl st to the first sc to join. (61 sc: 61 loops x 1 sc each + 0 extra)
Rnds 2–4: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to the first sc to join. (61 sc)
Fasten off and weave in the end.
Why the math works: The body is 61 sts around, and each border round places exactly 1 sc in each of those 61 sts with nothing added or skipped. Since sc and hdc have the same width gauge here (15 sts = 4 in), both bands come out 16.3 in (41.4 cm) around, just like the body. They stay level with no flaring or puckering. Sc is denser than hdc, so the bands come out firm, which keeps both openings round.
Attaching the Strap
Flatten the top of the tube and find two points directly across from each other: st 1 and st 31 of the top border. Slide one end of the strap 1 in (2.5 cm) down inside the top band at st 1 and pin it. Repeat with the other end at st 31, making sure the strap isn’t twisted.
Using the long tail, whipstitch around all four edges of each overlap, going through the strap and the inside layer of the band. Stop your needle before it comes out on the outside.
The free length of the strap is 8 in – (2 x 1 in) = 6 in (15.2 cm). It forms an arch about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) above the rim.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all remaining ends on the inside, going in at least 2 in (5.1 cm) along the green bands.
- Slide the tube over a rolled towel or cardboard tube about 5 in (12.7 cm) across.
- Lightly spray it with water until damp, but not soaked.
- Gently smooth the ridges so they follow even diagonal lines. Don’t stretch the fabric along the ridges.
- Pat the tube to 14.8 in (37.6 cm) tall, and check that it measures 16.3 in (41.4 cm) around.
- Pin the strap flat to dry so it stays straight.
- Let everything dry completely before removing it from the form.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every round of the body has 61 sts, and the spiral has no breaks or doubled ridges.
- There are ten even ridges, all leaning the same way.
- The body is 12.8 in (32.5 cm) tall before the borders.
- Both green bands have 61 sc in each of their 4 rounds and lie flat.
- Total height is 14.8 in (37.6 cm), and the circumference is 16.3 in (41.4 cm).
- The strap ends sit exactly across from each other, sewn 1 in (2.5 cm) deep.
- No yarn ends or stitching show on the outside.
Troubleshooting
The ridges go straight up instead of spiraling: You probably have 60 or 66 sts in a round. Count again. You need exactly 61.
The ridges lean the other way from the photo: It doesn’t matter which way they lean. As long as you keep the stitch sequence steady, the twist will look intentional.
The tube narrows toward the top: Your FPdc may be pulling too tight. Pull each post loop up to the height of the hdc next to it.
The green bands ruffle: Your sc tension is looser than your hdc tension. Rework the bands with a 4.5 mm (US 7) hook.
The green bands pull in: Rework the bands with a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook.
There’s a step at the top of the body: Make sure you finished with a sl st, then begin the border in the very next st.
The strap sags off-center: Unpick it and recount so the ends are 30 sts apart one way around and 31 sts apart the other.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and lay it flat or dry it over a tube form. Cotton versions can go through a gentle machine cycle inside a laundry bag.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other. 61 sts at 15 sts per 4 in gives a 16.3 in (41.4 cm) circumference. 32 body rounds at 10 rounds per 4 in give 12.8 in (32.5 cm) of mustard twist. Two 1 in (2.5 cm) green bands of 61 sc bring the total to 14.8 in (37.6 cm). An 8 in (20.3 cm) strap, sewn 1 in (2.5 cm) deep at each end, leaves a 6 in (15.2 cm) hanging loop. If you check your gauge and keep the stitch count at exactly 61, the spiral will form on its own.
Happy crocheting!