This grocery bag holder is a soft, textured tube that hangs from a wall hook. You push bags in through the open top and pull them out one at a time through a small round hole at the bottom. It’s practical and still looks pretty on a kitchen or pantry wall.
The sample is worked in a single dusty rose shade. The body is covered in star stitch, which makes a bumpy, cushioned surface of small five-petal stars. A smooth single-crochet base, a narrow solid rim and a slim arched strap frame the texture so it looks tidy.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder measures 8″ (20.3 cm) wide laid flat (16″ / 40.6 cm around) and 16.25″ (41.3 cm) tall, not counting the strap. The strap rises about 4″ (10.2 cm) above the rim.
Construction is simple. You start at the dispensing hole with a chain ring, increase through a few single-crochet rounds to form the rounded base, then work star-stitch rounds straight up the tube. You finish with a single-crochet rim and a strap worked directly onto the top edge, so there’s nothing to sew together.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 8″ (20.3 cm) wide flat × 16.25″ (41.3 cm) tall, plus a strap about 4″ (10.2 cm) high
- Circumference: 16″ (40.6 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate (star stitch in the round)
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: #4 worsted / aran
- Hook: 5.5 mm (I-9)
- Number of pieces: 1
- Layout: one seamless vertical tube, worked bottom-up in joined rounds
- Piece size: 16″ (40.6 cm) around × 16.25″ (41.3 cm) tall
- Size before border (base + star body): 15.5″ (39.4 cm) tall
- Border depth (sc rim): 0.75″ (1.9 cm)
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth worsted-weight yarn. Cotton or a cotton blend gives the crispest stars and holds its shape when the holder is full. Acrylic works too, but it stretches more under weight.
- Dusty Rose: 200 g, about 360 m (394 yd), which is two 100 g / 180 m skeins
The sample used about 170 g. The quantity above includes a margin for your gauge swatch and small differences in tension. Star stitch uses noticeably more yarn than plain stitches, so don’t cut it close.
Tools:
– 5.5 mm (I-9) crochet hook
– 1 stitch marker
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Measuring tape
– Spray bottle or steam iron, and a rolled towel for blocking
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rnd(s) – round(s)
- eye – the ch-1 that closes the center of each star
Special stitch: Star stitch (star)
First star of a round: Ch 3. Pull up a loop in the 2nd ch from hook and another in the 3rd ch from hook. Then pull up a loop in each of the first 3 sts of the round. You now have 6 loops on your hook. Yarn over, pull through all 6 loops, then ch 1 to close the star. That ch-1 is the eye.
Every following star: Pull up a loop in the eye of the star you just made. Pull up a loop in the back of that star’s last petal. Pull up a loop in the same st where the last petal was worked. Then pull up a loop in each of the next 2 sts. You now have 6 loops on your hook. Yarn over, pull through all 6 loops and ch 1 for the eye.
The first star covers 3 sts, and every star after it shares 1 st with the previous star and adds 2 new ones. So each star moves you forward 2 sts. Around 56 sts, that gives exactly 28 stars, with the last star’s final petal landing in the first st of the round.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Star pattern gauge: 14 sts and 8 rnds (4 star rnds + 4 hdc rnds) = 4″ (10.2 cm). One star rnd plus one hdc rnd = 1″ (2.5 cm).
Single crochet gauge: 14 sts and 16 rnds = 4″ (10.2 cm).
Test the piece first. Rather than making a separate swatch, work the base (Rnds 1–6) and the first two pattern rnds (Rnds 7–8), then measure.
Checkpoints:
– After Rnd 6: circumference 16″ (40.6 cm), which is 8″ (20.3 cm) when pressed flat. The base is about 1.5″ (3.8 cm) tall.
– After Rnd 14: 4″ (10.2 cm) of star body above the base, for a total height of 5.5″ (14.0 cm).
– After Rnd 34: total height 15.5″ (39.4 cm).
– After Rnd 37: total height 16.25″ (41.3 cm).
If your piece is too big (more than 8.5″ / 21.6 cm flat), rip back and go down to a 5 mm hook. If it’s too small (under 7.5″ / 19.1 cm flat), go up to a 6 mm hook. Don’t change the stitch count, because the star rounds depend on 56 sts.
Pattern
Work in joined rounds without turning, with the right side facing you the whole time. Place a marker in the first st of each round and move it up as you go.
Base and Dispensing Hole
Foundation: Ch 24 and join with a sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Don’t twist the chain. This ring becomes the dispensing hole.
Rnd 1: Ch 1 (does not count as a st), sc in each ch around. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (24 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 8 times. Join. (32 sts)*
Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 8 times. Join. (40 sts)*
Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 8 times. Join. (48 sts)*
Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 8 times. Join. (56 sts)*
Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (56 sts)
Increasing by only 8 sts per round makes the base curve upward into a rounded cup instead of lying flat. That curve is what gives the holder its rounded bottom. The 24-st opening stretches to a round hole about 2.25″ (5.7 cm) across, which is snug enough to hold bags back and loose enough to pull one out.
Checkpoint: The base is 1.5″ (3.8 cm) tall and 16″ (40.6 cm) around at Rnd 6.
Star Stitch Body
Rnd 7 (star round): Make the first star over the first 3 sts. Make 27 more stars around, working the final petal of the last star into the first st of the round. Join with a sl st to the top of the beginning ch-3. (28 stars)
Rnd 8 (hdc round): Sl st into the first eye, ch 2 (does not count as a st), 2 hdc in the same eye, then 2 hdc in each remaining eye around. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. (28 eyes × 2 = 56 sts)
Rnds 9–34: Repeat Rnds 7–8 thirteen more times. That makes 14 star rounds and 14 hdc rounds in the body.
Stitch counts to confirm at the end of each repeat:
– Star round: 28 stars
– hdc round: 56 sts
The count never changes, so the tube grows straight with no shaping. Each round is joined, so the stars stack in neat columns instead of spiralling.
Checkpoint after Rnd 34: The body is 14″ (35.6 cm) above the base and the total height is 15.5″ (39.4 cm). The circumference is still 16″ (40.6 cm).
Border (Top Rim and Strap)
The border has two parts: a solid sc rim that firms up the top opening, and a strap worked directly into that rim.
Border gauge: 14 sc and 16 rnds = 4″ (10.2 cm), so 3 rnds = 0.75″ (1.9 cm).
Rnd 35: Ch 1, sc in each hdc around. Join. (56 sts)
Rnd 36: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (56 sts)
Rnd 37: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (56 sts)
Don’t fasten off. Number the rim stitches 1 to 56, starting with the st you just joined into (st 1).
Why the rim math works: Rnd 8 and every hdc round after it hold exactly 56 sts, and Rnd 35 places 1 sc in each one. The rim therefore keeps the same 56 sts, which is 16″ (40.6 cm) at 14 sts per 4″ (10.2 cm). It doesn’t ruffle or pull in. There are no corners on a tube, so the “per side” count is simple: laid flat, each side of the rim holds 28 sts, or 8″ (20.3 cm).
Strap
The strap is anchored at opposite points of the rim. St 29 sits exactly 28 sts from st 1, which is halfway around.
Strap chain: From st 1, ch 36. Without twisting the chain, sl st in st 29.
Strap Row 1: Sl st in st 30 and turn. Working back along the chain, sc in each of the 36 ch. Sl st in st 56. (36 sc)
Strap Row 2: Sl st in st 55 and turn. Sc in each of the 36 sc. Sl st in st 31. (36 sc)
Fasten off.
Each end of the strap is now anchored across 3 rim sts: sts 55, 56 and 1 on one side, and sts 29, 30 and 31 on the other. Spreading the anchor this way shares out the weight of a full holder. The strap is 36 sts long, or about 10.25″ (26.0 cm), and roughly 0.5″ (1.3 cm) wide. Hung from its center, it forms an arch about 4″ (10.2 cm) above the rim.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the wrong side, following the stitch tops so the tails don’t show through the star eyes.
- Roll a towel into a cylinder about 16″ (40.6 cm) around and slide it into the tube.
- Mist the piece lightly with water, or hover a steam iron about 1″ (2.5 cm) above it. Don’t press the stars flat.
- Gently even out the base curve with your fingers and round out the dispensing hole.
- Straighten the star columns so they run straight up the tube.
- Lay the strap flat and pin it to an even length.
- Let everything dry completely on the towel form before hanging.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The tube measures 8″ (20.3 cm) flat and 16″ (40.6 cm) around.
- The total height is 16.25″ (41.3 cm), not counting the strap.
- Every star round has 28 stars and every hdc round has 56 sts.
- The star columns run straight up without spiralling.
- The dispensing hole is round, about 2.25″ (5.7 cm) across, with no gaps at the chain join.
- All three rim rounds hold 56 sts and the top edge doesn’t flare.
- The two strap ends sit directly opposite each other, and the strap isn’t twisted.
- All ends are woven in securely.
Troubleshooting
The stars spiral around the tube. Join every round with a sl st and start the next round in the correct spot. Joined rounds keep the columns straight.
The star round ends with a stitch left over or short. Make sure each star after the first takes only 2 new sts. A common slip is taking 3 new sts by forgetting that the “same st” point is shared.
The base flattens into a disk instead of cupping. Your sc rounds are probably loose. Go down a hook size for Rnds 1–6 only.
The hole is too loose and bags fall out. Rework the foundation with ch 20 and sc 20 in Rnd 1. Then work Rnd 2 as sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 4 times, (sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) 4 times (32 sts)*. This brings you back to the original count.
The strap stretches under weight. Add Strap Row 3: sl st in st 32, turn, sc in each of the 36 sc, sl st in st 54. This makes the strap one row wider.
The tube is wider than 8.5″ (21.6 cm) flat. Go down a hook size for the star rounds. Star stitch spreads widthwise more than you might expect.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press out the excess water in a towel, and dry flat over a rolled towel to keep the round shape. Avoid the tumble dryer, which can distort the stars.
Final Notes
Each stage builds on the last. The 24-st ring makes a dispensing hole about 2.25″ (5.7 cm) across. Rnds 2–5 add 8 sts per round to reach 56 sts, or 16″ (40.6 cm) around, at a height of 1.5″ (3.8 cm). Twenty-eight star-and-hdc rounds of 28 stars and 56 sts each add 14″ (35.6 cm), taking you to 15.5″ (39.4 cm). Three rim rounds of 56 sc add 0.75″ (1.9 cm), for a finished height of 16.25″ (41.3 cm). Last, the 36-st strap arches between opposite rim points and rises about 4″ (10.2 cm) above the top.
If you check your measurements at each stage, the holder will come out the right size. Happy crocheting!