Plastic bags tend to end up stuffed in a drawer. This holder gives them a tidy place on the wall. You push bags in through the wide scalloped top and pull them out one at a time through the small round opening at the bottom.
The design uses deep teal and soft cream. Cream lens-shaped petals wrap around teal four-pointed diamonds, which gives an “orange-peel” or interlocking-circle look. The top rim has a cream shell scallop border, and a teal strap hangs the holder from a hook. A brown-and-pink version also works well if you want something warmer.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder is 6.7 in (17.0 cm) wide when laid flat and 18.7 in (47.5 cm) tall without the strap. The strap loop adds about 5 in (12.7 cm) above the rim.
You work the holder in one piece from the bottom up. Start with a ring of double crochet for the bag opening. Then increase in single crochet to the full width, work 72 rounds of tapestry colorwork, and finish with the shell border. The strap is worked straight off the inside of the rim, so there is nothing to sew on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 6.7 in (17.0 cm) wide flat × 18.7 in (47.5 cm) tall; circumference 13.3 in (33.8 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate (tapestry crochet in the round)
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 (the body and strap are worked as one piece)
- Layout: Vertical tube, opening at the bottom, scalloped rim at the top
- Piece size before border (Rnds 1–86): 17.6 in (44.7 cm) tall
- Border depth: Top border 0.8 in (2.0 cm); bottom edging 0.3 in (0.8 cm)
- Strap: 1.1 in (2.8 cm) wide × 12 in (30.5 cm) long
Materials
Use a smooth cotton or cotton blend in DK weight. Cotton holds its shape, shows colorwork clearly, and doesn’t stretch much when the holder is full. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the petal edges.
- Color A, Teal: 130 g / about 299 m (327 yd)
- Color B, Cream: 100 g / about 230 m (252 yd)
These amounts assume yarn with about 230 m per 100 g. Tapestry crochet carries the unused color inside every stitch, so it uses more yarn than plain single crochet. Both amounts include a margin of roughly 15%.
Tools:
– 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
– 4 stitch markers
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Measuring tape
– Spray bottle and a rolled towel (or a 2-liter bottle) for blocking
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sk – skip
- FLO / BLO – front loop only / back loop only
- rev sc – reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
- rep – repeat
- T / C – work the stitch in Teal / Cream
Special stitches:
Tapestry sc: Hold the unused color along the top of the round and work each sc over it, so it is hidden inside the stitches. To change color, work the last sc before the change until 2 loops are left on the hook. Then yarn over with the new color and pull through.
Shell: 7 dc in the same stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 18 sc and 20 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in tapestry sc worked in the round.
Gauge controls everything here, so treat the bottom section and the first colorwork motif as your test piece.
- After Rnd 1: The ring lies flat at 3.3 in (8.4 cm) across, or 6.7 in (17.0 cm) around.
- After Rnd 12: 6.7 in (17.0 cm) wide when flattened, and 2.8 in (7.1 cm) tall.
- After Rnd 24 (first motif repeat): One motif is 12 sts = 2.7 in (6.9 cm) wide and 12 rounds = 2.4 in (6.1 cm) tall.
- After Rnd 84: 17.2 in (43.7 cm) tall.
- After Rnd 86: 17.6 in (44.7 cm) tall.
If your piece is too big: If it is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) wider than 6.7 in (17.0 cm) at Rnd 12, go down to a 3.75 mm hook and start again. If it is too small: go up to a 4.5 mm hook. If only the height is off, keep going. A little extra or missing length is fine, as long as you work whole 12-round motif repeats.
Pattern
Bottom Opening and Increases (Teal)
Rnd 1: With Teal, ch 30 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring, taking care not to twist. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then dc in each of the next 29 ch. Sl st to the top of ch-3. (30 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1 (doesn’t count as a stitch here or in later rounds). Sc in each st and sl st to the first sc. (30 sc)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, then work (sc 4, inc) 6 times. Join. (36 sc)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in each st, join. (36 sc)
Rnd 5: Ch 1, then work (sc 5, inc) 6 times. Join. (42 sc)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in each st, join. (42 sc)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, then work (sc 6, inc) 6 times. Join. (48 sc)
Rnd 8: Ch 1, sc in each st, join. (48 sc)
Rnd 9: Ch 1, then work (sc 7, inc) 6 times. Join. (54 sc)
Rnd 10: Ch 1, sc in each st, join. (54 sc)
Rnd 11: Ch 1, then work (sc 8, inc) 6 times. Join. (60 sc)
Rnd 12: Ch 1, then sc in each st, laying Cream along the top of the round and working over it. Join. (60 sc)
You should now have a gentle taper, 6.7 in (17.0 cm) wide flat. The joins line up along one side, which is fine, because that line becomes a side edge when the holder hangs.
Orange Peel Colorwork (Rnds 13–84)
Each round has 60 sc: the 12-stitch motif repeated 5 times. Read each Pattern Round from left to right as listed, and repeat it 5 times per round. Every pattern round totals 12 sts per repeat and 60 sts per round. At each round’s join, ch 1 in the color of the first stitch.
- Pattern Rnd 1: (T2, C3, T1, C3, T3) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 2: (T1, C4, T1, C4, T2) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 3: (C5, T1, C5, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 4: (C4, T3, C4, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 5: (C3, T5, C3, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 6: (T12) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 7: (C3, T5, C3, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 8: (C4, T3, C4, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 9: (C5, T1, C5, T1) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 10: (T1, C4, T1, C4, T2) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 11: (T2, C3, T1, C3, T3) — 12 sts
- Pattern Rnd 12: (T12) — 12 sts
How the shapes form: Teal diamonds sit at the center of each motif (Pattern Rnds 4–8) and at its corners (Pattern Rnds 11–2 across the repeat seam). The cream blocks between them stack diagonally into lens-shaped petals. Single teal lines at stitches 6 and 12, and in Pattern Rnds 6 and 12, separate the petals. Each diamond’s four points reach out along these lines, which creates the interlocking-circle effect.
Rnds 13–84: Work Pattern Rnds 1–12 a total of 6 times (72 rounds). (60 sc every round)
Place a marker every 12 sts on Rnd 13 to keep the repeats lined up. Check your height at the end of each motif: Rnd 24 is 5.2 in (13.2 cm), Rnd 48 is 10.0 in (25.4 cm), Rnd 72 is 14.8 in (37.6 cm), and Rnd 84 is 17.2 in (43.7 cm).
Top Band (Teal)
Rnd 85: With Teal, ch 1, sc in each st, join. Stop carrying Cream; let it hang inside. (60 sc)
Rnd 86: Ch 1, sc in each st, join. (60 sc) Fasten off Teal.
Border
Border Gauge
One shell repeat covers 6 sts, which is 1.3 in (3.3 cm) of rim, and stands 0.6 in (1.5 cm) tall. Rnd 87 adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm), so the full border depth is 0.8 in (2.0 cm).
Top Border (Cream)
Rnd 87: Join Cream in any st. Ch 1, then sc in FLO of each st and join. (60 sc) Working in the FLO leaves the back loops of Rnd 86 free on the inside for the strap.
Rnd 88: Ch 1, then work (sc in next st, sk 2, shell in next st, sk 2) 10 times. Sl st to the first sc. (10 shells and 10 sc = 80 sts) Fasten off.
Why the math works: Each repeat uses 6 stitches of Rnd 87: 1 sc + 2 skipped + 1 shell + 2 skipped. 10 repeats × 6 sts = 60 sts, which matches the round exactly, so the scallops close evenly with no half shell at the join. The 7 dc of each shell fill the 6-stitch span, so the scallops flare slightly and the rim opens up for stuffing bags in.
Bottom Edging (Cream)
Rnd O1: Turn the holder upside down. Join Cream in a free loop of the foundation chain. Ch 1, sc in each free loop, and join. (30 sc)
Rnd O2: Ch 1, rev sc in each st, and join. (30 rev sc) Fasten off. The edging adds 0.3 in (0.8 cm) and keeps the opening firm.
Strap (Teal)
Row 1: Turn the holder inside out, or reach inside. Find the join line of Rnd 86. Join Teal in the free back loop of st 1. Ch 1, then sc in the free back loops of sts 1–5. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 2–60: Ch 1, sc in each st, turn. (5 sc)
The strap now measures 12 in (30.5 cm).
Attach: Keeping the strap untwisted, line Row 60 up with the free back loops of sts 31–35 on the opposite side. Sl st through each Row 60 stitch and its matching back loop. (5 sl sts) Fasten off.
Because sts 1–5 and 31–35 are exactly 30 sts apart, the strap ends sit at the two side edges. The holder then hangs flat, with the joins hidden at one side.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends inside the tube, running each end through 5–6 sts of its own color.
- Lightly spray the whole holder with water until it is damp but not soaked.
- Slide it over a rolled towel or a 2-liter bottle so it settles into an even cylinder 13.3 in (33.8 cm) around.
- Ease the colorwork straight, so the teal lines run vertically and the petals look even.
- Lay the top border flat, then pinch and shape each of the 10 scallops into a rounded fan.
- Lay the strap flat and straight, and let everything dry fully.
- Measure: 6.7 in (17.0 cm) wide flat and 18.7 in (47.5 cm) tall.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every colorwork round has 60 sts, with 5 full motif repeats.
- No cream shows through the teal areas, and the carried yarn is completely hidden.
- The teal lines are aligned vertically from Rnd 13 to Rnd 84.
- The rim has exactly 10 shells, evenly spaced.
- The strap is untwisted and attached at opposite sides.
- The bottom opening is firm, round, and about 2.1 in (5.3 cm) across.
- All ends are woven in on the inside.
Troubleshooting
The tube slants or spirals. Joined rounds shift slightly with each round. Make sure you sl st into the first sc, not the ch-1, and keep counting to 60.
Cream shows through teal stitches. Hold the carried yarn behind the stitches and close to the top of the round. A tighter tension on the yarn you carry also helps.
The colorwork puckers. Your carried yarn is too tight. Every few stitches, spread out the stitches you just made to their full width.
The scallops ruffle or cup. Check that you skip exactly 2 sts on each side of every shell. If they still ruffle, try 6 dc per shell.
The opening is too loose. Work Rnd O2 with a 3.5 mm hook.
The strap stretches when the holder is full. Work it with a 3.5 mm hook, or line it with grosgrain ribbon stitched in place.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat or over a bottle. Avoid tumble drying, which can shrink the cotton and distort the colorwork.
Final Notes
Everything follows from one measurement chain. A gauge of 18 sc per 4 in (10.2 cm) gives a 60-stitch circumference of 13.3 in (33.8 cm), which is 6.7 in (17.0 cm) flat. Each 12-stitch motif is 2.7 in (6.9 cm) wide and 2.4 in (6.1 cm) tall. Six motif repeats give 14.4 in (36.6 cm) of colorwork, and with the base and top band the body is 17.6 in (44.7 cm) before borders. The 0.8 in (2.0 cm) shell border and 0.3 in (0.8 cm) bottom edging bring it to 18.7 in (47.5 cm). The 12 in (30.5 cm) strap gives a loop of about 5 in (12.7 cm).
If you check those numbers at each stage, the holder will hang straight and neat.
Happy crocheting!