This sleepy owl keeps loose plastic bags tidy in your kitchen. You push bags in at the wide top and pull them out one at a time through the smaller opening at the bottom. The owl has closed, lashed eyes, a little gold beak, and layered cream wings on a textured teal body.
The palette is deep teal, warm cream, mustard gold, and a touch of black for the embroidered eyes. The body uses a Suzette-style texture, which is dense, slightly bumpy, and strong enough to hold a full load of bags without sagging.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The holder is about 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide when flattened and about 17 in (43.2 cm) tall, not counting the hanging strap.
You work the body as one seamless tube from the bottom up. It starts small, widens over a few shaping rounds, then continues straight to the top. You finish it with a single-crochet rim, a sewn-on strap, and appliqués: two eyes, one beak, and ten feathers.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide flat, 15 in (38.1 cm) around, about 17 in (43.2 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy to intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 1 body, plus 1 strap and 13 small appliqués (2 eyes, 1 beak, 10 feathers)
- Layout: a vertical tube with the face on the front and one wing on each side fold
- Body before rims: 16 in (40.6 cm) tall
- Top rim depth: 3/4 in (1.9 cm)
- Bottom edging depth: 1/4 in (0.6 cm)
- Bottom opening: 8 in (20.3 cm) around, about 4 in (10.2 cm) wide flat
Materials
Use a smooth worsted yarn in cotton, a cotton blend, or acrylic. Cotton gives the crispest texture and holds its shape best when the holder is full. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they hide the stitch pattern.
- Teal (body, strap): 170 g / 320 m
- Cream (eyes, feathers): 30 g / 56 m
- Mustard gold (beak): 5 g / 9 m
- Black (embroidery): 2 g / 4 m
These quantities include a margin of about 10% for gauge swatches and sewing tails.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– 4 locking stitch markers
– Straight pins
– Tape measure
– Scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- sc3tog – single crochet 3 together
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sk – skip
- rep – repeat
Special stitches:
– Regular repeat (reg rep): (sc, dc) in the next sc, then skip the next dc. This uses 2 sts and makes 2 sts.
– Increase repeat (inc rep): (sc, dc) in the next sc, then (sc, dc) in the next dc. This uses 2 sts and makes 4 sts, which adds one repeat.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Suzette gauge: 16 sts (8 repeats) and 14 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm).
Single crochet gauge: 16 sc and 16 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm).
The body is the only piece where size really matters, so swatch it first. Chain 24 and work the repeat in rows (ch 1, turn, then (sc, dc) in next sc, sk next dc across) for 16 rows. Measure the middle of the swatch.
Measure at each of these checkpoints:
- After Rnd 2: the bottom ring measures 8 in (20.3 cm) around.
- After Rnd 9: the tube measures 15 in (38.1 cm) around, or 7.5 in (19.1 cm) flat.
- After Rnd 28: the body is about 8 in (20.3 cm) tall.
- After Rnd 56: the body is about 16 in (40.6 cm) tall.
If your work is too big (more than 8 sts per 2 in / 5.1 cm), go down half a hook size. If it is too small, go up half a size. Matching the round gauge matters less, because you can add or skip a few even rounds to reach the height.
Body
The body is worked in joined rounds from the bottom up. The ch 1 at the start of each round does not count as a stitch. Keep the joins lined up, because they mark the center back.
Foundation: With teal, ch 32. Sl st to the first ch to form a ring, taking care not to twist it.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each ch around. Join with sl st to the first sc. (32 sts)
Rnd 2 (set-up): Ch 1, (sc, dc) in next st, sk next st 16 times. Join with sl st to the first sc. (16 repeats, 32 sts)
Check that the ring measures 8 in (20.3 cm) around.
Rnd 3: Ch 1, inc rep, reg rep 3 times 4 times. Join. (20 repeats, 40 sts)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, reg rep 20 times. Join. (20 repeats, 40 sts)
Rnd 5: Ch 1, inc rep, reg rep 4 times 4 times. Join. (24 repeats, 48 sts)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, reg rep 24 times. Join. (24 repeats, 48 sts)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, inc rep, reg rep 7 times 3 times. Join. (27 repeats, 54 sts)
Rnd 8: Ch 1, reg rep 27 times. Join. (27 repeats, 54 sts)
Rnd 9: Ch 1, inc rep, reg rep 8 times 3 times. Join. (30 repeats, 60 sts)
In every shaping round, each set uses exactly the repeats of the round before it. For example, in Rnd 9 each set uses 9 old repeats (1 + 8), and 3 sets × 9 = 27. Each set makes 10 new repeats, and 3 × 10 = 30.
Rounds 3 to 9 create the rounded bottom you see on the finished owl. Check that the tube now measures 15 in (38.1 cm) around.
Rnds 10–56: Ch 1, reg rep 30 times. Join. (30 repeats, 60 sts in each round)
Check the height at Rnd 28: it should be about 8 in (20.3 cm). After Rnd 56, the body should be about 16 in (40.6 cm) tall. If you are short, work 1 or 2 more even rounds. Do not fasten off yet.
Eyes (make 2)
With cream, make a magic ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in the ring. Pull the ring closed and join to the top of the ch-3. (12 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in the same st, then 2 dc in each st around. Join. (24 sts)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st 12 times. Join. (36 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a 16 in (40.6 cm) tail. Each eye measures 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across. The closed magic ring makes the small ring visible at the center.
Embroidery: With black yarn, backstitch a downward curve about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide across the lower middle of each eye, just below the center ring. Below the curve, make 5 straight stitches about 1/4 in (0.6 cm) long, spaced evenly and fanned slightly outward. These are the lashes.
Beak
With mustard gold:
Row 1: Ch 6, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (5 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next st, sc2tog. (3 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc3tog. (1 st)
Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail. The beak is a triangle about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide and 3/4 in (1.9 cm) tall. Sew it with the point facing down.
Feathers (make 10)
With cream, ch 8.
Rnd 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, hdc in the next ch, dc in each of the next 3 ch, then 7 dc in the last ch. Rotate the work to continue along the other side of the chain: dc in each of the next 3 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the last ch. Sl st to the first sc. (17 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail. Each feather is a rounded scallop about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. The fan of 7 dc forms the rounded tip.
Border: Top Rim, Bottom Edging, and Strap
Border gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm).
The Suzette body also measures 16 sts per 4 in. So when you work 1 sc into every stitch, the rim matches the body’s width exactly, with no ruffling and no pulling in.
Top rim. Continue with teal from Rnd 56.
Rnd 57 (conversion round): Ch 1, sc in each sc and in each dc around. That is 60 sts worked 1 per existing stitch, plus 0 added. Join. (60 sts)
Rnds 58–59: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (60 sts)
Fasten off. When the holder is flattened, each side of the rim has 30 sts: 30 × 0.25 in = 7.5 in (19.1 cm). The 3 rounds of sc add 3/4 in (1.9 cm) of height.
Bottom edging. Turn the body upside down. Join teal in the free loops of the foundation chain at the center back.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each free loop around. Join. (32 sts)
Fasten off. Flattened, each side of the opening has 16 sts: 16 × 0.25 in = 4 in (10.2 cm). The edging adds 1/4 in (0.6 cm) of height and makes the opening firm enough to stretch for pulling bags without losing its shape.
Strap. With teal:
Row 1: Ch 41, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (40 sts)
Rows 2–3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (40 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. The strap is 10 in (25.4 cm) long and about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) wide.
Lay the body flat with the joins at the center back. Pin each strap end inside the back rim, overlapping the rim by 1/2 in (1.3 cm). Place the ends so their centers are 10 sts apart (2.5 in / 6.4 cm), one on each side of the center back.
The overlaps use 1 in (2.5 cm) of the strap’s 10 in. The remaining 9 in (22.9 cm) forms an arch that rises about 4 in (10.2 cm) above the rim. Whipstitch each end securely through all 3 rim rounds.
Assembly of the face and wings:
- Eyes: Pin the eyes to the front so they touch at the center, with their top edges 1.5 in (3.8 cm) below the top of the rim. Whipstitch around the outer sc round of each eye.
- Beak: Center the beak below the point where the eyes meet. Its top edge should overlap the lower inner edges of both eyes by about 1/4 in (0.6 cm). Sew it all the way around.
- Wings: Each wing sits on a side fold, with its top level with the centers of the eyes. Sew the feathers in 3 tiers, starting at the bottom and working up so each upper tier overlaps the one below:
- Bottom tier: 2 feathers side by side, overlapping each other slightly, about 2 in (5.1 cm) wide in total.
- Middle tier: 2 feathers, placed 1 1/8 in (2.9 cm) higher than the bottom tier.
- Top tier: 1 centered feather, another 1 1/8 in (2.9 cm) higher.
Sew each feather only across its narrow chain end, plus about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) down each side. This lets the rounded tips lift slightly for a layered look. Each finished wing is about 4 in (10.2 cm) tall and 2 in (5.1 cm) wide, and extends a little past the side fold.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends inside the tube. Keep them away from the bottom opening so they don’t catch on bags.
- Mist the whole holder lightly with water. Don’t soak it, because the appliqués could shift.
- Slide a rolled towel inside the tube so it fills out to 15 in (38.1 cm) around.
- Pat the body straight, and check that it is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide flat and about 17 in (43.2 cm) tall.
- Shape the bottom opening into a neat circle about 8 in (20.3 cm) around.
- Press the eyes and beak flat with your fingers. Gently curve the feather tips outward.
- Let it dry completely before you remove the towel.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The body has 60 sts in every round from Rnd 9 to Rnd 59.
- The bottom edging has 32 sts.
- The flat width is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) at the middle and at the rim.
- The join seam runs straight up the center back.
- The eyes are level, they touch, and their lashes point down.
- The beak is centered, point down.
- The wings are at matching heights on both sides.
- Each strap end is sewn through all 3 rim rounds.
- No loose ends are showing inside either opening.
Troubleshooting
The texture slants or the count drifts. You may have worked into a dc instead of skipping it. Count the repeats every few rounds; you should have 30.
The rim ruffles. You probably added stitches. Rnd 57 must be exactly 60 sc. If the count is right and it still ruffles, go down half a hook size for the rim.
The rim pulls in. Your sc tension is tighter than your Suzette tension. Work the rim with a 5.5 mm hook.
The bottom opening is too loose. Add a round of sl st into the edging, worked in the back loops only.
The eyes cup or curl. Your Rnd 3 tension is tight. Block the eyes flat before sewing, or work Rnd 3 a little looser.
The bottom of the holder sags when full. Use cotton yarn, or add 2 more even rounds before the rim so the bags sit lower in the tube.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press out the water with a towel, and dry the holder flat over a rolled towel to keep its shape. Don’t tumble dry, because the feathers can twist out of position.
Final Notes
The whole design depends on one simple chain of measurements. The Suzette gauge (16 sts = 4 in / 10.2 cm) makes 32 sts at the bottom, which gives an 8 in (20.3 cm) opening. Four shaping rounds take that up to 60 sts, which is 15 in (38.1 cm) around and 7.5 in (19.1 cm) flat. The 56 body rounds add up to 16 in (40.6 cm). The 3 sc rim rounds and the 1 bottom edging round add the last inch, for about 17 in (43.2 cm) in total.
Because the sc rims match the body gauge stitch for stitch, both openings stay smooth. Get the swatch right, check your measurements at each checkpoint, and your sleepy owl will hold a full load of bags neatly.
Happy crocheting!